To lifeguards at area pools.

They endure through heat and difficult working conditions yet remain vigilant to give Albert Lea folks a chance to cool down and relax. It might seem fun to be a lifeguard, but if you have ever sat in the lifeguard chair in the hot sun and kept a watch on children, sometimes trouble-making children, you know it is a hard job to do. It becomes even harder when a life is being saved. Thanks for your dedication over the summer months.

To natural disasters.

Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, oh my! It seems the United States is getting is fill of natural disasters in 2011. Whether it is tornadoes ripping through the South and especially Joplin, Mo., or earthquakes striking Virginia and the East Coast, Mother Nature sure is keeping busy. This weekend Hurricane Irene is creeping up the East Coast and could hit New York. It is not uncommon for New York to get heavy rains from the storm remnants of hurricanes, but it has been less common for a direct hit of a major hurricane. The most recent big one was Hurricane Isabel in 2003, with damage in New York reaching $90 million. Any storm resembling the Long Island Express of 1938, with 125 mph winds and an 18-foot storm surge, could cause unbelievable damage today. New Yorkers are knocking on wood.

To farmers in the United South Central School District.

Farmers in this district nominated their school for a grant from Monsanto that resulted in $25,000. The school intends to use the grant to purchase equipment such as microscopes, calculators and so forth. Talk about taking initiative. USC was one of seven winning Minnesota schools out of many that were eligible.