This is one of my favorite times of the year to be your local roving reporter in the Outlook and surrounding area.
That’s because it’s award season. No, not the Golden Globes or the Oscars because that formulaic, predictable affair has already come and gone for another year, or just until Hollywood decides to come up with yet another evening of patting itself on the back.
I’m talking about community awards. We’re into that time of the year where Outlook puts a spotlight on a handful of deserving recipients who help make this town what it is through their volunteer efforts, reputable business acumen, and dedicated service to the community. They’re called the Community Appreciation Awards, and they’re something that really allows people to get to know the people, businesses, youth and groups that make up Outlook as a functioning, prospering and growing location.
As a reporter, it’s one of my favorite times of the year because I get to profile each recipient and talk to them about receiving such awards. I might chat with someone for a few minutes or even as much as a whole hour, but each interview helps enlighten me just a little more about the people who make up this community.
This year’s Community Appreciation Awards marks the eighth time that the spotlight is being shone on deserving recipients, having been turned into a larger event back in 2011. The lucky few who will receive the honor in 2018 are a varied bunch:
Citizen of the Year: To be more precise, this is technically the Jim Kook Citizen of the Year award, having been named a long time ago after the iconic Outlook restaurant figure who gave so much of his time and support to initiatives going on in the community. This year’s recipient is Darlene Hovdestad, a volunteer in the community who is dedicated to her church and keeps herself busy with what seems like a bevy of different things aimed at helping others, even those on the other side of the world. I was able to sit down with her last week and learned that not only is she a very kind and giving person, but that she also worked with my mom at the Pioneer Home in Outlook. Small world, eh?
Youth of the Year: It’s always good to see this award given out because it says a lot about the core values of our future generations. I got to spend a few minutes talking to this year’s recipient, Chastan Sim, during his lunch hour at school last week, and I can’t think of a more humble and modest young guy. In this day and age of social media where perhaps too many people go on gut reaction instead of thinking before they type, I think a lot of today’s younger Outlook and area residents get a bad rap due to the behavior and antics of a select few, so it’s cool to see kids like Sim get a spotlight to show that a few bad seeds do not in fact spoil the bunch.
Business of the Year: I have to admit that I did a bit of a double take when I heard which local business got the nod for this year, but it made total sense when I thought about it. The Outlook Funeral Chapel has been in business in for what seems like generations, and what are the core elements of any well-run and respected business? Customer service, people skills, and a fine reputation based on positive experience. I’d certainly say that owners Floyd and Marjorie Childerhose have all of that in spades and then some.
Group of the Year: This year’s recipient is the Outlook Fire Department, and I can just see many of you nodding your head in agreement if you fully realize just how busy our local volunteer firefighters were in 2017. This particular award may be the most fitting one out of the entire lineup when one considers the magnitude of what the department does for this town and area, and it’s a very deserving accolade indeed.
Going forward in the future with these awards, I personally think that instead of ‘trading off’ with the Group one at times, a fifth category of ‘Community Event’ should be added to the award lineup permanently. If 2017 was any indication, Outlook definitely knows how to put on some memorable events that bring out the community and make a lot of memories for the history books.
Congrats to all the recipients. You’re what makes this area a special place to do business, grow up, and most of all, call home.
For this week, that’s been the Ruttle Report.
