Reader’s Digest is looking for Canadian heroes in our region.
The magazine is accepting nominations for this year’s Canadian Heroes of the Year.
Associate Editor Cynthia Shannon — speaking with John Divinski on Soundingboard — says nominees can be anyone whether it is a neighbour, relative, friend, or someone in the community who has stepped forward to help a person or a cause.
She says it can also be someone who had put their life on the line to rescue a person.
She says their vision of a hero is someone who stepped out of their comfort zone to do something that is not a part of their everyday life.
Shannon says Reader’s Digest have always highlighted heroes in their magazine but have not been hearing much of day to day people who just go about their business.
She says they went out to ask their readers to tell them about a hero they personally know.
She says the nominee is often nominated by more than one person.
There are five different categories in which to nominate people in: Community Service, Rescue, Health and/or Research, Education, and Public Life.
Shannon says an example of a someone who does community service was Charles Turner — a retired Halifax teacher — who helped streamlined food banks in the area back in 2006.
She says Turner ended up spending more time working at the food bank than he did while teaching.
Previous recipients include humanitarians Stephen Lewis and Romeo Dallaire.
Nominations for Canadian Heroes of the Year can be submitted online at www.rd.ca/heroes before this Friday.
