Everyday Heroes 2013

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Inside This Section...

William Anderson................................................................ 25 Tammy Basye........................................................................14 Sheri Benham ....................................................................... 17 Monica Clemons ....................................................................4 Tom and Louann Collier ......................................................12 Carol Darling .........................................................................10

EDITORS NOTE:

Anna David ..............................................................................2

The Herald-Times Everyday Heroes project started

Janet Decker .........................................................................21

with nominations from the community. In all there were

Mary DeMoss .......................................................................27

or family members.

Jerri Dixon ............................................................................. 28 Carthell and Peggy Everett ................................................22 Keri Gross.............................................................................. 24 Rajih Haddawi.......................................................................18 James A. Harvey .....................................................................6 Ferrol Johnson.......................................................................13 Sadie Johnson.........................................................................8 Stephen Main........................................................................16 Carol Maloney......................................................................20 Julie McMath ..........................................................................5 Morgan Newman ...................................................................3 Martha Nord......................................................................... 29 Elan Rajamani .......................................................................23 George A. Rusnak............................................................... .26 Gary Wilson ...........................................................................15

nearly 60 nominations from admiring friends, neighbors With so many worthy candidates to choose from, it was a difficult process to pick two dozen for the subjects of feature stories for our special Everyday Heroes book.

But with the help of a committee and the nominating letters, we picked 24 people to write about.

The most interesting thing we learned is that Everyday Heroes often turn out to be the kind of people who do not seek the spotlight. Many of our Heroes offered to decline the honor of being featured in a story or celebrated at our community breakfast.

But it is important that their stories be told and their accomplishements lifted up. The very fact that these are “everyday” people is an inspiration to other “everyday” folks who might be moved to become involved themselves in making the community a better place for all of us.

We’re hoping these stories inspire us all to help each other more. And to make the Everyday Heroes an annual tradition that spreads the word about all of this good work to the whole community.

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Anna David

A true friend and parent of sorts

By Laura Lane 331-4362 | llane@heraldt.com When a coworker called Anna David one night upset, worried about how she would take care of her three daughters as she moved to another state to get settled in a new job and find a place to live, 20-year-old David offered a solution.

She took the girls in.

David got a queen-sized mattress for her living room and transformed the space into quarters for three girls who were 13, 14 and 16.

She got temporary guardianship and stepped in as a parent of sorts, and a friend, to keep the sisters on track so they could continue with their lives while their mother was away establishing a new home for them in Nevada.

“My parents questioned it. They thought it was a crazy thing for me to do,” David said. “But I started thinking about how you should treat others like you would want to be treated, and I knew I could help.”

So for six weeks, her life was transformed. She got up at 5 a.m. on weekdays to get the girls ready for school, then drove them there.

She found them odd jobs so they could earn spending money. “We would go grocery shopping and stuff on Monday nights, and they would have their own money to buy things they wanted,” she said.

There was homework to help with, meals to cook and laundry to wash. David connected with the girls’ teachers so she could monitor their school work in their mother’s absence.

It was tough. “But I figured there are plenty of mothers out there that do this every day. So could I.” During those weeks, she came to realize how difficult parenting can be.

“I could have called my mom every day to tell her how sorry I was for things I had done and put her through when I was that age,” she said “It really opened up my eyes to how hard it is.”

Career goal: To be a theater make-up artist Education: Graduate of Bloomington High School North, where she was a cheerleader Weakness: Technology. Her boyfriend had to set up her phone’s voice mail Job: Server at Bloomington’s Olive Garden restaurant Claim to fame: First runner-up in the 2010 Monroe County Fair Queen Contest

The woman she helped was a fellow waitress at Bloomington’s Olive Garden. Her son had been killed in a car accident at age 16, and the family was reeling from grief. “There was heartache over that, for the whole family,” David said. “It was so sad for the girls to have lost their brother. We talked about it a lot.”

The girls eventually joined their mother, and David got back to the life of a 20-year-old: waiting tables, attending beauty school classes and hanging out with friends.

Samantha Felix, also a waitress at the Olive Garden, nominated David for recognition as an Everyday Hero.

“Anna has a heart bigger than her little 5-foot-3 frame can hold,” Felix said in a nomination letter citing her friend’s capacity for empathy and compassion. “I believe in my heart of hearts that without her in this world, it would be a lot darker.”

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Morgan Newman

A simple idea, an amazing result

By Rachel Bunn 331-4357 | rbunn@heraldt.com When Morgan Newman saw a preview of the CNN Freedom Project, a series of documentaries on modern-day slavery, one part of the story stood out.

The documentary featured Free the Girls, a non-profit organization that provides job opportunities for survivors of sex trafficking, collecting gently used bras and donating them to the women as starting inventory for their own business. The documentary and the charity stuck with Newman.

“I think the empowerment of women is important,” Newman said, though she couldn’t pinpoint why this particular documentary affected her so much. “For some reason, it really touched me.”

The simplicity of the project also stuck with Newman, and though a busy extracurricular schedule forced her to put it off for a while, this summer she decided to finally move forward, bringing the project to Bloomington.

She and a few friends came together and set a goal: they would try to collect 300 bras to give to Free the Girls for resale. To get the donations rolling, Newman decided to ask members of her church, Bethel A.M.E., for help.

“I thought it was such a good idea,” said Dennis Laffoon, pastor at Bethel A.M.E., who nominated Newman as an Everyday Hero. “I had no idea the response that was going to come from the community.”

After the call out in churches and an article in The Herald-Times, bras were coming in boxes and being left on the doorstep at Bethel A.M.E. Laffoon said it was not unusual to find bags of bras hanging on the door handles while the collection was happening.

“It’s not every day that a young person is thinking beyond themselves; it’s not very often that people are thinking beyond where they are, thinking globally,” Laffoon said. “We are just so proud to be a part of it.”

Who is she? Bloomington High School North junior Age: 16 Future aspirations: To be a political journalist Favorite movie: Mary Poppins Favorite places visited: Lake Königsee in Germany and Riva del Garda in Italy Like Laffoon, Newman was surprised by the response.

The girls collected five times their goal, totalling about 1,500 bras by the time they were ready to ship to Free the Girls.

“I had to contain my tears,” Newman said, of seeing the final count.

“I thought, ‘This may be too many bras.’ I can’t even describe how I felt. It was just amazing.”

Though the bras have been shipped, Newman hopes to continue the project, working with her friends to start a club called “Where is the love?” which will work with a different charity or non-profit organization every year to collect products the organization needs.

The first project would be working with Free the Girls again, she said.

Newman was unsure whether she would be able to collect any bras, but that so much came out of just going out and asking.

“It’s hard to imagine that you’ve changed people’s lives,” she said.

“I did it, and I still don’t even think I realized what happened.”

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Monica Clemons

The 2-1-1 of the Salvation Army

By Abby Tonsing 331-4245 | atonsing@heraldt.com

It’s 2 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon and Monica Clemons doesn’t stay at her desk for more than a few minutes at a time.

As social services director of The Salvation Army of Monroe County, Clemons organizes its food pantry, provides clients with resources for rent and utility assistance, helps with medication and co-pay assistance and manages clients in the Pathway to Hope program and coordinates a holiday gift donation drive.

As a man leaves the pantry with a box full of food, Clemons stops him before he hits the door to give him six vouchers for the Salvation Army’s thrift store.

She’s noticed that his shoes are full of holes, and suggests he use a voucher for a new pair. “Because he wouldn’t think to ask for himself,” she says after he’s gone.

The 55-year-old hails from Montana, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Montana State University. After college, she joined the Peace Corps and served two years in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where she taught farmers how to diversify their agriculture, use irrigation systems and grow rice and beans.

During her time with the Peace Corps she met her husband, Bert, a Hoosier. The Clemonses first made their home in northern Indiana and moved from Michigan City to Bloomington about seven years ago, where Monica started work at the Salvation Army.

All told, she’s been doing social work in one form or another for 30 years.

Most recently, Clemons used some of her vacation time from work to organize vision screenings for 2,300 Monroe County Community School Corp. students. That’s just one of the tasks she takes on as president of Bloomington’s Lions Club.

It’s a philanthropic effort that Clemons accomplishes with “great expertise,” wrote fellow Lions Club member and Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary member Carla Hedges in her Everyday Hero nomination letter about Clemons.

Work: Social services director The Salvation Army of Monroe County Favorite book: “Still Alice,” by Lisa Genova Favorite Chicago Cubs: Ryne Sandberg and current second baseman Darwin Barney Most interesting find at The Salvation Army: Jerome Tiger limited edition watercolor prints Pets: Two terrier dogs, 13-year-old Beano and 4-year-old Buck Brentney Campbell, 21, of Bloomington, and four friends stop

by Clemons’ office. The group is preparing to head to the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois for Regional Rainbow Gathering; they needed food and clothes.

Campbell has known Clemons since she was 19, when she got kicked out of her house and got her first apartment. All she had was a blanket and some clothes.

Campbell recalled being embarrassed to ask Clemons for help for the first time and crying in her office. Within minutes, Clemons made her feel more comfortable.

And, Clemons didn’t make her feel helpless.

“I do consider her a hero because she helps people in the community,” Campbell says after she and her friends got some food and vouchers to the thrift store. “And she helped me today. I’m just really, really appreciative.”

As the group leaves the food pantry, Clemons calls out to Campbell, asking her to stop by the office when she returns from her trip: “Tell us how it was.”

Talking to people and providing them with resources are some of the best aspects of the job, Clemons says, calling herself the 2-1-1 of the Salvation Army.

“It’s not uncommon to get a hug,” Clemons adds. “The whole idea is you treat them right and hopefully they’ll go out there and treat other people right.”

Julie McMath

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‘I need to share and help’

By Mary Keck 331-4353 | mkeck@heraldt.com

Julie McMath has a knack for finding sales, but she’s not buying much for herself.

