Sharing appreciation

TOPIC: Goodwill and good times
OUR VIEW: Delivering some thank yous

You never really know if an idea is good or bad until you try it.

So we applaud the foresight offered last week by Elizabethtown Events Coordinator Sarah Vaughn by offering New Year's eve and day events for Hardin Countians.

A red carpet gala to ring in 2013 was held at the Historic State Theater and a few hours later, runners took to the streets of Elizabethtown to celebrate a new year with a five-kilometer run/walk, many dressed in clothes they may have partied in the night before.

More than 150 runners and walkers participated in the New Year’s Dash 5K Run/Walk.

Also on New Year's Eve, a fireworks display welcomed 2013 at midnight.

The New Year's Eve Party and fireworks may or may not return next year, officials have said. The run/walk on New Year's Day struck a chord and a Jan. 1 tradition appears to have been created.

Vaughn's search to at least offer residents an option and outlet is to be appreciated.

AFGHANS FROM THE HEART. Mary Ann Campbell, Brenda Scofield and Jean Daily are sisters.

At Helmwood Healthcare in Elizabethtown, they are held in high regard given their holiday season effort to 60 residents there. The sisters crocheted for several weeks 60 afghans to give to residents as Christmas gifts.

All of the afghans have a different look.

The holiday season often can elevate a feeling of loneliness. The sisters made sure at least 60 nursing home residents in Hardin County knew someone was remembering them this Christmas.

GIVING BACK. Hardin County and surrounding communities have rallied around 15-month-old Brooklyn Disselkamp as she battles Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer that creates tumors in the body and tumor cells in bone marrow.

A handful of events to raise funds to support the family have been held.

And last week, members of Brooklyn's family found a way to give back: By donating blood at the Hardin-LaRue Service Center of the American Red Cross in Elizabethtown.

Like strangers who have bought items or attended a fundraising meal for her family, some of the child's family gave back to one day help strangers in a time of need.

It is their way of finding another outlet to say thank you and a model for others.

This editorial represents a consensus of The News-Enterprise's editorial board.