Northern Indiana is full of people working hard every day to make their communities a better place. Since 2011, GreatNews.Life has been putting the spotlight on the people spreading this positivity in the Region with our Life in the Spotlight series. New articles are published every Wednesday, so be sure to check back often to learn more about the stories of great people doing great things in Northern Indiana.
Tom Aldrich is known in the Portage area for being an advocate for people with special needs. The business man and father of three has taken his experiences of raising a daughter with special needs and put them to work through being the Board...
After a tragic car accident , Kathy Conn’s world was forever changed, affecting her mobility, career, and lifestyle. Her broken back was always in pain and there was little to be done about the discomfort. Conn, determined to regain mobility,...
Roy Johnson of Portage is in the business of saving lives. From humble beginnings as a lifeguard, to a paramedic with EMS, and now a life-saving firefighter at the Portage Fire Department, Johnson has seen both the good and the bad that comes along...
When Beth Sexton moved her family to Portage almost nine years ago, life was in flux. As a single mother of two, though, one thing was certain: she was going to do everything she could to help support her children. She enrolled them at Jones...
A lot of jobs exist out there for people who simply love children. Here’s one you might not have considered: crossing guard. Portage’s Bonnie Kidwell has been a crossing guard for Central Elementary students for 35 years! “It’s a nice, quiet...
Joanie Sulivan was born and raised in Griffith, Ind., where she had a love for science, math, and running. Now, many know her as the Business Manager at the YMCA of Portage, but that wasn’t always the direction Sulivan saw herself going. When...
About 24 years ago, Pastor Michael Bean and his wife Paula made a life-changing decision to move to Portage, Indiana, where he would become the Lead Pastor of Crossroads Family Church. Born and raised in Southern Missouri, Bean felt the...
Sandy Oliver is a Portage Economic Development Corporation (Portage EDC) board member, and a physician recruiter for Porter Health Care System, because she feels driven to make a difference. “I like to do things that have an impact,"...
Before Zach Hughes could even drive a car, he started Young Cuts, a successful lawn care service based in Portage. He dreamed up the idea of his landscape company in 2012 when he was just 11 years old, fueled by visions of buying a fishing boat with...
Growing up, Debbie Wright’s father noticed that his family never traveled. He decided that when he had a family, he would take them everywhere. So, at a very young age, Wright began to explore the world. “You can only learn so much from...