For the past several weeks, countless people have stood outside department stores, voluntarily ringing bells in the freezing cold to raise money for the Salvation Army.

Members of civic organizations, police departments, churches and schools collected food and warm clothing, wrapped Christmas presents, sang carols, and hosted events to share holiday cheer with those less fortunate.

There is no better time than now to reflect on the heroes in our community — those who give selflessly simply to make the region a better place.

As you reflect on the holiday season, I urge you to consider folks with whom you crossed paths this year. Who went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure a child was warm at the bus stop, that the homeless were fed and the lonely had a friend to spend their holidays with?

Who stayed late after church to pray with a fellow parishioner? Did you see someone who simply went out of their way to make you smile?

These people are, without question, heroes in our eyes.

As we hit the final stretch of Horizons preparations, there is still time to nominate Unsung Heroes to be recognized in our 2018 publication.

Throughout the past four years, we have been afforded the opportunity to recognize countless individuals for their citizenship and volunteerism, but we know there are countless more out there.

Rather than choosing them ourselves, we rely on people throughout our communities — the boots on the ground, so to speak — to tell us who has impacted their lives in the past year. If a person has warmed your heart in some way or another, we offer this platform as a way to say thanks.

No act is too big or too small to recognize, and nobody can explain better why a person is deserving of recognition than the person impacted.

It is easy to nominate someone. Just fill out the form you will find in this publication, or email me a brief write up that explains who the individual is and what they do to stand out. Mailed nominations can be sent to: “Unsung Heroes” c/o Leader Publications, 217 N. Fourth St., Niles, MI 49120.

Although all submissions must include the name of the individual sending the nomination, we will keep that information anonymous if an individual chooses. The deadline for entries is Friday, Jan. 12.

Ambrosia Neldon is the general manager at Leader Publications. She can be reached by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com, or by phone at (269) 687-77700.