Vitori’s “Upstanders” episode, entitled “Saving Middletown,” was a five-minute feature about the founding of Torchlight Pass and her move from a successful big-city career, as she tapped her retirement fund to rebuild her struggling Rust Belt hometown, according to Starbucks. The film also includes a number of Middletonians, such as J.D. Vance, Ken Cohen, Wilbur Cohen, Heather Gibson and Richard Isroff.
The one-page feature in “People” is in the Jan. 15 edition of the national magazine that will appear on newsstands this week.
Vitori, who began her first term on Middletown City Council this week, said “People” saw the Starbucks “Upstanders” video last fall and had reached out to her in mid-November.
She said friends who subscribe to the magazine saw it and have been tagging her in various social media posts.
“I’m psyched that Middletown is a positive national story,” Vitori said. “Getting another positive story about Middletown is exciting.”
She described the latest publicity as “an opportunity for Middletown.”
“It showcases the progress we’ve made and what still needs to be done,” Vitori said. “My approach to all of this is that I see challenges as opportunities.”
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