“I find yarn on sale and crochet blankets for the homeless,” she said. She will find deals for gloves, hats, and scarves and throw them in her cart to buy for the homeless, too. “When I do it, I try to say a prayer for whoever is going to have it that not only will it keep them warm, but I hope they’ll get out of the situation they’re in.”

At the Dollar Store, she’ll purchase raincoats and tarps for those without shelter or she’ll find pencils, Play Doh and stickers to toss into goodie bags that she’ll send to her daughter who teaches fifthgraders in Georgia. The students will receive the bags as rewards.

“The kids are excited to get something,” she said as she dropped a sucker into one bag and a spider ring into another.

For five years, she helped an IU sorority by volunteering as their finance advisor. She managed a budget for the organization of 91 women. When she attended a 30-year class reunion and ran into her own financial advisor, she hugged her and told her how much she appreciated all the work she had done.

McMath helps out with Vacation Bible School at her church, has volunteered for the IU Bloomington Hospital Foundation, and donates to the Alzheimer’s Association every year. Before being hired part-time at the Monroe County Historical Society, she volunteered there, too.

To McMath, these deeds are not heroic.

“I don’t set out to do things, I just come across them,” she said.

Offering her time to help out in the community is common sense.

“Someone had to plant a tree for you to have shade,” she said.

Volunteering also makes her feel connected, and she says it’s fun.

With a smile, McMath recalls wrapping up “a bunch of silly stuff” for Theresa Burgess while she was recovering from knee replacement surgery in December. She opened a different little gift McMath had given her everyday up until Christmas. “I think about if I was in

Sports: Colts and Cubs fan Special skill: Riding a unicycle Outdoors: Has skied the Swiss Alps Travels: Has visited 44 of the 50 United States Interest: Old classic cars

that situation, what would help me,” McMath explained.

She doesn’t only reach out to help people. McMath has six chihuahuas, and four of them were rescue dogs.

“They’re sweet, but crazy,” she said with a laugh. “If I see a need, I try to fill it.”

McMath’s desire to help comes from growing up in church. “Jesus wanted you to help others,” she said. “I know I have a lot, and I need to share and help.”

Although she was nominated as an Everyday Hero, McMath thinks “school teachers are my heroes. They’re the ones that are there every day directing kids, and they wear more hats than ever before. They do more with less.”

For 10 years, McMath was a substitute teacher, and she has teachers in her family. “They don’t have the summer off. They teach summer school and prep for next year,” she said.

Just like those heroic teachers she admires, McMath has no intention to quit anytime soon.

“I don’t know why I would stop helping,” she said. “There’s always something I can do, I’m sure.”

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James Harvey Who is he? Retired educator; former social studies teacher, principal and superintendent at MCCSC Age: 72 Favorite movie: Field of Dreams Favorite color: Red Hobby: Spent 50 years as an official for the Indianapolis 500

Congratulations to the Everyday Heroes!

Thank you for all you do for our community.

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‘You just see things you can do to help’

By Rachel Bunn 331-4357 | rbunn@heraldt.com Upstairs in the Shalom Community Center, Jim Harvey crouches in a small closet. “This used to be the roof,� he said, touching the beams that sit less than 3 feet above the floor. Outside of the closet, a new addition, housing more meeting and office space is nearing completion, and Harvey gestures to the dormer addition. “That’s what I’ve been doing for the past eight months.�

Since retiring from the Monroe County Community School Corp. in 2008, Harvey has been a board member of the Shalom Center, though he volunteered with the center before that time. He and a group of members from his church, the First United Methodist Church, serve a warm breakfast at the facility once a month, and the rest of the time he works as kind of a handyman throughout the facility.

Harvey was a part of the board when the center moved to its present location on South Walnut Street in 2010, working as part of the construction crew that renovated the building, and helping get equipment for the kitchen.

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“Most of the equipment we bought at an MCCSC auction,� Harvey said, pointing to the oven, sink and serving area. The doors in the building also came from the old Fairview Elementary School, which was torn down.

He downplays his role at the Shalom Center, saying that other people work harder and do more to keep the center operating, even though he’s logged about 600 hours over the past several months to make the new addition usable.

There are others, including the contractors and construction crews that did the basic work on the building and its addition; Harvey feels they are more praiseworthy. Keeping the building operational is a way Harvey can use his own skill set to help the Shalom Center. “Sometimes you just see things you can do to help,� he said.

The homeless the center serves could be anyone from a single man to an entire family. It’s not a stretch to see oneself in their position and want to help, Harvey said. One of the aspects that he likes about the Shalom Center is that anyone can walk in and get services, including food, a shower or laundry.

The Shalom Center has a small staff and relies mostly on volunteers, like Harvey, who add their skills to keep the center running and moving forward with new projects. “You give someone something and you never know how it’s going to turn out. You like to think you’re making a difference, but that doesn’t matter,� Harvey said. “I don’t think it’s possible to know what your gift means. It’s the fact that you gave. It’s not a matter of patting yourself on the back, it’s the fact that you tried.�

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Sadie Johnson Favorite guitar: Fender Stratocaster.

Favorite album: â&#x20AC;&#x153;That changes every week, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a huge Louis Armstrong fan. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the guy who got me loving jazz, around my eighth-grade year. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ella and Louisâ&#x20AC;?

Favorite films: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Singing in the Rain,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Stingâ&#x20AC;?

Favorite book: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Clapton: The Autobiography.â&#x20AC;?

Favorite TV show: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Top Gearâ&#x20AC;? (the British version) Favorite car: 1966 Ford Mustang Fastback

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Bringing brightness with the blues

By Andy Graham 331-4215 | agraham@heraldt.com Even a silent film of Sadie Johnson playing guitar would evoke emotion. Her expressive face, her mannerisms while playing, convey deeply-held feelings.

But it’s her playing, once heard, that really brings the love. Love of blues. Love of jazz. Love of music. Love of fellow musicians. Love of fellow human beings.

All there during an authoritative acoustic reading of Robert Johnson’s “Ramblin’ on My Mind.” There while belting out Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” with The Sad Sam Blues Jam. There when gracing one of Bloomington High School North’s vaunted jazz combos.

And most certainly there when presenting a musical instrument to a sick child.

North music department chair Janis Stockhouse knew she had something special when Johnson auditioned as an eighth-grader.

Stockhouse let Johnson take an Advanced Placement music theory

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exam alongside the older students. Johnson got the top score. Then Stockhouse had Johnson play “Satin Doll” with North’s top big band, the Advanced Jazz ensemble. The upshot was Stockhouse telling Johnson she could play with any North band she wished. Right away.

Johnson, technically a middle-schooler at that point, was being homeschooled at the time due to what she refers to as “bullying reasons.”

She found music especially therapeutic then, with time to take four or five lessons a week.

And she wants to help make it therapeutic for kids in need now.

She started figuring out a way to do that a couple of summers ago while playing the “Blues from the Top” festival in Colorado. The festival’s net proceeds went to Blue Star Connection, a non-profit that provides musical instruments to kids with cancer or other life-challenging conditions.

“Music is my passion, and I’ve wanted to go into musical-therapy for a while now, so I heard about this and thought, ‘Wow! Cool!’ “ Johnson said.

So Johnson talked with Blue Star Connection founder John Catt about setting up a branch of the multi-state organization in Indiana.

“It’s grown quickly from there,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve helped 15 of 16 “Blue Stars” — an individual kid provided with an individual instrument — just in the couple of years since those first conversations (to patients at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis and Lutheran Children’s Hospital in Fort Wayne.)”

After helping Indiana kids with donations directly from Blue Star Connection, Johnson wanted to give back. So Aug. 10 saw the inaugural “Blues and Brews Festival” in Bedford that produced about $8,000 in net proceeds for Blue Star Connection.

“My mom texted me in math class — I’d been waiting all day for the figures,” Johnson said. “And she texted it was like $14,000 or something and I was freaking out! I knew we’d have a good bit of money, after expenses, to send to Blue Star.”

Johnson played that gig with The Sad Sam Blues Jam, featuring fellow guitarist and vocalist Krista Hess and bassist Samantha Johnson, Sadie’s sister. None are over 18 years old, but their affinity for the material they play is extraordinary.

That doesn’t surprise Stockhouse a bit. She knows what Sadie brings to any project.

“Absolutely first-rate, in every way,” Stockhouse says of Johnson.

“She’s a giver.

“She brightens the day for everybody in the jazz ensemble every time we meet. Sadie comes into the room with that sort of personal energy. And it’s really never about her. It’s always about the group. But she knows how to perform. She’s a show-stopper.”

“I’m just grateful and thankful for all the opportunities I’ve been given,” Johnson said. “People have bent over backwards for me, saying, ‘You’ve got something there.’

“But I play music not for the money, not for myself, not to be recognized. I do it because when I’m up on stage, there’s that one guy in the back corner who’s having a bad day ... and he starts watching. And you entertain everybody, but you keep your eye on that guy the whole show. And by the end he’s having a great time.”

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Carol Darling

‘Schoolmarm’ spreads good deeds throughout the community

By Cathy Meyer Special to The H-T “So many people take, take, take. We need to give something back,” said Carol Darling, who was nominated by her friend, Sue Talbot, to be one of Bloomington’s Everyday Heroes.

Carol and her husband, Richard, moved to Bloomington in 1977.

While she had taught for years in Illinois, she would find no openings in the local school system, so she took a job as secretary in Monroe County Community School Corp., using her background in social studies to help develop the Heritage Center for MCCSC. A group of teachers had championed the restoration of the Honey Creek School, a one-room schoolhouse where children could come to experience what learning was like in the “old days.” Carol became the “schoolmarm” in 1979.

