Dorvee wins Colorado Press Association award

The Left Hand Valley Courier received its first ever editorial award in the 2017 Colorado Press Association Better Newspaper contest.

Reporter Vicky Dorvee took second place in the category Best Health Enterprise/Health Feature for her story “The gift of a lifetime,” which tells the story of long-time Niwot resident Jim Eastman and his search for a kidney donor.

“The story does a good job of merging the individual stories of the men involved. A very interesting read,” were one judge’s comments on the piece.

Dorvee and other winners were recognized at an awards dinner held on April 14, the final night of the CPA’s 140th annual convention at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs. The Courier competed in the Class 5 circulation category, comprised of weeklies with circulation higher than 7,000. Other Class 5 publications include the Denver Business Journal, Windsor Now!, and the Parker Chronicle, which received first place in the Health category for their story on doulas. Contest entries were judged by members of the Minnesota Press Association. This is the first year the Courier has submitted articles for consideration.

Dorvee lives in Niwot with her husband Jim. She joined the Courier staff last August, after a successful career as co-owner of a local gift basket business. Dorvee has no formal training in writing or journalism, just an inquisitive mind and an appreciation for well-told stories. “The gift of a lifetime,” the first story published under her byline, appeared in the Aug. 16, 2017 issue.

“My days were happily more free-form so my brain had some extra space in it that my working life had not allowed,” she said of her decision to write for the Courier. “Jim and I were on a hike talking about all of the wonderful things we could be doing in our ‘retirement’ and he suggested, because I have always enjoyed expressing myself through writing and learning about other people’s lives, that I contact the Courier and ask if they needed someone to write an article now and then.”

In the months since, Dorvee has covered topics ranging from Winston the pig, to the Niwot High girls cyber-security team, to the Niwot Cemetery Association. She has also provided ongoing coverage of Mila Mackovec’s ongoing battle against Batten disease and her family’s search for treatment.

“I’m mostly just interested in people and I ask a lot of questions,” Dorvee said. “I've always enjoyed reading the Courier because it seems like there was someone I knew on each page. I'm interested in what goes on across the world, but even more so about what goes on in the lives of people in my day-to-day sphere.”