Each Wednesday, L’Observateur will recognize 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 that 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:

• ST. CHARLES PARISH OFFICIALS and RESIDENTS, who, after 33 years, finally dedicated a monument to the 1976 George Prince Ferry disaster that killed 77. A memorial to the tragedy already stands in front of the courthouse in Edgard. The ferry disaster is the worst in American history.

• DR. GREG PHILLIPS, who is looking out for both area children’s teeth and the troops in Iraq. During the week after Halloween, Phillips will be collecting bags of Halloween candy from local trick-or-treaters, who will then be paid $1 for each pound they bring in. After the candy is collected, it will be sent to the troops in Iraq to make their days a little sweeter.

• VALERO ST. CHARLES REFINERY, which raised $500,000 for local children’s charities through the 2009 Valero Texas Open and Benefit for Children Golf Classic in San Antonio.

• DOW CHEMICAL, which teamed up with First Lady Supriya Jindal recently for a program called “Science is pHun” at Luling Elementary. The program was aimed at instilling in theyoungsters a sense of the importance science and math have in their everyday lives. With its abundance of petroleum- and chemical-based industries, Louisiana has a particular need for workers skilled in the math and science fields.