A TV ad shows a typical city street scene. A ball of crumpled paper lies on the sidewalk, next to a trash container. Passers-by keep stopping, grumbling over the unknown litterer’s carelessness and disrespect.

As the disapproving cluster grows, a pedestrian ambles into the scene, scoops up the garbage and drops it in the receptacle, hardly breaking his stride. Who was that masked man?

The television spot offers a reminder that’s as clear as it is succinct: When it comes to community betterment, action, even solo action, outperforms a chorus of right-minded tut-tutters. Civic responsibility is everyone’s job.

But who are the soloists of the Inland Northwest? Who sings the arias that make life better in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Medical Lake, Deer Park? Who goes beyond talking and makes things happen?

These are questions that we who work on the opinion pages of The Spokesman-Review, have been thinking about, and we invite you to think about them, too.

No region can pride itself on its quality of life unless legions of concerned citizens are going out of their way to make the claim true. Some folks do their work in the spotlight and some in the shadows. Some are doing their normal private-sector or public-sector jobs, and others are volunteers and activists. Whatever the circumstances, the actions that result in a better community carry the fingerprints of certain people who stepped onto the stage rather than just watching from the box seats.

Nobody knows who those doers are better than the fellow citizens who see the involvement first hand and watch the outcomes take shape. That’s where you come in.

Between now and the end of this year, we’ll be on the lookout for people who step up to their civic responsibility and make a difference in the Spokane area. On New Year’s Day we’ll identify the person we think stands out as an exemplary contributor and we’ll celebrate his or her achievements in print.

Who do you think fits the description?

Send your nominations to me at dougf@spokesman.com or mail them to me in care of The Spokesman-Review, 999 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane 99201. Include a brief explanation of why your proposed honoree stands out as a contributor to the quality of the community. Be sure to let me know how to get in touch with you and any others who might have information to add.

You’re not limited to one nominee, by the way. Submit a dozen if you want.

If you’re looking for a detailed checklist of criteria, I’m going to disappoint you. Citizens are the best judges of what constitutes a better community and they’re the best witnesses of who played a critical role in building one. Just give us an explanation of why you think the person you recommend deserves public acknowledgement and send it in.

I realize that civic progress is rarely if ever the achievement of an individual. Real movement happens when community members join forces — OK, I’ll say it, “collaborate” — and this project is not meant to suggest otherwise. But it’s frequently a single spark that ignites the furnace of collective energy.

We’re not necessarily looking for saints or super heroes. The person we showcase on Jan. 1 is as likely to be a catalyst as a Lone Ranger. But you will have a lot to say about that.

Nor is the plan to honor one person and one alone. Yes, we’ll settle on a single selection on New Year’s Day, but along the way, we’ll share selected highlights from the many stories we hear.

First, though, we have to hear them.