The Imprint We Leave Behind

One of the highlights of my week was reviewing nominations for the Besties Readers' Choice Awards.

Our team is still working through the nominations and verifying entries to ensure they meet the criteria for this year's program. The response has been wonderful, and while some nominations came from outside Putnam County and won't be eligible this year, we've saved many of those names for future opportunities because they deserve recognition as well.

As I read through the nominations, one category stood out to me in particular: Cheerleader for Putnam County.

What struck me wasn't who was nominated.

It was why they were nominated.

We didn't ask people whether the nominee was Republican or Democrat.

We didn't ask what position they held.

We simply asked people to tell us who helps make Putnam County a better place.

And they did.

At a time when campaign signs are appearing across our county, candidate forums are being scheduled, and election conversations are becoming more common, it was refreshing to see people look beyond labels and recognize something deeper.

Service.

Kindness.

Commitment.

Character.

The nominations reminded me that every day, people are making a difference in ways that often go unnoticed.