text: Time to brag about our community
  Bragging comes easily for some people. They have no problem telling you what they're good at or what kind of success has come their way.
  Others struggle. The mere thought of tooting their own horn causes a mild panic. Most people in the working world experience this about the time each year that they have to write their self-evaluations for annual reviews.
  I'm kind of stuck in between. I hate talking about myself, at least in most cases. But I'll brag about my family as long as you'll listen to me. Anybody who has read my Monday "Slice of Life" columns in the Southern Utah Life section already is well aware of this point.
  I had the chance to brag a bit this past week about our news team at Spectrum Media. The group brought home 21 first-place awards in the annual regional Society of Professional Journalists awards, sponsored by the Utah Headliners chapter. It was fun seeing so many staff members win across such a wide variety of categories.
  That was my chance to brag, and the honors were well earned. But we all have many opportunities, particularly when it comes to our community.
  I want to give all of you a chance to brag.
  I know. I know. Modesty is usually the best policy. But not in this case. I'm hoping you can help that award-winning news team tell some really fun, positive stories about the places we live, work, worship, have fun or just hang out.
  I'm calling it the "Celebrating Southern Utah" project. And it works like this:
  You send me a short email or note in the mail with some details about some aspect of Southern Utah about which you are proud. It can be something about your city, town or county. It can be something about your kids' schools. It can be something about your church or a civic group of which you are a member. It can be something about your circle of friends, your favorite hangout, where you commune with nature, where you spend time with your dog or even your favorite eatery.
  Send your thoughts to me addressed to "Celebrating Southern Utah." If you're sending an email, include that phrase in the subject line.
  I'll take a look at the ideas submitted, and if we see a trend or a particularly unique story, we'll write a story about it. The idea is to celebrate the things we love about Southern Utah and the surrounding area by drawing attention to the things that are going right in the community.
  Some people like to point out that all they see is bad news in the newspaper, on TV or on news websites. Well, here's your chance to help us tell the stories about the good things going on in our area.
  Please provide as much detail as you can, complete with contact information of the people responsible so we know how to reach them.
  I don't know if we'll make this a weekly series, a monthly feature or just an occasional story. That really depends on how many ideas from you come our way.