This past Tuesday was declared Carly Overhauser and Dean Kayler Day in Maple Valley, due to their heroic actions in pulling a drowning man from Shadow Lake, and administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics could arrive.

They certainly didn’t have to help. A lot of us might have stood frozen on the side of the lake unsure about what to do. I’d like to think that nearly all of us would have called 911 at a minimum, but these two kids went far above that, risking themselves for a chance to save someone else. Carly and Dean answered the ancient question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” with a resounding yes.

Their willingness to help is a huge deal; I can’t overstate that. Their knowledge of basic CPR skills is also a big deal, and that’s a skill that most of us don’t have. A recent survey by the American Heart Association says that only about 21 percent of us are confident enough to perform CPR if we had to.

This isn’t a column to guilt you into signing up for a CPR class (although you probably should). Our schools do a fairly good job of introducing basic lifesaving skills in health class and in special events put on by the fire department, so we’ll eventually boost that percentage through attrition over the next 50 years or so.

But it is a column to get you to think about your role as a citizen, and your responsibility to your neighbors.

We use the word “citizen” too loosely. There is a big difference between “resident” and “citizen,” but I’m not ready to call for minimum standards to be a citizen. You can, however, do a few simple things:

1. Vote

This is the easiest way to express your citizenship. Between Maple Valley and Covington, only about 46 percent of us voted in the November election. With mail-in balloting, it couldn’t be easier. The ballot is sent to your house, color in some bubbles, sign your name, put a stamp on it, and drop it in the mail with your Netflix returns.

2. Show up to stuff

Obviously, our cities couldn’t handle 10,000 people attending a meeting on ball fields, for example. But I go to a number of these, and I always see the same 10 people at nearly every event. At the last City Council study session I went to, I ended up being the only person in the room who wasn’t being paid to be there.

You’re not going to be interested in the vast majority of things going on in the city. Pick one, and put your full effort into it. Want a sidewalk somewhere? Don’t give up until you get it. If you don’t, you’re leaving all of the decision-making power in the hands of those ten people who actually show up to stuff. They all have their own agendas, so don’t count on them to represent yours.

3. Contribute your skills

Think about the number of people that live in your city. All of them have a wide range of skills and abilities, such as marketing, computer skills, decorating, persuasion, first aid, cooking, and so on. If only 5 percent of us volunteered to share that wisdom with local groups like the community center and at city events, we would be nationally known for our excellence.

I’m serious, here. Everyone is busy, but when will you make time to be a citizen? Out of the 5,840 hours you’ll be awake this year, can you spare just four of them to help the city with a marketing plan, or teach a class on your area of expertise at the community center?

4. Learn how to help your neighbor

Learning CPR is a good start. Making a charitable donation or volunteering at Make a Difference Day is too. Getting to know your neighbors beyond a superficial level is even better. That’s tough to do, since many of us spend a lot of energy keeping up appearances. News flash: we’re all struggling with something, and we can all help each other if we’re willing to be humble enough to talk about it.

Stop being a resident. Start being a citizen.