In the foreword he wrote for President John F. Kennedy’s book “Profiles in Courage,” Robert F. Kennedy wrote of his brother, “Courage is the virtue that President Kennedy most admired.

He sought out those people who had demonstrated in some way, whether it was on a battlefield or a baseball diamond, in a speech or fighting for a cause, that they had courage that they would stand up, that they could be counted on.”

Kennedy’s inspiring words still ring true today in a society where courageous acts are far too uncommon.

Fortunately, we live in a community, Shelby County, where friends, neighbors, strangers and leaders exhibit courage in how they go about living their lives and serving our county.

This newspaper’s annual Profile edition, set to publish two weeks from today, will share, through images and stories, an often overlooked but critically important facet of what helps drive Shelby County and what enables its people to make a difference both here and beyond the borders of our community.

I won’t share the particulars of this year’s approach to story telling, but we are optimistic you will be pleasantly surprised; it is certainly one of the most unique and compelling approaches to telling a community’s collective story I have ever seen.

The edition will be our largest single edition of the year; one that gives us the opportunity to produce some of our best work.

It is the culminating event of months of work.

Shelby County’s Person of the Year will also be announced as part of this special edition and this year’s recipient is most worthy of the honor.

Here’s hoping you will make plans now to pick up a copy of the Profile edition on Feb. 24.