People throughout Butler County are planning to put their best foot forward in 2022.

Whether they be local government officials, organization leaders or other residents of the community, Butler County denizens are planning New Year’s resolutions big and small in their personal and professional lives.

Denna Hays, executive director of the Butler County Alliance for Children Child Advocacy Center since 2014, said her resolution is to ensure a smooth transition in 2022 as the center takes on a new executive director, a new name and a new logo.

“We are bringing on a new executive director. I’m moving on to Slippery Rock University,” Hays said. “In the New Year, we are doing a name change and a logo change.”

The new executive director, Danielle Schmidt, will take over Jan. 17. The new name will be the Children’s Advocacy Center of Butler. Its new logo will be a dandelion.

Gregg Hartung, mayor of Mars Borough, said that New Year’s resolutions are interesting to think about as he heads into his third term as mayor.

“I just finished up eight years the end of December, and it will be another four years for the next term,” Hartung said. “I think my biggest New Year’s resolution is to help continue to improve things in Mars to the point where we may one day have an international NASA Discovery Center here for a STEAM education center. That’s my big resolution, is to help move things forward for the town of Mars.”

Butler County Sheriff Mike Slupe said he is accustomed to doing a lot for other people and organizations, but doesn’t take much time off for himself. He said he occasionally takes a day or a half-day off, but doesn’t take vacation.

“Probably take a little more time for myself,” Slupe said of his resolution.

Natalie Wall, assistant director and volunteer coordinator of Butler Meals on Wheels, said she wants to continue pushing herself to help those in need.

“I want to do the work that God has called me to do the best I can every day and with his help,” Wall said.

Butler County prothonotary Kelly Ferrari said she spent Christmas with her son in Los Angeles, but it was the first time she traveled to see him since the pandemic began in 2019.

“Spend more time with family and friends,” Ferrari said. “It was nice to be with family again. I think it’s important to have the socialization between family and friends.”

Butler County clerk of courts Lisa Lotz said the COVID-19 pandemic has divided families and the nation, and her resolution relates to that.

“I’m hoping for peace,” Lotz said. “I don’t like to see us being divided. I don’t like to see our nation divided. I think we need to pull together.”

Shawn Pugh, manager of Slippery Rock Borough, is sticking to a personal goal for the new year.

“I want to be more healthy in the coming year,” he said.

Heidi Nicholls Bowser, healthy living director of the Butler YMCA, said she loves learning different languages, and can speak German and Russian in addition to English.

“My new year’s resolution is to get more proficient in French,” Nicholls Bowser said. “I have been doing Duolingo already to learn it.”

Siggy Pehel, president of Glade Run Lake Conservancy in Middlesex Township, has a resolution for himself as well as for the organization he runs.

“For myself, I would like to have myself and my family be healthy and safe for the New Year. Going forward with the pandemic, that’s a major concern,” he said. “For the lake, I would like us to continue our project of expanding the lake property and preserving as much around it as we can.

“We’ve been working on it, and we hope that 2022 is an even more productive year than 2021, though 2021 has been very productive already.”

Josh McCloskey, an IT technician from Connoquenessing, said he has a tendency to feel that he wastes his free time.

“I want to be more productive,” McCloskey said. “I’ll feel like I wasted a day, and I won’t feel efficient and useful, whereas when I go and split wood or help someone I feel I used the time God’s given me for usefulness.”