Help us choose a citizen, firefighter and police officer of the year

Ours is a community known for individuals who perform extraordinary acts of service. Close your eyes for a minute and ask yourself this question: Who is it who always seems to be on the committee, who always seems to volunteer, who always gets involved in large and small ways that make this a better place to live?

Lots of names and lots of faces probably come to mind. Those are the people who deserve nominations as The Daily World Citizen of the Year.

We’re asking your help to send in nominations for the Citizen of the Year, Firefighter of the Year and Police Officer of the Year. The winners will be named in April and honored at a banquet April 30 at the Hoquiam Elks. Deadline for nominations is March 30.

To nominate someone for any of the three awards, write us a letter and tell us why they are deserving of recognition. Be sure to include your name and contact information in case we need to call you for more details. Tell us where the nominee is from and what he or she has done to be considered for the honor. Send your letters to The Daily World, Box 269, Aberdeen, WA 98520, and make them to the attention of Citizen of The Year awards. Or email them to Karen Barkstrom in the newsroom. Her email is kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com

Often it’s not about one major accomplishment or project someone has undertaken. Last year’s Citizen of the Year, Mickey Thurman of Hoquiam, is a good example. She’s been a big reason the restoration of the 7th Street Theatre in Hoquiam has been so successful and we focused on that when we wrote about her, but she’s one of those people who speaks up and gets involved whenever she has a chance to do something to benefit her community.

You know people like that, too. Ben Franklin said, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” There are a lot of busy people getting things done around here.

Keldy Matthews, chief of Fire District 10 in the Wishkah Valley, and Sgt. Keith Fouts of the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office, were the firefighter and police officer of the year, respectively. They distinguished themselves not just last year, but by outstanding service, day in and day out over the course of a career.

Almost by definition, the people who deserve the recognition most are the ones — such as Mickey, Keldy and Keith — who seek it least. Since they rarely say much about themselves, this is your chance to do it for them. Don’t assume that someone else will nominate that deserving person. Give them their due, and that starts with us hearing from you.

The Daily World