One of my favorite sayings is, “Progress not perfection.”

By definition, progress is a forward or onward movement toward a destination. For some, that destination is perfection. For others, the destination is really more proverbial.

Most of us hold the belief that perfection is impossible to attain. There is always room for improvement.

I believe strongly in placing an emphasis on progress — the idea that we continue to press on with hopes of positive outcomes. We continue our work with the goal of improvement.

That is why I love our annual Progress section so much.

It offers an opportunity for us to share the stories about the people, projects and places that are making a positive impact in our community.

It’s exciting each year when we sit down as a staff in October and begin to brainstorm the many stories we want to feature.

This year, we decided to focus on the theme “Community Treasures,” turning a spotlight on the gems in Winchester-Clark County.

We have so much to treasure about our community that we ended up with nearly 50 story ideas that we narrowed to the just more than a dozen you will find inserted in today’s edition of The Sun.

Traditionally, newspapers published annual Progress sections to document just that — progress in the community. The issues focused on population growth, construction projects, new businesses, and the like.

Keeping with that tradition you’ll find some of that information in this year’s Progress.

We have stories about the George Rogers Clark High School athletics complex that is nearing completion, the Lincoln Street rehabilitation project partnership between the City of Winchester and Habitat for Humanity and the innovative work going on at GenCanna, a hemp production facility in the heart of Winchester.

Beyond those projects, we also wanted to feature those staples in the community who may not be new, but still shine.

Steve and Phil Humble share the story of their more than 80-year-old business passed down from their father. Mike Paynter talks about his family’s legacy in the tire and automotive repair business, one which he continues to this day with his shop on Daytona Drive. And members of the Clark County High School class of 1948 talk about why, even after 70 years, they continue to meet monthly.

We also celebrated those in our community who use their talents for the greater good — people like Jean Brody, who has been writing her weekly The View From the Mountains column for nearly 30 years, and a local sewing group that has made and donated more than 2,000 quilts to hospitalized children.

And the annual publication wouldn’t be complete without honoring our community’s Unsung Heroes — those individuals who go above and beyond the call of duty to their families, civic groups, careers and the community.

Those are just a few of the stories you will find in this special publication.

While the subjects vary, they all share one common thread: they are treasured by their community.

That makes them worth recognizing.

This list of community treasures is no where near comprehensive. In all corners of our community there are people, projects and places making a positive impact.

They are striving for progress. That’s all we can ask.

No, Winchester-Clark County will never be perfect.

No town ever will be.

But with these community treasures and many others moving forward, achieving progress day in and day out, we’re on the right path.

Whitney Leggett is editor of The Winchester Sun and Winchester Living magazine. She can be reached at whitney.leggett@winchestersun.com or 859-759-0049.