Many local children had the pleasure of attending Honey Creek School in grades 2 or 4 or during the summer sessions.

“That is such a wonderful place,” Darling said. She stocked the school with many of her own artifacts and developed lessons in reading, writing and “ciphering” along with old-fashioned games, folklore and herbal remedies.

Unfortunately, after some 16 years at the school, she discovered that the musty place caused her to have breathing problems and she could not continue to teach there, so she turned her talents elsewhere.

Since she has never lost her love of teaching, she still visits schools as “Aunt Caroline,” bringing a wagon load of pioneer belongings and old stories to share with children.

She also continues to work with children at her church, First Presbyterian, and through projects for Area 10 Agency on Aging. One she

In her nominating letter, Sue Talbot said: “Carol always has a cookie for young people, a cake for the bereaved and for celebrations and a hand held out for those in need. She is unsung; humble; and ‘giving’ to all is a huge part of her DNA.”

especially enjoys is working with eighth-grade students during their Reality Store event, designed by the Franklin Initiative.

Church friends got her involved in the Red Cross Book Sale, where she works during the annual event. Darling has been a board member of the Monroe County History Center and helps with various events for the museum, including the annual Spectacular Sale. She enjoys helping others through her work for Kappa Kappa Sigma, a philanthropic sorority. The sorority raises funds to support local charities and also hosts a summer picnic and Christmas party for Stone Belt clients. She is active in the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a teacher organization supporting education, both local and abroad.

She is a long-time secretary for her Matlock Heights Neighborhood Association, working toward the betterment of the neighborhood and the care of residents.

Darling is not accustomed to being in the spotlight and said that at age 80 she can’t do as much as she used to.

“We always taught our children to give back,” she said, “that life is more meaningful if you do for others, so I still work at being useful.”

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Tom and Louann

Collier

A ‘ray of hope’ for foster children

By Kasey Husk Special to The H-T Every night without fail, the Collier family ends the household bedtime routine with the “kissy-bug” — a kiss on each cheek and a tickle — to ensure every child goes to bed with a smile on his or her face.

Who foster parents Tom and Louann Collier are tucking in may vary, but no matter what, the love they show each child who comes into their home remains the same.

The Colliers have opened up their four-bedroom Ellettsville home to more than 40 foster children during their nearly nine years as foster parents. It’s a gig that means they are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if a child needs a home, but they wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Louann’s cheerful attitude and love for these kids shows, and she is a genuine hero day in and day out to all the little ones in her care,” say neighbors Steve and Pamela Olivas in a letter nominating the couple as Everyday Heroes. “Tom and Louann are an excellent example of foster parenting.”

The Colliers were already thinking about becoming foster parents as their three oldest children reached middle and high school, but all that was put on hold in 2001 when tragedy struck the family: their second-born, James, died suddenly at age 14.

Four years later, however, the Colliers had decided that they should share the love they had to give with “kids who don’t have anywhere to go for the time being,” Louann, 48, says. The couple — also parents to Michael, 29, Ashley, 24, and Elijah, 7 — welcomed their first foster children in 2005.

Today their Ellettsville house, bursting with toys and a playroom that includes two toy kitchens, is home to five foster children younger than 7 years old.

It’s a job not without its challenges, even beyond what one might expect, taking care of as many as six young children at a time. The Colliers frequently find themselves picking up their newest foster

The Colliers Tom, now a union insulator, was in the Navy and stationed in San Diego for four years.

Louann worked as a babysitter and in-home day care provider for years, taking care of 94 children in total over the years. Tom, a native of Monroe County, and Louann, who hails from Owen County, met in McCormick’s Creek State Park. They celebrate their 30th anniversary in January. Neighbors nominated the Colliers because of their dedication to the children who they care for as foster parents. child in the middle of the night, and those children are often frightened and overwhelmed by the change. But from then on, that child is a part of their family and included in everything they do, whether it is a trip to McDonald’s, an outing to a water park or — a household favorite — visiting yard sales on the weekends.

Most of the children in their care — some of whom could be there for a matter of hours, while others for as long as two years — are ultimately reunited with their families, the Colliers say. That can be difficult, both say, but they always try to keep in mind that reunification is the goal. In the meantime, Tom, 50, says they try to be a positive influence on the children while they are in their home and be their “ray of hope.”

The couple encourage more people to consider becoming foster parents, noting that Monroe County is always in need of foster homes.

“I don’t feel ourselves being heroes at all,” Louann says. “We do it because we love kids.”

EVERYDAY EVERYDAY HEROESHEROES | THE HERALD-TIMES | THE HERALD-TIMES | WEDNESDAY, | THURSDAY,NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6,6,2013 2013 || 13 F13

Ferrol Johnson

Firefighters adopt gardener’s recipe for organic horticulture

By Seth Tackett 331-4354 | stackett@heraldt.com When one thinks of a fire station many images can come to mind.

Big red trucks, a firepole, a dalmatian and, of course, firefighters.

What about an organic garden full of ripe tomatoes, peppers and basil?

You might not have thought of that, but Ferrol Johnson did.

Johnson, 40, of Bloomington, has been around organic gardens his whole life and saw the benefits of having a garden without the aid of chemicals firsthand growing up in Williams, Ind. “My dad traveled around to Costa Rica and Alaska, and he actually discovered a fertility recipe,” Johnson said. “Just like the recipe of a cake. How to make soil grow at an optimum level organically.”

Johnson took his “family” recipe and started Abundant Harvest Farms, a business established in 2009 with a mission to make organic gardening easy to understand and affordable for everyone.

Part of Johnson’s project was simple, help feed hungry firefighters.

But the bigger goal, and the long-term success of his idea, has a much more sustainable motive and to accomplish that, he has to engage and educate the public about the soil that we take for granted.

“Most people just treat the soil like something you walk on,” Johnson said. “If you look at it in the big picture, it’s actually the skin of the earth. Just like our skin.”

By building organic gardens across Bloomington in each of its five fire stations, Johnson hoped that the visibility of the gardens and the “cool” factor associated with the firefighters would change people’s perception of using chemicals in their gardens at home.

To Johnson, the fire stations seemed like a perfect fit, because the firefighters eat on site, they have to buy their own food, they can easily water a garden and, Johnson hopes, eventually take ownership of it.

“Organic gardens have a positive effect on people and the environment,” Johnson said. “The benefit is to your health. The benefit is to the environment and the benefit is also local.

“With the fireman picking the peppers out there and eating them that night, it doesn’t get anymore local than that.”

To get the project underway, Johnson first spoke with Mayor Mark Kruzan in the fall of 2011 and, with his approval, he then approached Chief Roger Kerr with an hour-long presentation.

“Within five minutes, he said he thought it was a good idea,” Johnson said with a laugh. “He basically just trusted me. I built the two raised beds there at the downtown fire department, and then the project kind of took off.”

And thus, the Fire Station Gardens project was born.

It might have just taken minutes to convince Kerr, but it took a little longer for the other fire crew members to come around.

“At first I think they thought it was a silly idea,” Kerr remembered.

“Now they look forward to watching it grow and to see what Ferrol is going to plant each year.”

Johnson hopes to have all five fire stations completed by this fall.

With local community members also beginning to take notice, Kerr sees the positive impact the gardens are having.

“Several in the community have stopped by and asked about the gardens,” Kerr said. “Some have asked how they can do it at home.

“I have not had one negative comment. I think it has been a fantastic experience for our department.”

14 || WEDNESDAY, 6, 2013 HEROES HEROES F14 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6, 2013 | THE| HERALD-TIMES THE HERALD-TIMES | EVERYDAY | EVERYDAY

Tammy Basye

‘It’s our job to make things better’

By Abby Tonsing 331-4245 | atonsing@heraldt.com Eastern Greene Middle School teacher Tammy Basye hasn’t gotten around to telling her husband and two sons that a colleague nominated her to be an Everyday Hero.

She simply hasn’t been home the past several evenings, staying at the school late to help with the Spell Bowl team. She’s not a coach for the team, but lending an extra hand, as are other teachers at the school.

“Everyone around here inspires me. It’s kind of our job to make things better,” says Basye, who has spent 26 years of her 31-year career at Eastern Greene Schools.

The quick-witted and lighthearted Bloomington resident suddenly turns serious and blinks back tears.

“Teachers get a bad rap these days,” she says, adding that she doesn’t know a single teacher who clocks in at 8 in the morning and punches out at 3 in the afternoon. It’s more than an 8 to 3 gig if, like Basye, you devote your entire teaching career striving to help any struggling student.

She calls her students her eclectic and textured family. That sense of family extends to her fellow teachers and administrators.

The feeling is mutual.

“She is the backbone we depend on, the understanding ear we all need, and the person we look to for encouragement,” fifth-grade math and science teacher Dinah Fuller wrote in her nomination letter for Basye. “Tammy’s sensitivity, nerves of steel, and wonderful sense of humor keeps us tender, grounded, and smiling.”

Basye’s known for more than her supreme dedication to her students inside the classroom and out. She’s the go-to person at Eastern Greene Middle, the one who can answer the most baffling of questions and the one who helps with favors, small and large. She’s provided food, clothing and home furnishings to those in need. She’s the first to offer a 4 a.m. ride to the Indianapolis airport.

Job: Resource teacher at Eastern Greene Middle School Favorite book: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee Favorite music: The Classic Vinyl station on XM satellite radio, featuring 60s and 70s rock Loves: Blasting classic rock and driving the family’s black convertible with its top down Favorite school food: Cooked carrots With a bachelor’s degree in elementary, middle school and special education and a master’s degree in special education from Indiana State University, the 53-year-old teaches or team teaches math, English and study skills class.

As a resource teacher for a group of 25 sixth-graders in the study skills class, Basye and a teaching assistant provide students with extra help and enrichment, reteach lessons, help organize materials, communicate with parents, and give guidance with homework and projects.

