It's truly amazing what an individual can achieve, and the impact one person can have on the lives of others, and the community as a whole.
That's something that really hit home for me last week, as I read through the nominations for Humboldt and District's Citizen of the Year.
It was last year that the Humboldt Journal took over the selecting of Humboldt's Junior and Citizen of the Year from the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce. As one who got to sit in on the selection meeting with other community representatives, and read what all these people had contributed to this region, I was truly impressed by their dedication and selflessness. This year, I am feeling much the same.
But what struck me the most is that there were no repeat nominations this year. All those impressive people whose names were submitted for this award last year were not nominated again.
Instead, there is another package full of information about other impressive people from this community; more citizens who have gone above and beyond to help others, and to simply make this world and this place in particular, better.
Looking at the package of material, I kept thinking: It's too bad the award can only go to one person per year.
Because everyone whose name has been submitted is deserving of the name of Citizen of the Year. All have given, and given a lot, and it's a shame we can't give every one of them recognition for what they've done - mostly because that's not why they do what they do.
None of these individuals go about their lives with the expectation of receiving an award at the end of the day. It was reiterated again and again in their nomination forms that they simply do what they feel is right, what needs to be done.
These are the people who build a community.
They are not the ones who sit back and complain about what other people are doing or not doing. These are the people who see a need and set out to fill it. It is on the backs of these people that the complainers can issue their petty protests; it's what allows them to have anything to complain about in the first place.
These are the leaders of this region, even though most of them insist on working behind the scenes, not letting anyone know all of the things they do. This is the healthy core of this region, and frankly, it's wonderful to see that the core is so big, that there are so many doing so much, even if it does make choosing a Citizen of the Year extremely difficult.
The person eventually chosen as Humboldt's Citizen of the Year will be announced in the first Journal of the new year, along with an in-depth story about their contributions and achievements.
But the other nominees will also be recognized. We will profile them, as well, likely in our Q&A feature each week in the East Central Trader.
But I hope the names of those not chosen this year will be submitted next year. Because they should be. The contributions of these people, and those nominated last year, are ongoing. They don't start and end according to a calendar year.
Their good work just goes on and on.
