When service is something to dance about

Richard Dance is guilty of repeated acts of public service. Thank goodness.

How Dance, of Hayden, has time to earn a living is beyond understanding. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dance also has a full slate of church-related responsibilities, but he doesn't stop there.

He was instrumental in helping broaden his church's Day of Service in the community to embrace volunteers from all faiths and pack a much more powerful punch in making improvements to benefit all.

Dance was the conduit who locally improved and brought to light JustServe.org, where volunteers from all walks of life find service projects that fit their schedules and their passions. Don't take our word for it, though. Go to JustServe.org and punch in your zip code. You'll be pleased with the plethora of local volunteer opportunities open to you.

As if those big projects weren't enough, Dance is now onto something that might be bigger yet. Today's front-page story raises concerns and suggests solutions for emergency situations that affect every one of us, and yes, Richard Dance is the driving force behind greater public understanding and access to emergency resources.

This newspaper plans to publish an extensive but easy to read special section this fall that residents across North Idaho will want to absorb and hang onto. It will be packed with information ranging from interesting and useful to outright life-saving. The names of Richard and Julienne Dance might or might not appear in the publication, but know this: Their fingerprints will be all over it. In truth, the publication would not happen without Richard and Julienne.

These are just several examples of one of our region's most devout public servants in action, almost always outside the spotlight and never with the goal of recognition or personal gain. In fact, we'll expect a phone call Monday from a certain upset public servant whose cover we've just blown proudly.