As Basye stands in the hallway outside her study skills class, she addresses each and every boy and girl in the constant stream of students that enter and exit her classroom. She places a gentle hand on the shoulder of one boy, who asks for permission to return a library book. She offers a new folder to another boy, who drops paper from the tattered yellow folder he carries into her class.

Another boy stops to show Basye he’s lost two teeth before he continues down the hall.

Inside her class, Basye zips from one cluster of students to the next, assessing writing prompts. The assignment: Describe how you’ve helped someone and add lots of details.

Basye asks each student questions in an effort to help generate more details to add to their stories about helping others.

One student tends to her family’s horses. Another knows how to do laundry. One boy helped his grandmother with yard work.

“It’s never boring. It’s always a challenge. I get the privilege to work with some pretty cool kids and teachers.” Basye beams, “Who could ask for anything more?”

Gary Wilson

EVERYDAY EVERYDAY HEROESHEROES | THE HERALD-TIMES | THE HERALD-TIMES | WEDNESDAY, | THURSDAY,NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6,6,2013 2013 || 15 F15

Changing the world with random acts of kindness

By Lindsey Erdody 331-4368 | lerdody@heraldt.com Gary Wilson didn’t want to be bored when he retired two years ago.

“So many people when they retire they talk about how they’re bored and don’t know what to do,” Wilson said. “I think you need something to keep you looking forward to the next day.”

So, Wilson decided he would do three good deeds for strangers everyday. He will help an elderly woman who is struggling with groceries, open a door for someone or spend time with a friend in need — and that’s just what he admits to doing.

It’s usually a small task that doesn’t require much effort, but his wife, Pat Wilson, who nominated him to be an “Everyday Hero” also mentioned he’s taken out storm windows and cleaned up debris from a strong storm.

He also clears sidewalks and driveways around the cul-de-sac he lives in after a snowfall.

“I’ll do the whole neighborhood,” Gary Wilson said. “It’s not that some of those people can’t do it, it’s just that I can.”

Wilson said he does the little acts of kindness because it makes him feel good.

“It’s acts that people should do unconsciously everyday, but I try to make sure I do mine,” Wilson said.

He usually receives a smile and a “thank you” after his good deed, which is all he wants.

“I think it’s just a step to do things that aren’t asked of you,” Wilson said.

He thinks if everyone in the world, or even just in Bloomington, would do this, it would be a better place for all.

In addition to his daily random acts of kindness, Wilson has also

Hometown: Crawfordsville College: Indiana University, class of 1969.

How he met his wife: They were both in a wedding party and were paired to walk down the aisle together. Six months later, they were married.

Favorite sport: Golf Favorite teams: IU basketball, Indianapolis Colts helped with the Bloomington North High School Habitat for Humanity group since his wife started it 16 years ago. He admits he was initially an opponent to the organization, which builds affordable housing for people struggling to make ends meet.

“In my biased view, I thought Habitat was a giveaway program, which it’s not,” Wilson said.

After learning more about how it works — homeowners have to be able to pay the interest-free mortgage and put in 250 hours of “sweat equity,” or volunteer time — Wilson changed his mind.

He coordinates the funding for the group and organizes the annual dinner and silent auction, which is the biggest fundraiser every year.

“His commitment to eradicating sub-standard housing and providing decent, affordable places in which to live is so inspiring to everyone he encounters,” Pat Wilson wrote in her nomination. “He has undertaken this responsibility with such tenacity and passion.”

16 || WEDNESDAY, 6, 2013 HEROES HEROES F16 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6, 2013 | THE| HERALD-TIMES THE HERALD-TIMES | EVERYDAY | EVERYDAY

Steve Main

Handyman with a big heart

By Mary Keck 331-4353 | mkeck@heraldt.com For a retired music teacher, Steve Main works quite a bit. After educating youngsters for 30 years, he still picks up his cello, but he often finds a hammer or a length of pipe in his hands instead.

Main was nominated as an Everyday Hero because of his work as a handyman while volunteering for the Area 10 Agency for Aging. He’s quick to point out, “I appreciate the honor, but it’s for the group. It’s a recognition of the REPAIRS program. There are a dozen guys that help us and nobody gets paid a dime, yet they just keep coming back.

They love doing it.”

The kind of work Main and his fellow Area 10 volunteers love doing is building ADA code ramps on homes for those in wheelchairs, installing grab bars and rails in bathrooms, and offering minor plumbing and electrical repair to the elderly who need it. The group builds an average of 30 ramps a year.

“When we get the job done, they are always so grateful. That’s my pay,” said Main. “It’s a joy to see them in their wheelchair on that ramp.

There’s no greater feeling of satisfaction.”

Besides seeing a person who is able to stay in their home because of his work, Main gets a sense of satisfaction when he sees “a job get done and done right.”

Each Monday, Main is hard at work somewhere in Monroe County inspecting a potential job or opening up his toolbox to repair a stair step or fix a drain in a sink. The REPAIRS (Reliable Experts Providing Accessibility, Independence, Rehabilitation, and Safety) team designs ramps and makes sure the right materials are purchased for the project.

They check smoke alarms and light bulbs as well as repair windows and doors. “The collection of skill levels within our volunteer pool is amazing,” he said.

Throughout his time with Area 10, Main has learned to recognize when a job is beyond his scope and a professional needs to be called.

Musical talents: Plays the cello in the Bloomington Symphony Orchestra Sports fan: Colts, IU, and Butler basketball Hobbies: Woodworking and building furniture, likes to play on the computer and learn something new Travel: Has been to Europe and escapes to Hawaii in the winter.

He remembered replacing two rotted bathroom floors in a trailer. “It gets hairy sometimes,” he said. “You think you know what to do, and then you dismantle it.” While they successfully replaced the floors, “we learned there are some things we shouldn’t start,” he explained. “That’s part of the art of this as a volunteer.”

Before becoming an Area 10 handyman, Main helped found the Monroe County Habitat for Humanity and was executive director for about 8 years. “I like to think I helped them go to the next level,” he said. Under his leadership the Monroe County Habitat office became better organized and was able to build affordable housing for many families in need.

His choice to begin volunteering for Habitat for Humanity after retiring from teaching was “an outgrowth of my faith and gratitude,” Main said. “I believe I have been blessed my whole life. I feel I need to give back to whomever needs help.”

Being considered a hero makes Main laugh.

“It’s humbling,” he said. “I don’t feel like I should be singled out.

There are so many volunteers who help out in this community, and I just happen to be one of them.”

Sheri Benham

EVERYDAY EVERYDAY HEROESHEROES | THE HERALD-TIMES | THE HERALD-TIMES | WEDNESDAY, | THURSDAY,NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6,6,2013 2013 || 17 F17

A foster mother and grandmother makes a difference

By Andrea Balzano abalzano@heraldt.com Although she’s never had any children of her own, Sheri Benham, founder of Stepping Stones, a transitional housing service for teenagers, is a mother to many kids in the community.

Benham was in her 40s when on a crisp, cool hike on the Appalachian Trail she realized she wanted more in life. She was involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, but wanted to make a bigger difference in kids’ lives.

“It’s important to assess what we do, to think about who we are and what we want to be doing,” she said.

Shortly after that, Benham became a foster parent and decided to go back to school for her social work degree.

“I wanted to have kids in my life because I didn’t have any of my own,” she said. “I believe strongly in mentoring youth.”

Benham started out as a foster parent and learned that a relationship with teens is essential to their success. She still stays in contact with two women she fostered, and their children now call her grandma.

“We had our go-rounds, but she was still the mother figure,” said Cassandra Crum, one of Benham’s former foster children. “She doesn’t judge anybody for the mistakes you’ve made.”

After fostering 10 kids over six years, Benham realized there were kids the system was missing. “I realized there were kids who fell through the cracks,” she said.

While researching for her masters degree, Benham found that many kids that go through foster care end up homeless.

“I thought the system was broken, and I really got upset about that,” she said. Six years later, Stepping Stones was born.

In May 2005 Benham began a pilot program next door to her house.

By August of that year, the program was established.

“A lot of people don’t like to take in teens, but she did,” said Crum.

“She started Stepping Stones to get kids off the streets and help them make good decisions.”

Her Title: Executive Director of Stepping Stones, a transitional housing supportive center for youth 16-20 Favorite food: Chicken pot pie or ethnic food Favorite Movie: Out of Africa Hobbies: Hiking, walking her dog, Quincy, spending time with her grandchildren Today, Stepping Stones houses nine young people between the ages of 16 and 20.

“Our ultimate goal is for those kids not to be homeless when they grow up,” said Benham. “They need to be here so they can be nurtured.”

Stepping Stones offers its residents job coaching, financial counseling, educational group sessions, health and wellness instruction, group activities, substance alternatives and awareness and more. Residents also are encouraged to volunteer, help prepare weekly group dinners, have regular counseling, and have weekly group meetings to discuss their accomplishments.

In the past 10 years, Stepping Stones has housed 70 kids.

“With Stepping Stones a lot more children have graduated high school and maintained a job because she was there to help them,” said Crum. “Without Stepping Stones, the lives of children in the program wouldn’t be the same.”

Crum said that Benham takes the time to sit down with kids in the program to create goals to become self-sufficient. She might even go to the kids’ work to check in on them or take them grocery shopping to help them shop efficiently.

Benham has been an aunt, a disciplinarian, a mother to numerous kids in need of guidance, and now she is a “grandma.”

“I like watching kids grow up from a child to an adult and then becoming a responsible parent,” Benham said. “It’s challenging, fun, and so rewarding.”

18 || WEDNESDAY, 6, 2013 HEROES HEROES F18 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6, 2013 | THE| HERALD-TIMES THE HERALD-TIMES | EVERYDAY | EVERYDAY

Rajih Haddawi Employment: Retired after 35 years as an orthopedic surgeon Family: Wife of 44 years, and two children.

