We believe there are heroes among us! Heroes come from all walks of life, just ordinary citizens with an extraordinary amount of caring and compassion. Inside this magazine, we share the stories of just a few of those every day heroes. On behalf of the staff of the Delta Dunklin Democrat and the area businesses advertised in this publication:
“Heroes are ordinar y people who make themselves extraordinar y ” - Gerard Way
Kris Crossno is one of the fortunate few whose career path led her to a job she loves.
As a school counselor she has forged relationships with students since 2005.
Following graduation, Crossno attended Arkansas State
University.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to major in,” she stated. “All along, my dad would say, I’m not pushing anything, but if you want to have a family, education is a good major, because you’re off in the summer.”
Crossno shared, “I changed my major five times and finally decided I’d be an English teacher. I taught English for a few years and then the SEMO Kennett campus brought a Counselor Cohort program to town.”
“I went to an info meeting about that and loved it,” she added.
Following that experience she decided to become a school counselor.
“I started my career in counseling in Holcomb,” said Crossno. “I then had the opportunity to come to Kennett, my son was starting school that same year, so it was the perfect time to switch and work where I lived.”
Crossno stated she loves the relationships with students.
“Everybody is different,” she said. “I can have a plan, but if something has gone down over the weekend with kids that could change.”
Crossno continued, “You never know working with kids. I love the diversity and surprises.”
Crossno informed on some of the challenges she faces in her role as a school counselor.
“More and more, I will say, there’s less support at home for kids,” she provided. “Not across the board, but more.”
Crossno added, “I’m good at building rapport with my stu-
“IPhoto by Jeff Dorris, staff
dents so that helps.”
She stated social media has been a big influence on students.
“I think there’s outside pressure to have certain clothes, dress a certain way,” she shared, concerning social media exposure. “There’s videos on cutting and self-harm, and eating disorders.”
“Also, everybody has a phone, so sending inappropriate pictures to a boyfriend or girlfriend, thinking they’re going
to be together forever, and dealing with that backlash,” said Crossno. “You try to find ways to deal with it.”
Crossno stated counseling has been a great career choice for her.
“I love it,” she said. “I never dread coming to work. Luckily, every district I’ve worked in I have enjoyed.”
Crossno stated, “People ask me if I’m close to retiring, and I’m getting closer, which is kind of hard to believe, but unless they tell me I need to go, I love it.”
“I thoroughly enjoy it,” she added. “Education is a hard field to be in, and I like my relationship with the kids as a counselor.”
“I don’t think I could be in the classroom now,” she said.
Crossno stated there is a need for counselors in the school.
“There is an absolute need for school counselors,” she stressed. “We now offer, in our school district, outside counseling. School counselors don’t have the type of schedule to where they can just counsel.”
Crossno continued, “There’s so much other stuff that goes on. Anxiety is a big thing now. We have their basic needs to contend with, as well.”
“We have the In and Out closet where kids can come everyday and get a toothbrush or deodorant, or a different shirt, basic things that they may not be getting at home,” she added.
“I’ve had kids come in and say they slept in the park last night,” Crossno informed. “That wasn’t as prevalent when I first started.”
Concerning her job, Crossno juggles many issues in a day.
“Everyday is different,” she said. “I’m the junior/senior counselor so I do a lot of helping them apply to college or look into careers after high school.”
Crossno continued, “I help make sure they’re passing classes. I may deal with a breakup, meltdown, or a fight, or someone’s who’s being abused or mistreated at home.”
“It’s an open door,” she said. “You just never know what one day to the next will bring.”
Crossno concluded, “There’s never a dull moment.”
HEROES
Many of us may have certain, preconceived notions about the mindset of a soldier or other member of the armed forces.
However, few of us truly understand how military personnel think and what allows them to be successful in all they do.
During an interview with former Sergeant Major Joseph Mohorc, we uncovered a simple, but effective, idea about how a soldier should think to be successful in and out of the military.
When asked about his initial entry into the Army, Sergeant Major Mohorc said,”Well, many of my friends were being drafted into the Vietnam war and I wanted to make sure we all finished out term at the same time and stay in touch with one another. So, I enlisted in the Army. Later, I received my draft orders when I was already in country.”
Sergeant Major Mohorc continued, “Before that, my brother was a marine and I wanted to do all the things he was doing. But my mother was concerned for my safety and didn’t want me joining the marines. So, I enlisted in the Army and was a combat engineer. That didn’t stop me from signing up for jungle warfare training and airborne school. Most of that training was conducted alongside the Green Berets. Even though I wasn’t an official Green Beret, I was still given the same respect and honors.”
