Each Wednesday, L’Observateur recognizes individuals and businesses in the River Parishes who have gone “above and beyond” in their efforts to make this a better place to live, work, play and raise a family.

We believe an integral part of a community’s wellbeing is an attitude and arena where people who do good things … who work to improve life for others … who try to make a difference … are recognized and saluted.

Because this is a salute to members of the community of the entire River Parishes, we solicit your recommendations for groups or individuals to be considered for inclusion.

This week we salute:

• Micah Triop and Sara Skotty for winning the United Way 15th annual Bridge Run in St. Charles Parish. Triop, the male winner, finished with a time of 15:13, while Skotty, the female winner, finished with a time of 17:37.

• Residents of St. James Parish, who participated in the Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Organizers said about 30 teams participated in the event, which raised about $160,000 minus expenses for cancer research

• The St. Charles Catholic High School Baseball team, for taking the District 9-2A championship after a wild win over John Curtis last week. It is the second consecutive district crown for the Comets.

• River Parishes Hospital’s Mammography Department for achieving a 100 percent compliance inspection under the Mammography Quality Standards Act. The act, passed in 1992, mandates regular inspections of equipment and personnel in order to secure accreditation to perform mammography.