Introducing UNITED, Progress 2020

In today’s edition of the Daily American Republic, you will find UNITED, our 2020 edition of Progress.

Progress is a long-standing tradition for the DAR.

Each year it offers a chance to take a closer look at activity in our region, often focusing on the positive changes we have made in the past year, recognizing challenges we have faced or pausing to reflect on a historical aspect of our community.

This year, we wanted to tackle the most obvious concern on all of our minds, the coronavirus, but from the perspective of how we have been united in facing this, and the positive change which has occurred.

2020 is too important to be written off as a lost year. People we love have had moments worth celebrating, like high school graduations, weddings and births. And we have learned important lessons, and taken important steps, both in our personal and professional lives.

We asked families, teachers, businesses, public service groups and responding agencies how they have faced COVID-19.

Many have found there are ways they will come through this stronger, growing closer as a family, an organization and a community.

“We spent so much time together during the stay-at-home order,” said Martha Kirkman in an article, of the experience she, husband Erick and daughters Olivia and Addison had.

“The main core is what we’ve always known in emergency management, is that we have great partners here in Butler County and Southeast Missouri,” said Robbie Myers, Butler County Emergency Management Agency director, in a video interview. “Something like a pandemic is much more than a handful of people or even organizations can handle. ... It’s a challenging time but everyone’s goal is to try and get on the other side of this in a safe and healthy manner.”

You can find more about the ways our community has turned this into an opportunity for growth here, in the Progress edition in today’s edition, on our website, www.darnews.com, and Facebook page. Content includes both articles and videos.

Thank you for reading the DAR.