When asked what it was that made him so successful in all these different training programs he simply said, “Respect for the individual training you. I worked construction prior to enlisting in the Army and the environment was almost exactly the same as my military service. What allowed me
to thrive in both settings was the amount of respect I had for the people training me. Because they have a lot more experience in their given field than I do.”
To conclude the interview, Sergeant Major Mohorc was asked if he had any regrets regarding his military service. Without any hesitation, he said, “0.”
CHRISTOPHER
“Something always brings me back to Kennett,” said Hardwick.
Hardwick shared, “I came back to work the ALS, Advanced Life Support truck. I was one of the first employees to start it up.”
Entering college Hardwick wanted to be a doctor.
“I was pre-med at Mizzou, then I came back and went to a smaller school and decided to go into nursing,” he said. “Once I got my EMT license I got a job with Medic One in Jonesboro.”
Hardwick continued, “I worked there for seven years before I transferred here. I enjoyed it. I enjoy helping people.”
“If this opportunity hadn’t become available, I’d still be there,” he said.
Upon returning, Hardwick segued into firefighting as well.
“Now I’m back in my hometown helping people and I’ve expanded into the fire service,” he said. “When I got here I got my Fire One and Two.”
Hardwick informed, “I like both the medical and the firefighting. I didn’t think I’d like fire coming into it.”
JEFF DORRIS jdorris@dddnews com
Brian Hardwick loves his job as a firefighter/medic on the Kennett Fire Department and recently reflected on his career.
The Kennett native, now resides in Paragould, but returned to KFD three years ago.
“Once I started taking the classes and learning, and doing the fire stuff, I really enjoyed doing the fire side,” he added. “I guess because I don’t get to do it as much, I really like the fire side.”
Hardwick provided that firefighters worldwide are doing more medical calls.
“If you get on a fire scene, and you have a patient that’s having difficulty breathing, or any kind of injury, you’re able
“Ilovemyjob andthepeople I work with.”
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to help them in that way, too,” said Hardwick.
Hardwick acknowledges there are challenges to his profession.
“Transport time with the ambulance service can be a challenge,” he provided. “If they’ve got a patient that they have to take to Hayti, we’ve got to wait on them to get back.”
Hardwick continued, “A lot of people see that our truck is there helping, but they don’t realize how much good we’re really doing.”
“We keep them stable, because we don’t transport,” he stated. “We’ve got everything an ambulance has, except for the ability to transport.”
Hardwick said, “Everything they can do in the back of an ambulance we can do right there on the scene. It’s a huge asset to the community.”
Hardwick also has high praise for his hometown.
“I don’t know exactly what it is,” he shared. “But something always brings you back to Kennett. People want to get away, but once they get away, they can’t wait to come home.”
As far as stress relief goes, Hardwick focuses on his family and... “Baseball. I have three kids. My oldest plays baseball and my youngest ones just started T-Ball.”
Hardwick said, “My wife Jennifer and I have a six year old, Elijah, and three year old twins, Uriah, and daughter,
Charlie. Keeping up with them keeps us busy.”
“I’m a family guy,” he said. “It’s important to me.”
Hardwick also has high praise for the Kennett Fire Department.
“We have a very good department,” he stated. “I love it here. I love my job and the people I work with.”
As far as careers go, Hardwick stated he enjoys his.
“Best choice. When I left Medic One I was a little hesitant, because I’d been there seven years,” he said. “Once I got here, there was no doubt. It’s been great.”
Hardwick would also encourage anyone to pursue a career in firefighting.
“If you want to help people, and you’re not in it for the money, and are truly passionate about helping people, this is definitely the career to get into,” he concluded.
Since 2015, Dr. Jane Anni has made a positive difference here in the lives of her patients and their families.
A 1976 graduate of University of Santo Tomas, the Catholic University of Manila, Philippines, Dr. Anni took interest in, and specialized in, pediatric medicine.
After an extensive residency at Philadelphia, Dr. Anni brought her expansive knowledge and extensive expertise to Malden.
Married to a retired lawyer and Philippines government official, Dr. Anni’s son is an alumnus of University of Nevada at Reno and works in the financial industry for Wells Fargo Bank.
And medical careers are a family tradition for Dr. Anni.
