Every day we all experience things that are worthy of being recognized. This could be as simple as a nod of the head, a verbal thank-you or a positive comment. Regardless of the extent of the recognition, it’s something that is appreciated by the recipient and feels good for the person offering the recognition.

Recognition can be done in a variety of ways. It could be recognizing someone such as Northern Illinois University quarterback Jordan Lynch for an outstanding season by mentioning his name with the best players in the country by sports writers. It could be when the Huskies football team is recognized by those in college football when they are ranked in the Top 25 (see next week’s poll). Recognizing community leaders and volunteers is something that is done by a number of organizations throughout the year.

Recently we were able to honor seven women at the 2012 Athena Award reception. The chamber each year also recognizes individuals for our Hall of Fame, an Ambassador of the Year, and a Business of the Year. It’s great to be able to recognize these awards but there are many others that deserve recognition each year.