All over the Shoals, there are people doing good work at things they are passionate about, and they are making a difference for us all.
That’s the theory we had, four years ago, when we asked our readers to tell us who those people were so that we could honor them with our first ever Renaissance Awards. We asked again this last year, and this time you offered us 28 individuals and one group (The Master Gardeners) who have made a huge difference in the quality of life here for all of us. Most of the people who were nominated do what they do because of their passion, not because they want attention; we found, on the night of our Renaissance presentations, that some of our award winners this year are quite shy about discussing the many things they are doing. Their work is huge; their egos are not.
We wish we had room to give you detailed articles about all 29 nominees, but we don’t. Instead, we present in this issue the five category winners for the 2012 Renaissance Awards. We are very impressed, and I’m sure you will be, too.
Two of our winners are involved in Shoals Scholar Dollars, a community foundation designed to give each and every young person in the Shoals the opportunity to continue education beyond high school. We thought it would interest you to tell you more, so take a look at our feature beginning on page 18. And great art, a love of each of us here at No’Ala, is also a part of this issue: you will find profiles on some of the most fascinating artists in our area, each as different from the others as
can be. The talent in this area is astounding.
So, this issue is about people in the Shoals who are making a difference. And I have a challenge for you: please begin to keep a list for us of the people you know who are working hard behind the scenes, so that when we have our next Renaissance Awards presentation, in 2014, we can bring attention to even more individuals who make this place special. But don’t wait to thank them for their work—you can do that right now. That probably means more than any award in town.
Original Post: https://web.archive.org/web/20120724071710/http://www.noalamag.com/2012/03/08/marchapril-2012/
