While southwest Michigan may be known for its history, Thursday, Leader Publications is looking toward the future.

That is when Horizons 2020, bearing the theme “a vision for the future,” hits shelves. Typically, our annual Horizons edition serves as a community yearbook of sorts, to look back at the year before. However, this year we decided to set our eyes on what is ahead. This edition shares 25 stories featuring area residents’ vision for the future. Within its pages, we will share the story of a Buchanan teen who is looking to change the face of the Boy Scouts of America, a Dowagiac man’s pursuit to keep civic organizations relevant, Edwardsburg and Cassopolis leaders imagining a new future for their downtowns, Niles manufacturers who are looking to change the future of our workforce, and many, many more. Each story is different but impactful in its own way.

Our staff has been working on this project since October, writing and reporting its stories, selling its ads to celebrate area employers and designing its pages. With each passing week, we have grown more excited and prouder of this edition. As reporters, we put our passion into these stories, and we hope that our effort is evident to our readers.

For me, this is my third year working on Horizons, and I can confidently say this my favorite yet. The reason that I do what I do is that I love to tell the stories of people of Michiana. This year, the people we were able to meet and the stories that they shared with us truly impacted me and showed me aspects of southwest Michigan I had not considered before. I hope these stories will be just as impactful for you.

Now, after months of work, we can’t wait to share these Horizons stories with you. So, this Thursday, flip through the Horizons edition you will find within your paper and share our vision for the future.