Thank you to all involved: A good night honoring our Difference Makers

A pastor once shared that giving of your treasure is important, though giving of your time can really make a difference in someone’s life.
He mentioned you can always make more money, but once you give of your time, that’s gone forever. And that can make a lifelong impression.
That’s what the finalists of the Daily American Republic’s Difference Makers campaign do on a daily basis. They find a way to help others by giving of their time.
The finalists were honored Thursday evening with a banquet at the Holiday Inn ballroom. A crowd of 200 showed up to recognize these wonderful people.
The finalists:
• Kim Clark and Anita Hill
• Wally Duncan
• Miranda Fickert
• Eddie Flanigan
• Christy Frazier-Moore
• Charley Harper
• Kathern Harris
• Shelley Ploetze
• Becky Stockwell
• Becky Winters
Congratulations to Winters, who was selected the DAR’s Difference Maker of the Year.
The evening was also a fundraiser for the United Gospel Rescue Mission. The DAR donated a portion of its profits from the Difference Makers campaign to the rescue mission.
We were able to give Pastor Greg Kirk and his organization a check for $3,633.60. I’ve only known Pastor Kirk for a few months, but I’ve never seen him at a loss for words. Until last night.
A huge thanks to the local businesses that helped co-sponsor the event with us, and thank you to everyone who showed up to support the Difference Makers.
Last, and certainly not least, a huge pat on the back to all of our DAR employees. Planning for the Difference Makers campaign started in January, and lots of people put in many hours to make the event possible.
Like I mentioned Thursday night, I’m not going to point out all the employees by name. I’d hate to leave anyone out. But I will say: Kudos! I’m overwhelmed with pride on what they were able to accomplish.
My mission is for the DAR to be a central part of this community, and do whatever we can to help bring awareness to many things. Not just in the form of news, sports and advertising, but help our community prosper. We will sometimes be a cheerleader for the community, but there will also be times we have to report on things that are not so enjoyable.
And we will never lose sight we are a member of the community.
Thank you for reading the DAR.
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Chris is publisher of the Daily American Republic and can be reached at cpruett@darnews.com .