The Sun-Gazette recently wrapped up its yearly series of “person of the year” finalists and, as is the case every year, we were thrilled to share the stories of a number of people making a difference in the communities in our region.

That sense of community service was once again the common thread — whether it was the contributions of 11-year-old Connor Segraves, singing to the residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, or the VFW Riders helping a veteran restore his housing, or Daniel Temons, the puppeteer whose work demonstrates that differences and different abilities should not deter anyone from pursuing their dreams, or Rise Up Village Bakery, whose efforts at providing second chances and reintegrating people with convictions into society are, we hope, a testament to the values of our region.

“Our primary goal is that we help them develop inner strength, that they feel good about who they are, because when they come out of prison, a lot of them are full of social anxiety and fear of trying to get back into the community, fear of being accepted. So we work as a team in the kitchen to get them to feel like they’re part of a family,” Marty McCormick of Rise Up Village Bakery explained.

Hard work. Teamwork. These are just two of the values that our “person of the year” series often highlights.

We hope that we continue to have opportunities to report on the contributions our neighbors, friends and family make to our boroughs and neighborhoods in 2026. We believe their efforts deserve recognition — because we believe their efforts make our region better.