Building A Bridge Toward Healing Volunteer of the Year: Mick Yinger
The following remarks were shared at the 2022 State of the City: “The City of Westerville and our partners are pleased to honor Mick Yinger as the 2021 Westerville Individual Volunteer of the Year. The Westerville community will forever remember the tragic events of February 10, 2018, when Westerville Division of Police Officers Anthony P. Morelli and Eric Joering were killed in the line of duty. The enduring legacy of those darkest of times is the light we witnessed through the countless acts of kindness and outpouring of support for first responders. One such light is First Responders Bridge, a non-profit organization that provides free, three-day retreats for struggling frontline heroes and their significant others. Just one month after Westerville Division of Police officers Anthony P. Morelli and Eric Joering were killed in the line of duty, Mick Yinger, a retired Columbus police officer, joined forces with retired Westerville officer Michael Pavolino to establish the organization.
Mick Yinger and family
First Responders Bridge hosts retreats that provide a safe, confidential environment for first responders to take important steps to learn how to cope with the effects of post-traumatic stress and connect them with resources like Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) information and on-site clinicians. To date, the organization has served about 622 first responders and continues to follow up with these men and women. Thank you, Mick Yinger, for your selfless service to first responders.”
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From left: Jason Bechtold, Westerville Assistant City Manager; Mick Yinger; Janet Tressler-Davis, President/CEO, Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce; Erin Francoeur, Executive Director, Westerville Public Library; John Comerford, Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce; Dr. John Kellogg, Superintendent, Westerville City Schools; Monica Ireland, Westerville City Manager.
