I’ve written often about the mission of a community newspaper — to inform, to educate and to serve a leadership role. This mission dictates that sometimes we must cover the negative events that impact the community. But we will take every opportunity to celebrate what makes our neck of the woods special. This is one of those special times with two opportunities to celebrate special community members in the near future.

First, we’ve been recognizing our community’s best since 1993 through the Citizen of the Year award. We seek to celebrate someone in our community who’s gone that extra mile, done more than is expected and deserves special recognition.

If you know someone who has made a significant contribution to our community, please let us know!  Send us an email (news@daily-iberian.com) or drop us a letter (P.O. Box 9290, New Iberia, 70562) about the person. Tell us why you believe he or she is deserving and what he or she has done for the community that makes him or her worthy of the award. Don’t worry about a particular format, just say what needs to be said to give us the most complete picture. Please include your name and contact information in case we need more information. Nominations are due by Jan. 26.

Second, I can’t think of a more important leadership role than that of spearheading a celebration of the young professionals who choose to work and live here. There is no doubt that it is a challenge we face in a smaller community to keep our best and brightest here at home. Too often they leave to attend college never to return or they leave seeking better employment opportunities in larger cities. Fortunately, there are those who do opt to stay in the community and work to make a difference. And it is those hard-working, dedicated young professionals who we want to support, encourage and recognize.

We are very excited to announce the second annual “20 Under 40” awards, recognizing 20 outstanding members of our community under the age of 40 who are making a significant impact in the Teche Area. To do this, we need your help. We’ve met and worked with many talented young people, but we know there are many others deserving consideration. So we are asking for your input.

The process is simple — just send an email to Christina.pierce@daily-iberian.com with the nominee’s name, email,and daytime phone number. We will follow up with the nominee to request a resume and  some additional details. That way we ensure we get the most detailed and accurate information for each nominee. Our selection committee then will choose 20 individuals to be honored at a special reception late in March.  Deadline for nominations is Feb. 2.

One of the keys to success for a community is celebrating our best and brightest residents. Bright, engaged, enthusiastic people are the lifeblood of the community, and we are so excited to have the opportunity to recognize some of the best and brightness who have chosen to make a difference in the Teche Area!

CHRISTINA PIERCE is publisher of The Daily Iberian.