The new year may have arrived, but we still have a few highlights to share from the past year. The best part of working for a local newspaper is that we get to turn a spotlight on the extraordinary things people who live right here in our communities are doing, both at home and around the globe, to make the world a better place. Here is a selection of our top ten profiles from 2019. 

Come back tomorrow to see the last of our annual top ten lists, pegging our biggest Business stories and the best articles from our Commentary section. 

1. “Entrepreneur Embarks on AED Donation Program,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Garrett Hawgood of Niverville, in addition to being a volunteer firefighter, operates a business called Aim for Life that instructs people in CPR and first aid training. This year, he took on a mission to encourage businesses, churches, and other public facilities to install automated external defibrillators (AEDs). (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/entrepreneur-embarks-on-aed-donation-program)
2. “PCH Employee Receives Award of Excellence,” by Brenda Sawatzky. In May, long-time Heritage Life Personal Care Home employee Dorothy Lapointe humbly accepted an award of excellence for going above and beyond the call of duty in demonstrating an exemplary level of service for the patients in her care. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/niverville-pch-employee-receives-award-of-excellence)
3. “Kids Take on Cancer,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Two children who despite their young age have lost close loved ones to cancer, seven-year-old Christian Harder and 11-year-old Zoé Bardal, have transformed their grief into extraordinary acts of service by fundraising for organizations fighting cancer. We could all take a lesson from these passionate young people. Part One (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/kids-take-on-cancer-part-one-christian-harder), Part Two (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/kids-take-on-cancer-part-two-zo%C3%A9-bardal)
4. “Expanded Horizons: Delivering Medical Aid, and Hope, on Hospital Ships,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Local nurse Laura Klassen recently returned home from an eight-month volunteer mission with the Mercy Ships of Africa, a charitable organization that brings trained medical personnel to countries which are underserved in affordable healthcare services. This was her fourth such adventure in seven years. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/expanded-horizons-delivering-medical-aid-and-hope-on-hospital-ships)
5. “Former NCI Educators Receive National Award,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Over the summer, two deserving former educators at Niverville Collegiate were presented with the Loran Scholars Foundation Teachers Building Leaders Award. The national award was given to Angela Burtnack-Schnikel, former NCI vice principal, and Dana Dueck, who tragically passed away in a 2012 motorcycle accident. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/former-nci-educators-receive-national-award)
6. “Imagine Closes the Chapter on 12 Successful Year,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Mona Stott founded the Imagine Mental Health Matters team 12 years ago losing her young adult son Joey to suicide. Her mission ever since has been to make our communities suicide-safer. While she hopes to continue her work toward the goal of fighting the stigma against those fighting mental health issues, she felt the timing was right this past year to retire. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/imagine-closes-the-chapter-on-12-successful-years)
7. “Local Refugee Sponsors Welcome New Family,” by Brenda Sawatzky. On August 9, a group of local volunteers gathered at the airport in Winnipeg to welcome some of Niverville’s newest residents, a refugee family fleeing religious persecution in Pakistan. The family of three was exhausted but overjoyed, their harrowing journey on the run having finally come to an end. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/local-refugee-sponsors-welcome-new-family)
8. “Daughter Honours Legacy of Jake and Irene Isaak,” by Brenda Sawatzky. Although this well-known local couple has left the world, one of their children recently decided to witness for herself the results of their charitable legacy on the other side of the world. On a trip to Hungary, Dorothy Born visited a school her father helped build. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/daughter-honours-legacy-of-jake-and-irene-isaak)
9. “Reflections on a Teaching Career: Helen Schapansky,” by Liz Byron. For 23 years, Helen Schapansky derived great pleasure in teaching her favourite subject, math, and coaching girls basketball. Having retired this past spring, Schapansky reflects on her career and the many changes and highlights she experienced while teaching in the same community she calls home. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/reflections-on-a-teaching-career-helen-schapansky)
10. “Local Teacher Wins French Teaching Award,” by Brenda Sawatzky. On October 25, the Manitoba Association of Teachers of French presented Niverville Middle School teacher Carling Comte with the esteemed 2019 Greg Sametz Award. The award was created by MATF to honour excellence in teaching French communication and culture in Manitoba schools. (https://nivervillecitizen.com/news/local/local-teacher-wins-french-teaching-award)