Hometown: Bloomington; born in a small village in Iraq Where he volunteers: Volunteers in Medicine Special interests: Music

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EVERYDAY EVERYDAY HEROESHEROES | THE HERALD-TIMES | THE HERALD-TIMES | WEDNESDAY, | THURSDAY,NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 6,6,2013 2013 || 19 F19

The man behind Volunteers in Medicine

By Olivia Druckemiller 331-4356 | Odruckemiller@heraldt.com Volunteers in Medicine of Monroe County, also known as VIM, was established in 2007. VIM is a volunteer-operated medical clinic for adults without health insurance, or those unable to pay for health care.

Rajih Haddawi is the man behind VIM. Haddawi was an orthopedic surgeon for 35 years in Bloomington until his retirement. Once retired he wanted to focus on something that had been troubling him: Those who canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t receive proper health treatment due to lack of health insurance. Thus the idea of VIM was born and created. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would not have VIM if it were not for Dr. Haddawi and his dedication to getting it here in Bloomington,â&#x20AC;? Judy Walcoff, Haddawiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighbor said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had an idea and was instrumental in getting it off the ground.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am passionate for people and their needs. Since I am a physician that is what I notice day in and day out,â&#x20AC;? Haddawi said when asked what motivated him to start something like VIM. Even though VIM is now well established, Haddawi is still volunteering daily and has no intention of stopping anytime soon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Needs continue to increase and we found the appreciation of the patients stimulating to continue the service,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Haddawi rounded up volunteers in every field of medicine to help create a range of services at VIM. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He cares about humanity,â&#x20AC;? Walcoff said.

Haddawi looked up to his father and believes to be the man he is today thanks to him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My late fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s principle of sharing and reaching for the needy, guide my adult life and relationships,â&#x20AC;? Haddawi said.

Haddawi has confidence that he has passed on a legacy of offering help to others down to his children. Haddawi has a son and daughter who are involved in volunteer work as well.

His son helped get VIM started. He volunteers his time three days a week. His daughter, who lives in Boston, is actively â&#x20AC;&#x153;involved in various activities to support charities and non profit organizations,â&#x20AC;? Haddawi said.

Haddawi likes to take long walks to unwind after his days working with patients. He also has a strong interest in music. In his spare time he is taking piano lessons, which he enjoys. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Various music events nurture my life,â&#x20AC;? Haddawi said. He goes to different events in friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; homes and around town.

People in the community notice his music interest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dr. Haddawi is a deep advocate of music,â&#x20AC;? Walcoff said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He attends as many performances as he can at the Jacobs School of Music and has been an emeritus board member of the Friends of Music.â&#x20AC;?

Haddawi is more than just a resident here in Bloomington; he is an everyday hero. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smiles to him and his dedication for all he gives back to Bloomington,â&#x20AC;? Walcoff said.

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Carol Maloney

One woman offers a caring path to 100 others

By Rick Seltzer 331-4243 | rseltzer@heraldt.com Carol Maloney was visiting Michigan in 2011 when two of her friends gave her the idea for 100+ Women Who Care.

“It just resonated with me,” Maloney said. “By the time we arrived home, I had it all worked out.”

The idea, which Maloney said followed the initiative in Michigan, is designed to be simple. Gather a group of women who are willing to make $100 donations to a local nonprofit. Have three of the women make pitches for an organization they think should receive their money.

Vote. Write donation checks to the winner. Be done within an hour.

To get things started in 2011, Maloney talked to 20 women in the Bloomington area. Those women spoke with others they knew, and within three weeks they’d assembled 81 women for the first meeting of 100+ Women Who Care.

That meeting, in November of 2011, resulted in a donation of $8,100 going to New Hope Family Shelter. Since then, 100+ Women Who Care has met every three months, growing each time and making larger donations. To date its members have donated a total of $169,000 to nine different area nonprofits.

That includes $45,000 to the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County. Maloney added that wrinkle to the local Women Who Care — in addition to giving $100 to a different nonprofit every meeting, its members give $100 annually to the community foundation to build an endowment.

“I believe strongly in the power of the community foundation,” said Maloney, who is married to Mayer Maloney, publisher of The HeraldTimes. “Only two organizations in the country that I’m aware of have the Community Foundation Connection.”

The only other Women Who Care with a Community Foundation link is in Terre Haute, and that group was started as an arm of the community foundation there, according to Maloney. Bloomington’s 100+

100+ Women Who Care donations 2011: November: $8,100 to New Hope Family Shelter 2012: February: $12,300 to Volunteers in Medicine of Monroe County May: $14,500 to Jill’s House August: $16,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana November: $16,800 to Stepping Stones 2013: February: $17,600 to Community Kitchen of Monroe County May: $18,500 to Girls Inc. of Monroe County August: $20,000 to Visually Impaired Preschool Services The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County has also received $45,000 to date.

Women Who Care is separate from the local community foundation.

In Bloomington, 100+ Women Who Care has increased attendance at every meeting. It had 200 people attend at its most recent meeting in August, where attendees gave a total of $20,000 to Visually Impaired Preschool Services.

Maloney played a part in starting Women Who Care groups in other areas. She helped groups get off the ground in Fort Wayne and to the north of Chicago. She also sent materials to the Terre Haute group to help it get started.

Her role in starting the Bloomington operation shouldn’t be downplayed, according to Jacqui Bauer, the City of Bloomington’s sustainability coordinator. Bauer serves on 100+ Women Who Care’s steering committee and is one of its founding members. She can remember sitting at a meeting when Maloney talked about the idea for the group.

“She did a fantastic job of looping in a lot of women who really wanted to engage with the community,” Bauer said. “The message really resonated with a lot of people.”

The work of 100+ Women Who Care resonates with the nonprofits it helps. Nancy Richman, the executive director for Volunteers in Medicine of Monroe County, had just been hired when she found out her organization had been selected to receive $12,300 in February of 2012. She’d been on the job for about a week.

“It was amazing,” Richman said. “Not only did it come out of nowhere, I hadn’t even started writing grants. It’s a huge support for nonprofits.”

Janet Decker

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A hero in two communities

By A. Jay Wagner Special to The H-T

Ryan Decker, 2 years old, raced about, slowing down only long enough to settle for a swing of his miniature golf club, and then he was off chasing his shot again. He was a kinetic charge unleashed on Bryan Park. You’d never have guessed he was born with a congenital deformity of his right foot.

And thanks to his mother, Janet Decker, and her foundation, the Clubfoot Shoe Exchange, children across the country are being given the same opportunity as Ryan.

Clubfoot is a fairly common birth defect that turns an individual’s foot inward and often leaves the victim appearing to walk on the outside of the foot or ankle. Left untreated it can severely limit mobility.

Fortunately, treatment in the United States is fast improving and often successful. While a variety of methods are in practice, the most popular involves serial casting and the use of a Denis Browne bar, a brace worn at night made of a special shoe connected to a bar that stabilizes and directs the lower leg and foot.

While the infant and toddler-size shoes are relatively simple boots of plastic soles and leather straps not unlike sandals, they often cost nearly $1,000 per pair. As the foot continues to grow, the shoe needs to be replaced. In Ryan’s case, this was nearly every three or four months.

Despite enviable health insurance through the University of Cincinnati, the Deckers were repeatedly denied their claim on each pair of Ryan’s shoes. A pattern formed where they’d request coverage, be denied by their provider, pay out-of-pocket for a pair of shoes, appeal the denial through the insurance company, and then finally receive reimbursement.

After going through the tedious process a number of times, Decker began wondering where all these perfectly good, and expensive, shoes were going; and what of the families with lesser or no insurance? She checked with their hospital, Cincinnati Children’s, to see if any program existed. Due to liability concerns, the hospital could

Janet Decker is an assistant professor at Indiana University’s School of Education, teaching education law and policy courses. She served for two years on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati’s school of education until her return to Bloomington. Due to their hard work with Clubfoot Shoe Exchange, Janet Decker and her husband, John, were finalists for Cincinnati Children’s 2013 Make a Difference Award. Angela Ervin of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, said the Deckers compassion was uncommon. “They really went above and beyond to help other families. They understood the difficulties of the insurance process, and did everything they could to help others have the same success as Ryan,” said Ervin. Decker founded and continues to maintain with her husband the exchange to assist families whose children suffer from a congenital deformity of the foot.

not oversee an exchange.

“It dawned on me. Why not just do it ourselves?” said Decker.

The Clubfoot Shoe Exchange swapped its first pair of shoes in June of 2012. Since, Decker estimates they’ve facilitated the exchange of 160 pairs of the special shoes. They’ve done so by collecting used shoes at their Bloomington home and then distributing them to needy families throughout the country. They’ve also coordinated exchanges via the organization’s nerve center, its Facebook page.

As attention grows with the Facebook page, Decker hopes to register the organization for non-profit status to simplify the donation process, as the postage and packaging have begun to add up. Another goal is the establishment of similar exchanges in foreign countries.

Thus far, Decker has helped arrange the setup of similar programs in Canada and Australia.

“We just want other children to have the same opportunity that Ryan has had,” Janet Decker explained, as Ryan bolted past, chasing another golf ball through the park.

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Carthell and Peggy

Everett

‘Every rural community needs a food pantry’

By Seth Tackett 331-4354 | stackett@heraldt.com Inspired by the legacy of love they’ve received from their Christian faith, family and friends, two high school sweethearts from Florida decided, in the midst of the recession, that Smithville needed help.

With that belief, Carthell and Peggy Everett opened the Smithville Food Pantry in November 2010 to help feed the less fortunate. The food pantry offers nonperishable food and personal care items to residents of the township.

