Read more about the article SPIRITUALIZED
Fort Pierce’s Jeff Shultz retired as a successful businessman but now devotes his time to serving the less privileged. GREG RODGERS

SPIRITUALIZED

In the 13th century, St. Francis of Assisi founded a religious order devoted to acts of charity and service. More than 800 years later, a Treasure Coast retiree follows in his footsteps as a Secular Franciscan brother. “It’s not a group or organization,” Jeff Shultz explained. “It’s a lifestyle, a commitment to try to serve God.”

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Read more about the article Now & Zen
Brent Holladay of Grace Family Counseling looks at systems within families to help clients understand personal issues and find solutions for them. Ellen Gillette

Now & Zen

You might say that Brent Holladay’s life has been saved at least three times. The first was as a teen in Idaho. The youngest of six children, Holladay enjoyed the structure of his Mormon home as a boy.

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Read more about the article Faithful companion
Ted Pankiewicz Jr., Fawn Wittenrich and Ted Pankiewicz Sr. with security cat, Ellie, and dog, Handsome, outside one of the cat cottages at the For the Love of Paws Senior Pet Sanctuary. KERRY FIRTH

Faithful companion

Serving others” has always been a big part of Ted Pankiewicz’ job descriptions. After one year of college, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Morse code interpreter from 1965 through 1968.

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Read more about the article The Survivor
Patti Jean has survived childhood and adult trauma as well as multiple sclerosis and now hopes to help others in crisis. ELLEN GILLETTE

The Survivor

On Sept. 25, 2022, Patti Jean was on top of the world. A few days earlier, in her hometown of Tiverton, Rhode Island, she’d had a signing event for her newly released book Massive Strength: One Woman’s Healing Journey Through Abuse, Addiction and Disease.

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Read more about the article The Environmentalist
Merritt Matheson is an outspoken advocate for the local environment, working to protect its waterways and land for future generations. JIM GALLEGOS

The Environmentalist

For Merritt Matheson, there’s no better pastime than savoring the great outdoors. Born and raised in Martin County, he considers himself very fortunate to have enjoyed nature in one of the most scenic places in the world.

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Read more about the article The PROFESSOR
Cristobal Sartori, a professor at Indian River State College, enjoys inspiring students to learn languages, supplementing his teaching with lessons in culture and history. ANTHONY INSWASTY

The PROFESSOR

Cristobal Sartori, an associate professor and department chairman of modern languages at Indian River State College, has an inspiring message for those desiring a higher education.

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Read more about the article The Parade Planner
Jennifer Crow, CEO of Visiting Nurse Association, enjoys spreading holiday cheer as overseer of the annual Stuart Christmas parade. STEVEN MARTINE

The Parade Planner

In 2014, the Stuart Christmas parade was in danger of closing up shop. The City of Stuart had hosted the parade for many years and needed another organization to step in for the holiday magic to continue.

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Read more about the article The BEEKEEPER
Dana Fisher dons her beekeeper suit to harvest honey in her backyard apiary. ANTHONY INSWASTY PHOTOS

The BEEKEEPER

Dana Fisher has a thirst for knowledge, so when she noticed that the fruit trees in her yard weren’t producing good fruit and she wasn’t able to grow vegetables, she did some research and found it was a lack of pollinators in general.

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