Editorial: Good people make our community stronger | Raleigh News & Observer

A bright light shined on eastern Wake County last week as a trio of local residents were honored for their commitment to their communities.

In Wendell, Mayor Tim Hinnant recognized Willie Mae Smith as the winner of the Mayor’s Award. It is, for all intents and purposes, Wendell’s Citizen of the Year award. Smith’s service has been quiet, but not unnoticed and she has been a comfort to a great many people simply because she learned that helping others made her feel good, too.

In Raleigh, a Zebulon couple was enshrined in a hall of fame for supporters of the Boys & Girls Club movement. Mike and Carol Weeks have been leading the charge for more than a decade to establish a club in Zebulon. That club grew dramatically in the years since the Weekses began advocating for it and now they occupy a sturdy new facility that will serve children in this area for years to come.

Smith and the Weekses are people worthy of celebration. They make our communities better places to live. We should all strive to do as much as they have done for their communities.