“We started because of what we were reading and seeing regarding the state of our economy,” Peggy said. “And, basically because the Bible tells us we should do this.

“Matthew 25:35 tells us, ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, and I was a stranger and you invited me in.’ I think that pretty well covers how we felt.”

After reaching out to the county’s health department, the county attorney and area’s trustee, the couple were told to basically, “Just give food away.”

And they have.

The Everetts and the food pantry have helped over 4,400 patrons in the nearly three years they have been open, with several local organizations and businesses donating 100 or more pounds of food within the last year.

The Everetts believe that people needing help need to know their community cares, that there is a place to go to be connected to sources of assistance.

Without the support of Clear Creek Township Trustee Thelma Jeffries and The Smithville Area Association manager Kenny Glass,

Age: Carthell 72; Peggy 70 How they met: In 1958 at Chipley High School, in Chipley, Fla. Wedding: The couple married in 1964 Military service: Carthell served in the Air Force for 20 years Where they’ve been: During Carthell’s service in the Air Force the couple lived in Japan, Germany, The Netherlands, Thailand, and various places in the U.S. Town: Smithville since November of 1979 the Everetts couldn’t provide the service. The pantry doesn’t pay any rent and is totally run by donations and volunteers.

“They have always been very active in the community,” Jeffries said. “There was a need for pantries in Clear Creek Township. We had one in Harrodsburg and she wanted to get one going in Smithville.

“I couldn’t come up with the words to describe what they mean to the community and their efforts to help.”

The Everetts’ goal for giving is a simple one.

“Every rural community needs a food pantry to meet the needs of the community,” the couple said. “We would be happy to help other communities start a pantry to help feed the hungry and build caring relationships.

“We really would like to see this catch on in little crossroad towns like Smithville,” Carthell said. “There’s a lot of them around and I know if we have this problem here, they probably need help too.”

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Elan Rajamani

Building community with free home furnishings

By Jon Blau 331-4266 | jblau@heraldt.com When Elan Rajamani arrived in America with his wife, their first meal was eaten off of a piece of luggage.

A native of Singapore, Rajamani came to the U.S. in 1993 to get an education at Taylor University in Upland, Ind. Finding furniture was another adventure entirely. One Sunday, Rajamani and his wife told the drivers of a church van that they didn’t have any furniture.

The next week, the church had loaded tables and chairs, pots and pans and cups into a van and a truck and brought them to him. Twenty years later, he still owns a donated floor lamp.

“We were kind of alone and not sure how to do it and we didn’t have a vehicle to get all this stuff,” Rajamani said, “and then here was a couple who didn’t know us from anybody and were willing to help us and that had a big impact.”

Rajamani’s garage is now filled with furniture year-round, because he is often gifting items to new international students at Indiana University.

The biggest haul is during an August collaboration with Carthell Everett at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, where Rajamani runs a furniture giveaway that puts furniture in the living quarters of students fresh off the planes from more than 30 countries around the world.

Rajamani says much of the furniture he gives away is as good, if not better, than what he has at home.

It may just seem like a piece of furniture to some, but, for the people Rajamani provides it for, he is an “Everyday Hero.” He tells the story of one student, a Fulbright Scholar from Afghanistan, who was on the brink of returning home because of culture shock. In his home country, the family bond was important.

He had arrived in Bloomington two weeks before school, the town was quiet, he was alone. He didn’t have furniture, either. When he came to the furniture giveaway in August, he only saw smiles.

“It’s furniture, yes,” Rajamani said, “but it’s also a community.”

Jaemin Lim, an intern with the Bloomington International Student Ministries, sees the furniture giveaway as a community-building event

Favorite movie: Dead Poets Society Favorite actor: Russell Crowe Favorite food: Hainanese chicken rice Favorite musician: Michael Card Favorite book: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg for a group of students who come to Bloomington having left their respective communities behind. The furniture giveaway has only become more important with the growth of IU’s international student body.

The event starts with participants sitting in a gym at the church socializing. Groups are brought to the furniture “showroom” in groups of 15, and there is a “shot clock” that gives them four minutes to grab from a limited selection. As the furniture is selected, it’s put into moving vehicles. Behind them, new furniture is put on the floor before the next group arrives.

It’s a process Rajamani and Everett have perfected since the event started in 2005. Now, they even have people who follow the movers, who can accept offerings of thanks, whether that would be tea or dinner, while Rajamani and his volunteers keep the operation running. More than 850 pieces of furniture were given to about 275 students last August.

In helping Rajamani, Lim, a 32-year-old master’s student at IU’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has known what it’s like to have sore legs after moving an entertainment center. He has also bonded with Rajamani, a campus minister at International Friendship Ministries. The members at Bloomington International Student Ministries go hiking and skiing. They celebrate Christmas and help introduce foreign students to American football with a Super Bowl party.

Lim will enter Rajamani’s house without knocking.

“I usually know if he’s coming,“ Rajamani said, smiling. “If a student can think of my home as their home, then we have done what’s right.”

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Keri Gross

Support flows two ways for school counselor, students

By Jon Blau 331-4266 | jblau@heraldt.com Andrea Roach, a student, entered the office with a foam bowl in each hand, one for the faculty refrigerator and the other for counselor Keri Gross.

“Anyone want a piece of paah?” Roach asked, feigning a broad southern accent.

Things are a little loose at the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship. Fewer kids mean less need for hard-and-fast rules, which lands one of Roach’s offerings in the fridge. Gross takes the other to her office and tears off the plastic wrap, unveiling a piece of pie with bits of strawberry and blueberry. It’s a proud piece of homecookin’ from a student who is also taking classes with the Hoosier Hills Culinary Arts program.

“You don’t necessarily want to eat something a kid made ... it’s smashed,” Gross said. “But I’ve learned Andy is a really good baker.”

She notes that “Andy” has graduated to “Andrea,” but Gross had trouble dropping the nickname.

If the academy is a family, Gross is one of the heads of the household. She left Bloomington High School North to be with the academy when it was founded as New Tech High School in 2008.

“I can do more profound work here, because you get to know them so well,” Gross said. “It’s such an honor, to be such an important part of kids’ lives.”

Of course, Gross tries to separate her work from her personal life.

The hard reality is that some of the academy’s kids won’t be able to overcome a hard family life or academic troubles in their educational quests. On the other hand, Gross remembers the battle that almost lost her a place at the academy, a place where the kids consider her an “Everyday Hero.”

She snatches a tissue from a box on her desk.

In the May leading up to the school’s first year, Gross was diagnosed

with ovarian cancer. She was small enough that the tumor was visible to the naked eye in its earliest stages. In the earliest stages of her relationship with the school’s students, they were tested by hard realities.

That didn’t stop Gross from being there for her students. She stayed at home and her hair fell out, but emails were constantly exchanged. Gross even remembers getting a text message from one of her students — at an hour when she knew that student was in class.

She returned in December to see students lining the hallway, no one commenting on her 97-pound frame or her bald head.

“The support was just amazing,” Gross said. “That’s when I knew how different this experience is, because I had 61 kids who couldn’t wait to see me.

“I’ve never felt so much support in my life, ever. Ever. Because this has come home to me, too. I think that was the reality when I walked back in. I needed them as much as they needed me.”

Gross had just as much of an impact on those students, coaching them as they look to make the next step after high school. They spend hours bonding in her office — the walls covered by a variety of frames with the word “Peace” in different language — and the students become part of her family.

Students keep coming back, and Gross said she had to put the “kibosh” when one or two came back too frequently. But she has become an example for them, for better or for worse.

And they have become an inspiration for her.

“We expect love and acceptance to come from our own parents or our partners, and it’s extraordinary when you notice the other places where love and support can come from,” Gross said. “And I never knew 61 kids could become that important to me. I didn’t know they could love that well.”

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Bill Anderson

‘’This is the time to give back’

By Andrea Balzano abalzano@heraldt.com At a point in his life when he has the time to give back to his community, retired physician Bill Anderson makes the effort to actively volunteer in the Bloomington community. From the Willie Streeter Garden, to the Shalom Center, to Volunteers in Medicine, to Hoosiers Outrun Cancer, to playing bingo at the Monroe County jail, Anderson has his hands in several different organizations.

Anderson came to Bloomington in 1970 for the opportunity to practice medicine with a focus on women’s health. After retiring in 2000, Anderson decided it was time for him to give back to his community.

“I have the time, and the community has been good to me and my family,” he said. “This is the time to give back.”

Since his retirement, Anderson has taken up gardening.

“I like to work in the ground,” he said. “It’s sort of spiritual to be out there, and plant seeds and see them grow.”

But gardening isn’t just a hobby. He also volunteers at the Willie Streeter Garden, a community garden where Bloomington residents can rent plots of land to grow produce. Anderson is a garden monitor once a week, where he opens up the sheds and shares his garden knowledge with others working there.

“I always loved gardening and had the opportunity to become better at it and share that with people,” he said. Anderson has his own plot at the garden, and when he has a surplus of produce, he brings vegetables and herbs to the Shalom Community Center, another Bloomington organization where he regularly volunteers.

“He often did dishes, which is a job not everyone wants to do, but he did it with a smile on his face,” said Ron Kerner, kitchen manager at Shalom, a day center for people who are homeless. Although Anderson works in the office now doing administrative work, he is a dedicated volunteer that the center values.

“He has a great sense of humor, a good attitude, works well with everyone, takes initiative and finds something to do,” said Kerner. “He’s

Who he is: Retired physician, husband, father, grandfather Family: Wife, Janet, three children and six grandchildren Hobbies: Gardening, golfing, traveling with his wife Volunteers at: Willie Streeter Garden, Shalom Center, Volunteers in Medicine, Hoosier Outrun Cancer Congregation: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church friendly and upbeat, and his attitude rubs off an everyone else.”

Anderson also brings his medical background into his volunteering.

