Stories show the goodness of the Sauk Valley

Aficionados of good news have had a nice selection lately. Positive stories, as reported by the Sauk Valley Media news staff, kept coming and coming.

We start with the naming of the 2011 Dixon Citizen of the Year: Rick Curia, CEO of the Ken Nelson auto dealership.

Of course, it was not for his obvious skills in selling autos and creating jobs, but for his tremendous volunteer work that Curia won the honor. The Dixon Area Chamber of Commerce and the Telegraph recognized Curia for his activities with the Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, the Riverfront project and the KSB Hospital board of directors.

Curia joins a line of Citizen of the Year winners that stretches back to 1982, when Paul Berrettini received the first award.

Also honored at last week’s banquet was the Dixon Knights of Columbus. The group’s annual free Thanksgiving dinner served about 450 people.

Kelly Sullivan was honored with the Future Leaders Award, and Ann Lewis was presented with the “Reagan Centennial” award. She chaired the city’s highly successful Reagan Centennial Commission.

At Saturday’s Dixon Main Street awards dinner, Andrew Brockwell earned Volunteer of the Year honors. He worked long and hard to help make the Christmas Walk, Community Expo and Scarecrow Festival a success, as well as the mud volleyball tournament.

Cornerstone Awards went to three other outstanding volunteers: Glen Hughes, R.J. Gabaldon and Joni Ehnen.

People who attended the 23rd annual Reagan Day Dinner in Dixon opened their hearts and wallets to the family of Marine Lance Cpl. Adam Devine, who was wounded in Afghanistan. More than $2,200 was raised for Devine’s family. That’s impressive.

We’re also impressed by the statewide honor bestowed on the Woodlawn Arts Academy in Sterling. The academy provided art and music instruction to more than 400 students in the latest fiscal year.

Woodlawn received a Public and Community Service Award from the Illinois Alliance for Arts Education. The award will be presented next month at the Executive Mansion in Springfield.

We could go on, about the trivia buffs who raised more than $10,500 for the Dixon Schools Foundation, or the Sterling-based youth group that plans to start a thrift store to fund its activities, or two dedicated volunteers who are digitizing the Loveland Museum’s photo archives.