By JAN GRIFFEY / Editor

Tucked away in the pages of your newspaper today is a real treat.

We like to think every edition of the Shelby County Reporter is special.

We certainly work to make them so. However, this one delivers to you the result of literally months and months of hard work in the form of Profile 2013.

Long-time readers know Profile is a familiar, annual peek inside the lives of Shelby Countians in a more detailed way than we present otherwise each week.

The stories in this year’s edition are compelling. Here are highlights of just a few:

-About a year ago, friends and family of Chris Goodwin hit their knees when they learned the young, vibrant Shelby County man had been tragically injured in a car accident.

Chris survived the accident, but lost his left leg. Instead of letting that loss drag him down, Chris is thriving despite his new challenges and is inspiring others in the process.

-Some believe the worst thing that can happen to an animal is to end up at a shelter. Not so for animals in Shelby County. The Shelby Humane Society staff and volunteers are working to help Shelby County’s unwanted and uncared for animals find new lives — and enriching the lives of Shelby Countians in the process. And the numbers are proof of their success.

-Shelby County Sheriff’s Capt. Chris George is a leader among area law enforcement officers and is a leader as a husband and father in his home. However, those aren’t traits he learned from his parents. George draws upon lessons of discipline and compassion learned from his grandmother after his upbringing in a less-than-ideal family situation.

-When the phone rings, a group of Calera men and women know it could mean they will soon be donning wet suits and oxygen tanks and diving into deep, murky water, searching for the unknown.

They also know often that call means heartache and sorrow for some.

Nonetheless, the Calera Dive Team stands ready to respond.

We hope you enjoy these and the many others stories of Shelby Countians in this year’s edition of Profile.

Jan Griffey is the editor for the Shelby County Reporter. She can be reached at 669-3131 ext. 36 or by email at jan.griffey@shelbycountyreporter.com.