At Volunteers in Medicine, he worked in the women’s clinic for five years. He stayed until he found the drugs he was familiar with were out of date.

“I found the use of drugs was passing me by, and I was not as effective as I could be,” he said with a laugh.

He and his wife, Janet, help every year at Hoosiers Outrun Cancer with registration and passing out T-shirts. As a member of the Bloomington Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, Anderson helped raise funds for the Hospice House and have a wing named in remembrance of his good friend Larry Walcoff.

“I wanted to recognize him,” said Anderson. “He was a special guy, so it was very meaningful.”

Also an active member of St. Mark’s Methodist Church, Anderson volunteers with the church mission at the county jail playing bingo. He says it’s a fun couple of hours and enjoys being able to give the inmates relief from their everyday routines and provide some personal necessities. Bingo winners receive candy, shampoo, soap, deodorant, cards, and other personal items.

“They have a good time and are appreciative and demonstratively so,” he said.

Ultimately, he wants to help people, and he does just that.

Kerner said, “He’s really given back to the community and his work has touched many lives.”

“I do it because I enjoy it,” said Anderson. “I have the time to give back, reflect on the good that has happened in my life, and hopefully give back to other people’s lives.”

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George Rusnak

A life dedicated to fighting — fires

By Dann Denny 331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com George Rusnak’s passion for fire prevention began at the age of 13, when he started volunteering as a “junior fireman” with the Fire Department in Whitaker, Pa. It was 1940, and droves of young men were being drafted.

“Our fire department had no one between the ages of 18 and 35, so they allowed us kids to start helping,” he said. “For the first few years we were not allowed to go into the burning buildings. We were gofers, laying out the hoses and putting up ladders for the firefighters.”

But in 1943, the firefighters allowed Rusnak to enter a blazing home for the first time.

“I can still remember the smoke curling up through the floorboards,” he said, running a hand through the wisps of silver hair on his head.

“It was a little scary.”

In 1945 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, which put him in electronics school — where he learned about aviation electronics and emerged as a second class petty officer.

“Some of the older guys didn’t appreciate that because I was only 19 and didn’t know the difference between the starboard and the port,” he said with a laugh.

Rusnak was responsible for eliminating fire hazards on the ship, and for helping put out fires on the hangar deck.

In 1958 Rusnak and his wife, Nancy, moved to Bloomington, where he worked at Bloomington’s Westinghouse plant. In 1969 he helped create the Perry Township Fire Department.

“We were running 150 fires a year,” said Rusnak. “We didn’t have radios in those days, so someone would call me at home to report a fire, and while I was getting ready to go Nancy would call two more firefighters, and each of those would call two more firefighters before they left the house ... and so on.”

Those early firefighters had no helmets, and instead of fire gear they wore used raincoats donated by the U.S. Army. They had only

three air masks to share among them.

“We eventually bought an old Bell Telephone service truck and turned it into an emergency truck,” he said. “We had to patch a lot of holes, and it ended up with more body putty than steel.”

Westinghouse’s management allowed him to join other Perry Township Fire Department firefighters to teach fire prevention programs in area pre-schools and grade schools.

“I would allow some wires to glow red hot to show the kids what could happen to them if they were not protected by fuses,” he said.

“They really liked that.”

In 1990 Rusnak retired, capping a 40-year career with Westinghouse.

But he didn’t slow down. He immediately began teaching a “Learn Not to Burn” fire safety and prevention class to students at area pre-schools and grade schools. He and his compatriots taught 1,500 students a year.

“Young kids are often afraid of people wearing a uniform and air mask, and we didn’t want them to be fearful of firefighters in case there was a fire at the school,” he said. “So we asked a lady fighter to slowly put on her uniform and mask so they could see it was her and not be afraid.”

Rusnak once taught an electrical course to students at Fairview Elementary School. He made a wooden frame with two electrical probes on it — then ran 110 volts through the probes and cooked a hot dog.

“The kids loved it when smoke started coming off the hot dog,” he said. “There were 26 students in the class and we passed it around like communion so each of them could take a bite.”

Over the years Rusnak served the Bloomington Volunteer Network, helped build six Habitat houses, and found time to help friends and neighbors with electrical wiring in their homes.

Today, thanks to neuropathy, a bum ankle, two new knees, a new hip, and a battle with prostate cancer, Rusnak can’t do as much as he once did. But he’s not complaining. He still enjoys woodworking and photography, and he’s always available to offer his fire prevention and electrical expertise to anyone who asks.

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Mary DeMoss

‘Mary is a doer, not just a talker’

By Dann Denny 331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com If you want to know about Mary DeMoss’s big heart, talk to Teresa DiRosa.

DiRosa says she went through a divorce in 2010, it was a painful ordeal for her teenage daughter, Annalise Jacobs.

“We had no home life for her at that time,” she said. “So Mary and her husband, Paul, took Annie into their home for three weeks. They treated her like she was their own daughter.”

DiRosa said Mary DeMoss persuaded Annie to get involved in volleyball, basketball and softball — then took her to tryouts and practices.

Mary also encouraged Annie to become friends with her older daughter, Elizabeth.

“Annie was shy, so that friendship really helped her confidence and self-esteem,” DiRosa said. “By the time the two of them were seniors they were inseparable, and now they are IU students and sharing an apartment together.”

DiRosa said DeMoss’s willingness to reach out to her daughter is a reflection of her caring nature — and the main reason why she nominated her as an Everyday Hero.

“Mary is a doer, not just a talker,” she said. “She likes doing things for people. That’s why her house was always Child Central. Many young people spent hours hanging out at her home, and — perhaps without even realizing it — she instilled confidence in them and increased their level of self-esteem.”

DeMoss, who works for the Monroe County Division of Family Resources, admits children and teens were always welcome in her home.

“Our own children were our No. 1 priority, so we liked having their friends in our house rather somewhere else,” she said. “Plus, we just love kids.”

But DiRosa said DeMoss, 52, would often go the extra mile for youngsters, particularly those in crisis.

Residence: Bloomington Spouse: Paul DeMoss Chilren: Two daughters Career: State eligibility consultant with the Monroe County Division of Family Resources.

Favorite recreation: Running and biking “There were kids that others would not touch with a 10-foot pole, but Mary would help them,” she said. “She’d urge them to get involved in sports and talk to their teachers about how to get their grades up.

Some of these kids would have ended up on the street without her.”

When DeMoss learned that one of Elizabeth’s friends wanted to play basketball in college, DeMoss called a slew of college coaches and drove the girl and her mother to several colleges for campus visits because they did not have adequate means of transportation. She even helped the girl fill out financial aid forms.

“She was a great student who never got into trouble and I thought the world of her,” DeMoss said. The girl now is playing basketball in college.

DiRosa said one of the reasons young people love DeMoss is that she accepts them for who they are.

“She judges no one — regardless of their gender, sexuality status, race, or religion,” she said.

A former high school volleyball and basketball player, DeMoss feels sports are not only fun, but can help kids avoid some of the adolescent pitfalls that can derail their dreams.

“Sports was my saving grace,” she said. “I loved participating, and sports kept me out of trouble. If kids are kept busy doing sports they have fewer temptations to do things that are not good for them. And sports can provide kids with a lot of opportunities.”

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Jerri Dixon

‘It’s all gotten into a good blur’

By Andrea Balzano abalzano@heraldt.com Jerri Dixon, an energetic wife, mother, and grandmother, spends much of her time giving back to the Bloomington community.

“I think we can be proud of how little people have suffered because of what we’ve done,” said Dixon of the Bloomington volunteer community.

Originally from Macon, Ga., Dixon and her family moved to Bloomington in 1985. She started volunteering at the Salvation Arm about 10 years ago, and she is now the president of the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary. She also delivers food for Meals on Wheels, an organization that provides two meals a day Monday through Friday to over 60 individuals.

“It’s a worthwhile thing to do,” she says.

Dixon developed a special relationship with one of the clients on her Meals on Wheels route. Inspired by a Bible passage, Dixon spent the whole summer cleaning the house of a man still suffering from a stroke he had 17 years ago. She now helps with his laundry, weekly cleaning, and keeps him company a few days a week.

“I knew I needed to do something,” she said. “God was saying this is the one I should help. In 52 days, I got that little house cleaned.”

Her Bible study group connected her with the Salvation Army, where she now spends about 40 hours a month. She enjoys the work, the people she works with, and the good the Salvation Army does.

She even encouraged the Salvation Army to set up a donation kettle at the IGA in Ellettsville, which he organization hadn’t done before her suggestion.

“It’s all gotten into a good blur,” Dixon said of her many good memories volunteering.

In late summer, Dixon helps organize a backpack distribution, while the fall is extra busy for her and her Salvation Army co-volunteers.

They coordinate an Angel Tree program to provide families with Christmas gifts for their children. They organize the application process, match the children with correct clothing sizes and toys, and

Family: Husband, two sons and five grandchildren Favorite Food: Vegetarian, ice cream and quesadillas Favorite Book: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Hobbies: Tennis, book club, bridge, Bible study make sure every child in the program has gifts on Christmas morning.

The night before distribution day is like the Polar Express, said Dixon.

“They’ve got it down to a science,” Dixon said about their process of collecting gifts. “It’s wonderful.”

The families are appreciative, which gives Dixon a sense of satisfaction.

“People come and get their bags, go look at them at their cars, come back and hug us,” she said.

However, it’s the people of Bloomington who really make everything work with their devotion to giving, said Dixon. She enjoys seeing people come to the Salvation Army a couple of times and then thriving after they have received help.

Dixon also appreciates the re-use culture the Salvation Army creates by selling used items at the thrift shop. She even bought her most recent digital camera there.

She said she has developed a true sense of compassion and understanding after meeting and working with people who live in poverty and witnessing their courage.

