Life in the Spotlight

Born in Lafayette, Ind. and raised in North Judson, Ind., Lewis Matzat now volunteers and works at the Valparaiso Fire Department Station 1 and has been there for seven years.  Matzat began his journey in 2014 as a volunteer.  “I did it...

To Valpo resident and owner of Mr. Honey Can Do Construction Company, Brett Dahlgren, the phrase  “no job is too small” is not only a slogan, but an important part of the way the company operates. Dahlgren and his company have been doing...

Arlene Fliege pictured on left, Tracey Mitchell pictured on right. The Valparaiso High School Graduating Class of 1999 came together recently to help a classmate in need. It came to class member Arlene Fliege’s attention that one of their...

Millions of people worldwide struggle with stress or anxiety. There’s many ways of managing it, and one specific coping mechanism is yoga. For Diane Dahlgren, yoga not only relieves those feelings but has also become a way of...

Substance abuse disorder affects millions of people in America. For people struggling with substance abuse disorder, recovery is possible; sometimes they just need a helping hand. Valparaiso resident Kristi Chervenak is passionate about helping...

Sometimes trying something new and creative can lead a person in a direction they weren’t expecting. Just ask Laura Yoder who randomly started something that she fell in love with - blogging and web design.  Yoder started her blog, Black...

As a retired special education educator and speech pathologist for over 30 years, Deb Drayton Nelson has a passion for helping people. After moving to Valparaiso two years ago from Northern Michigan, Nelson began looking for avenues to make a...

Change can be difficult, but keeping a positive mindset and having the support of your family can help you overcome that difficulty. No one exemplifies this more than Gena DeMuth. Currently, as director of nursing for Northwest Health - Starke...

For Jennifer Swertel-Woelfel, dogs are a (wo)man’s best friend. Swertel-Woelfel has been rescuing animals, particularly dogs, in the Chicagoland area and Northwest Indiana for over a decade. “Most of the dogs that I rescue are on death's...

A trip to a grocery store and McDonald’s changed Elena Jambrina’s life forever. Jambrina, who was originally from Zamora, Spain, came to the United States after falling in love with an American serving in the Air Force in the town where she grew...