What's your story? I want to hear it

I became a journalist because I like people. It may be because I'm young and still hold on to a certain level of naiveté but I believe people are mostly good and kind, if approached in the right way.

I like meeting new people every day and learning the stories of their lives. And I firmly believe every person has a story worth learning.

So that's what I plan to do once a week with this column: tell the story of one of your neighbors in Dundee Township. These stories are ones that aren't breaking news but I think deserve to be told, nonetheless. They are the ones I most love to hear.

Stories about people who find solace in hobbies like gardening and use it to keep moving in our crazy world. Or about teenagers who skip out on a weekend activity with their friends to help an elderly neighbor do yard work. Or about immigrants who risked everything to come to this country for a dream they ache to reach.

There are endless stories to tell in every member of this community. For me, it is just a matter of finding the people who will allow me to enter their worlds and learn them. That's where I need your help.

I'm not from around here. I grew up in western New York and went to college in Evanston. Now I commute from Chicago. To those of you who know your neighbors have stories they might be willing to share, please help me meet them. Some days I'll walk through a park and sit on a bench next to someone new or hear about a person and follow up on the lead. Other times I'll defer to your knowledge.

If you have someone in mind, call or e-mail me and tell me a little about the person. Whether you've just heard about this person or your own life has been changed by knowing him or her, let me in. I'd love to learn more. My office line is (847) 608-2722 and my e-mail is tgarciamathewson@dailyherald.com.

I want to tell the stories of human compassion, of kindness, of hope. There is plenty of despair in this world but I would like to spend a little time every week remembering there is more than that. So I am asking you to let me see into your lives. Let me learn who you are and share it with others who would also like to remember. Our strength lies in our humanity while we are surrounded by forces trying to break us. In the middle of war and economic blight, I'd like to show how people carry on.

So tell me, what's your story?

Tara Garcia Mathewson covers Carpentersville, East and West Dundee and Dundee township. E-mail her at tgarciamathewson@dailyherald.com.