Parkland. Pittsburgh. Paradise.

These cities became synonymous with tragedy in 2018, a year when America seemed to careen from one horror to another. But amid the calamity of shootings, wildfires and other heartbreaking stories, there were those who showed their humanity and sense of duty.

Among them, a rabbi who survived the deadliest attack on Jews in American history. As the Jewish community grieved, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers took a leading role during public memorials and presided over seven funerals in the space of less than a week.

Rescue worker Craig Covey took on a morbid but critical task in November: picking through the ashes of Paradise, California, for human remains.

And a therapy-animal group helped out in those dark days after the Feb. 14 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. The dogs — and in some cases, donkeys and horses — went into the cafeteria and classrooms. They were also at vigils and marches.