Making our way through January, we present another edition of the Sullivan County Democrat's Cheers! Instead of the usual three, today we have five.

The first cheer goes to beagle/jack russell mix, Leo Campos, whose heroic actions by alerting his family that their Fallsburg home was on fire, saved their lives. Dogs are often referred to as “man's best friend,” mainly because of the loving companionship they provide. But in this case, as Karen Campos said, Leo is a “true blessing.”

You can still donate to help the Campos family, who lost everything in the fire, by going to www.

gofundme.com/f/xqks8w-family-of-5-house-burnt-down.

Staying in the Town of Fallsburg, The Lady Comets and Amanda Zeno deserve a lot of praise. Zeno, a senior at Fallsburg High School, continues to battle Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Members of our staff have been privileged to meet this exceptional young woman who is as gifted in the classroom as she is on the basketball court. But more impressive than her accolades is the person she is. All you need to do is spend a few minutes speaking with her and you will see what we mean. Her impact on others is reflected by the outpouring of support by so many, not just Sullivan County but the entire Hudson Valley. We wish her the best in her continued fight.

And we also want to take a minute to praise her coach Dan Redmond and teammates on the Fallsburg Varsity Girls Basketball team who are playing with heavy hearts. While the result of a game might not always be what they want, these outstanding young ladies are giving it their all while making their community proud, and deserve to be recognized for it.

Sullivan Renaissance is another recipient of a cheer from us. They held another highly successful winter symposium last week, kicking off their 20th year in style. Their impact on our county has been tremendous, from their beautification efforts to inspiring a message of positivity about where we live. We look forward to their celebration of this milestone, as well as continuing to partner with them going forward.

Our next cheer goes to local artist Kim Simons. Recently, she and her team, “Bah Hum Bakers,” won the $25,000 prize on Food Network's Holiday Wars. While this is an amazing accomplishment, the main reason for the cheer is her contribution to the fabric of our local community, whether it's the doves she designed or time spent at her alma mater, Liberty High School, giving back to local youth.

While hearing the word Census doesn't typically generate excitement at first glance, it is crucial to so many things. Our county had a terrible response rate in 2010 -- the second worst in the state to be exact! This is unacceptable.

Not participating in the Census is very costly. How so? It can affect funds we could use to improve our area, and low participation in the Census also costs us representation in Congress. New York state has already lost significant representation in recent years. So our last cheer goes to the county's Complete Count Committee, who are working diligently to ensure more people are reached for the upcoming Census.

We appreciate their hard work and hope everyone takes a few moments to fill out the Census this year.