This evening Judy Ekman will be the recipient of well-deserved thanks and good wishes from a relatively small sampling of the many, many lives she has touched during her 30-year career in substance abuse prevention and making ours a better, healthier, safer community.

The people she helped the most won't be there. I'm referring to the countless kids and their parents whose paths crossed Ekman or the programs she fostered, maintained and supported.

Most of the people at this evening's send-off will be those who have worked with her over the years. She has been great at creating community coalitions. As Prevenion Council board member Stephen Toussaint told The Saratogian in today's print edition and online (at http://www.saratogian.com/articles/2010/06/22/news/doc4c201eaf93d12673257324.txt), Ekman brought together people representing "a broad spectrum of the community" to work toward common goals."

She leads by example, at once quiet, friendly and firm. She is a warm and wonderful person who has made a major, positive difference in so many lives.