The final week of December offers an opportunity to gear up for the new year, but it also provides a few days to slow down and reflect on the past year.

These are 12 stories featured in the pages of The MidWeek in 2022 for our year in review.

Makie Maratos, the owner of The Village in Sycamore, was excited to share his family’s traditional greek recipes during the annual Sycamore’s Eat Week, an annual weekly event meant to encourage area residents to celebrate local food fare.

“I’ve always wanted to share my family’s traditional Greek recipes with the community,” he said. “Sycamore’s Eat Week is a great opportunity to offer a little taste of Greece.”

Sycamore’s Eat Week was organized by the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce and ran from Jan. 24 through Jan. 31. DeKalb Sycamore Chevrolet Buick GMC sponsored the 7-day event that featured 12 participating restaurants.

Students in Genoa-Kingston High School’s Impact Club used paper, markers and small decorations to make valentines they then distributed to older Genoa-Kingston adults in Feburary.

The “Valentines for Seniors” card drive was created to benefit people living in local residential care facilities.

Tara Wilkins, the club’s faculty adviser, said projects like the valentine card drive are what the Impact Club is all about.

“We do any type of community service, from raising money to help a family that lost their house in a fire, anti-bullying, Feed My Starving Children and teacher appreciation,” Wilkins said.

Elizabeth Hoppenworth, resident services administrator at Oak Crest-DeKalb Area Retirement Center in DeKalb, said residents greatly appreciate the gesture of being…