“My family are mostly physicians,” Dr. Anni said. “Nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, medical technologists, and engineers, too.”
However, as a youngster, medicine took second place to another skill set, she admitted.
“I like music,” she said. “I started taking piano lessons
when I was seven years old.
“I performed in several piano recitals,” she added. “I played the piano pieces of composers like Bach, Mozart, Franz Lizst and Chopin. I wanted to be a concert pianist when I was young. But medicine over-ruled my interest in music.”
Dr. Anni relates to sick children, probably more than most pediatricians.
“I was born premature,” Dr. Anni said. “I had multiple visits to the physicians’ office until I was 10 years old.
“Seeing the sighs of relief come from my parents during those visits made me want to become a doctor,” she explained.
But “it was in high school” when Dr. Anni decided to devote her life to healing.
“I have so much admiration for physicians,” she said. “I found it not only a dignified, stable profession, but the rewarding feeling of making somebody well is immeasurable.”
When she’s not healing sick kids at Malden Medical Center, folks can find Dr. Anni, traveling, reading medical journals, and serving her religious community at the keyboard.
“I like attending Continuing Medical Education conferences sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics,” she said. “And I enjoy reading the journal PREP, reading the updates on pediatric treatments.
“Every Sunday I am the organist in our church mass,” she added. “I’m the accompanist for our cantors and choir. I do it also for special occasions and Holy Days of Obligation in our church, like Christmas and the Lent Season. I also enjoy gardening and cooking.”
“Istartedtaking pianolessons when I was sevenyearsold..”Photo by Christopher Hyde Dr. Jane Anni has made a positive difference in the lives of her patients and their families in Malden since 2015.
Dr. Anni has wise words for those tempted to study medicine.
“If you have the dedication, interest and love to be of service to others, medicine is the right path for you,” Dr. Anni said. “That means also, lots of sacrifice, hard work, long hours and years of study.
“The feeling of satisfaction and happiness when you see a sick child get better is indescribable,” she added. “Especially when they leave your office all smiles, their parents are all smiles, and they’re all relieved. Small children giving you hugs that mean ‘thank you,’ and ‘I love you, doctor,’ are fantastic reasons to practice medicine.”
JEFF DORRIS jdorris@dddnews com
Lillie Roberts has a passion for firefighting, but it wasn’t always so.
Roberts recently shared on her career in the health field and the transition to becoming a firefighter.
“I started my career in EMS in 2010, and in 2014, I had our son, so, I decided to stay home and raise kids for seven years,” informed Roberts. “My husband, Tyler, was already affiliated with the fire department.”
Tyler Roberts is the current Assistant Fire Chief for the Kennett Fire Department.
She continued, “Our kids grew up and went to school and I decided to go back into the workforce. I started off part-time at the fire department just to get my feet wet.”
“Since I had an EMT license it was just an easy transition, because we do medical calls,” she added.
Roberts stated, “I don’t know the exact statistics but it’s somewhere around 80 percent medical now. Unfortunately, now you can’t just get away with being a gung ho firefighter without being able to do medical calls too.”
“It goes hand in hand these days,” she said.
Roberts shared there are many things she likes about the profession.
“I love when I surprise myself,” she provided. “When I started on the fire department it wasn’t really for fire.”
Roberts said, “It was for building on my EMS, my resume. Somewhere along the way, with the training and the calls, and the adrenaline with the fire side of it, I fell in love with it.”
“It was very unexpected,” she said.
Roberts stated that firefighting is hard work.
“But, it pays off in a big way, and it’s quick results,” she in-
formed. “You work it really hard and you save and preserve. It’s the best kind of adrenaline.”
Roberts confided she always knew she wanted to be in the health services field.
“Growing up, my mom was in and out of the hospital a lot,” she said. “She had medical problems when I was a kid.”
Roberts continued, “I remember going with her to the hospitals and all these people taking care of her were so kind. I wanted to be that kind.”
Roberts shared on some of the challenges in firefighting.
“Limited resources with personnel definitely,” she stated. “You’re in the city and you see six people on a firetruck and you come to Kennett and you might see two, or maybe even one.”
Roberts added, “It’s hard to try and do a multitude of things in a very limited time with one person. That challenge is very real in small towns.”
Roberts does, however, enjoy living in a small town.
“I love the small towns,” she said. “When you go somewhere, you’re going to see somebody you know. It feels more involved and less alone.”
