2013 brought a lot of thought-provoking, heart-warming, and inspirational pieces to us. It's important to us that not only do we get to share good news, but also that our community members share their good news with us. Our Voices Section was created to be an outlet for the positive stories, ideas, and thoughts of our readers. People from all over Northwest Indiana had something to say this year and we at PortageLife were happy to accommodate.
Here are the Top 10 Voices Articles of 2013. Please read on and enjoy.
1. Portage Cousins Win Teen and Miss Titles
Samantha Loza and Rachel Major, cousins from Portage, were both chosen as the National American Miss and Teen queens in Indianapolis on July 7th. Samantha is a 2011 graduate of Portage High School now attending Indiana University Bloomington. Rachel is an upcoming Senior at Portage High School with plans to attend Indiana University Bloomington after graduating in 2014. Read more...
This week's submission for the Why I Love Being Active in NWI is provided by Tom Seely of Chesterton, IN. Seely is the General Manager of Pine Ford Lincoln in La Porte, IN, a family man, and as active as they come. Read on to see Seely's straight-forward approach to being active in NWI. Read more...
3. Involved Children: The Building Blocks of our Community
Community. A word that is used almost everyday yet hardly anyone takes the time to consider what it really means. Webster’s dictionary defines it as “a unified body of individuals,” however, the true meaning of the word is much more dynamic. In fact, it is really more a verb than a noun, as interaction is at its core. As with anything, participation is the key to success and a community, specifically our community, is no different. How can we expect to thrive and compete to the best of our ability with a bunch of benchwarmers? If we start teaching our children early the value of pitching in, raising their voices to be heard, and making a difference where their talents lead them, we have the foundation for greatness. By becoming involved, by volunteering, not only do our children benefit, but our families and our community will reap the rewards of everyone’s efforts. Read more...
4. Healthy and Strong IS Beautiful
This week we have Julie Mayhew as our story-teller. Her story is unique because...well you'll have to read on to find out, won't you? So go forth and be inspired, readers, by Julie Mayhew about Why She LOVES Being Active in NWI. Read more...
5. Theater Manager Runs the Race of a Lifetime
Kevin Morgan, Manager at Portage 16 IMAX, ran the Chicago Marathon in October with the Midwest Nazarene Marathon runners, raising funds for Team World Vision. This was an awesome experience that I never would have even considered a year ago. Now I can say that I am a marathon finisher with a time of 5:11:35 in one of the World’s Top Seven Marathon’s (I heard that a lot on race day). With all of your support, my final tally for funds raised was $1800. Thank you all for the support! Read more...
6. Tricky to Make the Call on Treats with Weather, Posts, and Tweets Breathing Down Your Neck
Leadership sometimes calls leaders to make the tough call on critical issues, like when the kids can run around the community picking up M&M's, Snickers, and Milky Way bars. It's not the kind of thing we are used to fighting for, like health care, crime, jobs, or education, but still "controversial" nonetheless, particularly among the most vocal of social media users who love to find fault with something you are doing. Read more...
7. Life is a Revolution: How Business is Built in Northwest Indiana
There is something about every place you enjoy going to –the place where you get the perfect meal, know the nicest people, get the coolest vibe, the most comfortable setting, etc. Whatever it is, it’s a place where you feel like you fit. Sometimes they define you –or at least part of you are- or what you want to be. Read more...
8. "If She Can Do It, So Can I!"
We love to be active. We love to sweat. We love to eat healthy. We love to push ourselves to the limit and then pass it. But why? It hurts. We’re tired. We get sore and dirty, then ravenous after the strenuous activities that we put ourselves through. It’s tough and tricky, sweaty and strenuous, and man oh man… carbs everywhere. Read more...
9. Positive Moments In My Life Part Duex
Back in 2011 I wrote my first “Positive Moments in My Life”. After losing 50+ lbs I took a month to research and experiment on how different foods affected my weight and how many calories I really needed to consume in order to maintain my weight. Read more...
10. Life is a Revolution: Infiniti and Berman's Driving New Business in Northwest Indiana
“Investing in Northwest Indiana.” Many times this phrase is spoken by political folks when talking about grand-scale visions for the future or theoretical plans for spending time or money on a project here in the region. Read more...