Local Issues, Society

Blue-Ribbon Neighbors

Click to see original imageYears ago the Herald had a project of honoring “Blue Ribbon Neighbors”. We invited the citizenry to nominate candidates for a weekly good neighbor award. Then we’d screen the letters of nomination and honor the person selected each week with a citation adorned with a blue ribbon and the Herald’s official seal. The project eventually was phased out…as many good things are. With so many pressures in publishing a growing paper, we just couldn’t seem to find the time for the multiple details connected with it. Why do we mention the project now? We still think the idea of honoring good neighbors is excellent. It offers a way for you the people and the Herald to say thanks to solid citizens whose leadership, generosity, selflessness, and willingness to serve have stood out through the years. With this in mind, we would like to try a modified plan of honoring “blue ribbon neighbors.” There will be no awards, no citations.- just letters published in The Herald from the people who care the most and who have been recipients of their good deeds. So we invite you, the public, to look around you, think of persons who might qualify for a special tribute – and then proceed to write a letter to the Herald paying homage to such persons. In length, the letter should range from a minimum of 250 words and to a maximum of 400. Be specific on the contribution and special deeds of your “blud ribbon neighbor.” The tributes, of course, should be tactfully and tastefully handled, so that your nominees will not be embarrassed in any way. We would tend to think of a person honored as one who has given sustained service as against the “flash in the pan” variety; who is a friend to many; whose gentle deeds brighten the lives of his or her neighbors; or whose generosity extends far beyond normal expectations. Let’s try it. Send your letters to “Good Neighbor Editor,” The Daily Herald, 1555 N. 200 W., Provo, 84601. A screening committee will check these and we’ll publish all deemed sufficiently meritorius, under a special heading.