“Ilovebeing ofservice.”Photo by Jeff Dorris, staff Pictured is Kennett firefighter Lillie Roberts. “It’s never been a job to me,” Roberts said. “It’s always been a passion.”
She added, “Being in a small town you’re trading the luxuries of cities for something more personal and more community involved. I really love that.”
Roberts has high praise for the firefighting profession and believes there is a place for women in the department.
“I would definitely encourage women to be firefighters,” she stated. “When I started it never occurred to me to even consider fire.”
Roberts said, “I considered being a doctor, police, or military. I never one time considered firefighter, because I never saw anybody that looked like me fighting fire.”
“When you see women in fire, they’re very outgoing and strong, physically strong women,” she continued. “I started off having not worked in seven years and I looked like a stay-at-home mom. I’m not the physically, go to the gym five times a day, firefighter.”
“I’m strong enough, but I don’t look that image,” said Roberts. “I don’t have to look like a bodybuilder. I don’t have to have huge muscles. That’s not what it takes. A lot of women don’t know that.”
Robert reflected she has enjoyed her career.
“It’s the best choice I’ve ever made in my life,” she said. “I never thought I could be this happy. It’s never been a job. It’s always been a passion.”
Roberts concluded, “It’s very fulfilling. I’m happy that I can be of service.”
Kris Uselton has been a champion for mental health her entire career, most of which has been with with FCC Behavioral Health.
“I oversee our crisis diversion programs and outreach programs,” said Uselton. “That includes quite a few programs including, the mobile crisis response team that is operational 24/7, meeting people in the community where they are and hopefully de-escalate before they need a higher level of care.”
Uselton continued, “We also have programming for diversion to keep people out of the hospital when it’s unnecessary. Like the emergency room enhancement program that focuses on individuals who may be high utilizers of the emergency room or behavioral health units..”
“We have Community Health Liaisons,” she added. “That team works with law enforcement to celebrate and identify individuals experiencing mental health symptoms and/or crisis.”
“Our most recent add to crisis services is our Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Poplar Bluff,” informed Uselton. “That is urgent care for mental health crisis. Seven days a week, everyday that location is open to serve individuals who walk-in.”
Uselton added, “You’ll be screened, there’s a nurse, therapist, case management, and a psychiatric nurse practitioner
It’s an honor to be the personwhosomeone trustsenoughtoshare theirfeelings.Photo by Jeff Dorris, staff Pictured is Kris Uselton. Uselton has worked in behavioral health for sixteen years and still enjoys her job. “It’s the best choice for me,” she said.
“The team also has peer support,” she shared. “That’s individuals with lived experience to help them kind of navigate during this difficult day.”
The Steele native informed on the start of her passion for helping others.
“I graduated high school and went to my undergrad at the University of Missouri at St. Louis,” provided Uselton. “Even in high school, I took a class in Psychology and did a paper on schizophrenia, and I knew that was going to be my un-
dergrad.”
“Through that I knew I wanted to do therapy,” said Uselton. “After graduation I worked at Bootheel Counseling for a few months, and then got a job at FCC Behavioral Health.”
FCC partnered with the hospital, Twin Rivers, here in Kennett, and I was hired to be their Adolescent Therapist on the Behavioral Health Unit,” she added.
Uselton provided, “I stayed at the hospital for six years and now, I’ve been with FCC Behavioral Health ten years.
Uselton stated she enjoys her career in behavioral health.
“My favorite thing about the work I do is the connections with people,” she said. “To be with someone and connect with them and remember I’ve been in crisis counseling for 16 years, and that is probably the toughest day of that person’s life, and to be the person that someone trusts enough to share their feelings and what’s happened to them, is a pretty big deal.”
“That’s really an honor,” added Uselton. “I hope we never forget this is their worst day and they deserve our full individual attention.”
Uselton has high praise for her team.
Located at: 120 N. Side Square
Hours of operation:
Monday - Friday: 9AM - 5PM • Saturday: 10AM - 3PM Sunday: CLOSED
“I have the best team,” she stated. “The individuals that work with crisis they can do anything. I have the most dedicated, compassionate, and skilled clinicians. I’m honored that I get to be with them.”
Uselton wrapped up her thoughts on her profession by stating it was the best choice for her.
“It’s not for everybody, but it’s never the same,” she said. “It’s never boring, so it fits my personality type. It’s something new all the time and you’re learning everyday.”
Uselton concluded, “Sixteen years and I’m still seeing new situations.”