“We have a good life,” said Dixon. “It makes it a lot more rewarding if you know you’re doing something good.”

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Martha Nord

‘We are all in the world together’

By Laura Lane 331-4362 | llane@heraldt.com When her daughter was 13 and her son 8, Martha Nord and her husband Dave were considering having a third child.

They decided to become foster parents instead.

“It had been in the back of my mind ever since I was a child,” the Bloomington woman said. “I actually spent nine months trying to decide whether to do fostering or have another baby, and this just seemed right for our family. Our kids were excited about it.”

On Aug. 1, 1989, a 20-month-old toddler became the Nord’s first foster child. She found her way into their home, and into their hearts. Seven years later, they adopted the little girl. She is 26 years old now.

Over a decade, foster children came and went, often returning to their birth parents and sometimes finding new families. “There were six we felt like we had a significant impact on in some way, and there were some that were here very briefly,” she said. The Nords have stayed in contact with several of their former foster children.

During 10 years of providing foster care, Nord focused on trying to help parents learn the necessary skills of child rearing. She learned by interacting with children from troubled families the importance of delving into a situation to fully understand the issues that create conflict.

From there, she helped them work through the muck toward solutions.

“What I ended up feeling was if I was going to have an impact, it had to be with the parents,” Nord said, adding that once she got involved with helping parents, misconceptions fell away. “I worried when we started that it might be awkward or difficult, but it was actually not that way most of the time. What I found out was that when you really get to know somebody, you understand more what is going on and the judgment goes away.”

In most cases, she said, the parents she counseled did not have good parenting skills because their own parents were lacking in that regard; there was nothing to pattern.

Foster care has changed over time, she explained. Birth parents and

Favorite children’s book: Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall Favorite book for parenting advice: How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish Best family vacation spot: southern Indiana’s Clifty Falls State Park Best family vehicle: Her 1989 Ford Aerostar van Advice for new parents: Do not hesitate to seek support and accept kindness from others foster parents now work together for the best end result for the child.

“It’s almost required now that foster parents have contact with birth parents, and the office of family and children supported that, that relationship, and making connections, is important.”

Nord realized the parents of the children she and her husband took in sometimes faced life struggles she might not be able to imagine. “When you get to know somebody and their circumstances, an understanding and mutuality happens. It’s good for everybody. I keep remembering how we are all in the world together, and it’s wonderful to share with others.”

Nord now uses her nurturing and parenting skills to help new mothers adjust to having a child to care for. She works as a postpartum doula for Bloomington Area Birth Services, visiting homes of new parents for a few hours a week during a baby’s first months of life.

Sometimes she entertains siblings with crafts so a mother can have focused time with her infant. Sometimes she helps with nursing or other newborn issues.

Sometimes, she just holds a swaddled baby for a few hours so the mother can have some time to herself.

Nord chose helping children and families, not just her own, as the focus of her life. “It gives me a connection to the community and I get to watch these kids grow up. You know, it’s not easy being a parent, and we all need some encouragement and just a pat on the back, some support, to let us know the kids will be great and they will succeed if we do our part.”

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We at the H-T were overjoyed to get nearly 60 nominations for Everyday Heroes. We wish we could have done a story on every one of them. To make sure that all are honored, here is a brief summary of all the nominees and who nominated them. They are listed in the order in which they arrived.

Tammy Basye

A special education/resource teacher at Eastern Greene School District whose acts of kindness and overall volunteering goes well beyond the call of duty.

Nominated by Dinah Fuller

Robert “Joe” Loesch

Late husband of Jeannette Shere-Thomas and devoted life partner, father and grandparent who reached out to others in times of illness or life difficulties.

Nominated by Jeannette Shere-Thomas

George A. Rusnak

Family man, World War II veteran, lifelong fire safety expert and all-around pubic servant active in church, youth, and other community programs of all sorts Nominated by Nancy E. Rusnak

Anne Kapper

Steadfast wife and breast cancer survivor devoted to caring for her ailing husband, taking time to make life happier for all who live and work in health care facilities.

Nominated by Lisa Wrasse

Bruce Payton

Family man and community-minded musician who has lent his common sense and helping hands in many a situation to make Stinesville a better place to live.

Nominated by James Bayne

David R. Shafer

A Mason and a Shriner, a member of Stone Belt Shrine Club, who has helped in large and small ways to promote children’s health issues and causes.

Nominated by Jeane Novotny

Patrick Murray

A tireless advocate for the homeless community and the operations of Martha’s House in specific, has helped with everything from administration to furniture moving.

Nominated by Frona Powell

Laura Chappell

A school employee who goes out of her way and beyond the clock to assist and support students and teachers in making the best of their time and efforts.

Nominated by Nancy Schrader

Carol Maloney

Bloomington native who devoted her time and resources to start the 100+ Women Who Care group, that has since donated thousands of dollars to local service groups.

Nominated by Anonymous

Steve Mitchner

A devoted and devout husband whose exuberant approach to life has brought a daily sense of joy, adventure and gratitude to his admiring wife.

Nominated by Martha Mitchner

Dann Watts

A Bloomington newcomer who has devoted personal time and energy to help homeless people through the Interfaith Winter Shelter program and other causes.

Nominated by Lou Moir

Ken Dovenbarger

Binford school’s friendly custodial supervisor who helps in make school warm and educational for students and staff by embodying the spirit of “above and beyond.”

Nominated by Kate Wiltz and Bettina Kehoe

Steve Main

Cellist and handyman extraordinaire who works with Area 10 Agency on Aging to design and build access ramps, and offers home repairs to his church and those in need.

Nominated by Lou Moir

Julie McMath

All-around volunteer and helpful neighbor, Sunday school teacher, supporter of many local service groups and devoted mother to two grown daughters.

Nominated by Theresa Burgess

Bob Boch

Sherwood Oaks resident and neighborhood volunteer who has strengthened the community through beautiful landscaping efforts and a newsletter project.

Nominated by Lisa Wrasse

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Ron Mobley

Longtime Cook employee and devoted family man who has helped his children through their educations and into their careers, a devoted grandfather and son.

Nominated by Myra Lee

Betty Thacker

A friend known for her kindness, her smiles and her listening ear, a connection to the home bound and provider of small but uplifting services to people of all types.

Nominated by Judy Morran

Gary Wilson

An early Habitat for Humanity volunteer, his passion to help out has led to many efforts large and small to make life more comfortable and livable for everyone.

Nominated by Pat Wilson

Jason Campbell

A baseball coach for kids with a gift for team building and confidence building who makes the team and game experience go beyond the win or lose outcome.

Nominated by Jamie Priest

Jerri Dixon

A key player in the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary and its Angel Tree program, and a delivery person for Meals on Wheels among other activities.

Nominated by Carla Hedges

Tom Hedges

An avid fisherman and treasurer of his church, “Pop-pop” is a patient and devoted grandfather with “nerves of steel” where driving lessons are concerned.

Nominated by Carla Hedges

Monica Clemons

A Salvation Army social worker and Lions Club president who helps out with the club’s annual free vision screenings for local school children.

Nominated by Carla Hedges

Owen County 4-H Fishing Team

A devoted group of kids who raise money for causes such as recognition for law enforcement and veterans, including the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall in Spencer.

Nominated by Linda St. John

Shirley Beheler

A volunteer who for years has provided free tax service assistance to the needy, and spends time training others to provide this service for an 8-county area.

Nominated by Turner Nolan

Tim Murphy

One of the devoted firefighters of Station #4 who help design and construct the CASA raffle playhouse, he is the one who gives the playhouse its themed paint job.

Nominated by Janet Shupe

Elan Rajamani

Once a newcomer to Bloomington, now devoted to the annual project of welcoming and providing free furniture to those who arrive here with few household goods.

Nominated by Sharon Phillips

Martha Nord

A strong mother and wife, foster parent, adoptive parent, member of Circles initiative and active in Bloomington Area Birth Services and her church.

Nominated by Margie Hershey

Cathy Fuentes-Rohwer

A strong advocate for children and public education, supporter of the local schools tax referendum and key member of Indiana Coalition of Public Education.

Nominated by Wendy Marencik

Anna David

Generous neighbor who housed and took parenting responsibility for a co-worker’s three children while the coworker was called out of state buy for a new job.

Nominated by Samantha Felix

Sheri Benham

A tireless advocate for children, founder of Stepping Stones, an agency that provides housing, training and life coaching for homeless young adults.

Nominated by Sita Cohen

Barbara Dill

An Arlington Heights Elementary School teacher who goes well beyond the classroom basics to help children in the light of special needs or learning disabilities.

Nominated by Stephanie Moody

William Anderson

A retired doctor who volunteers with many local causes, including Volunteers in Medicine, the Shalom Center, Hospice and community gardening projects.

Nominated by Judy Walcoff

Rajih Haddawi

The man behind Volunteers in Medicine, a retired physician who did not retire from the calling to help the many people who cannot afford medical care.

Nominated by Judy Walcoff

Ferrol Johnson

A farmer by trade whose volunteer organic gardening projects started at Harmony School and spread to fire stations, the Community Orchard and beyond.

Nominated by Ann Hawks

David Smith

An IU student and fire fighter who overcame childhood obesity and is an inspiration to his family and anyone who must overcome adversity at a young age.

Nominated by Terra Smith

Mary DeMoss

A tireless advocate for young people known for her welcoming attitude and penchant for listening, known for acting on behalf of kids who need a guiding adult.

Nominated by Teresa DiRosa

Kathryn Gardiner

A Big Sister who has devoted years of her energy to giving her young friend guidance, educational activities and the inspiration to make the best of life.

Nominated by Brooke McCluskey

Chris Deckard

Nothing holds him back from activities like white water rafting, water skiing, hunting or race car driving, certainly not that wheelchair he relies on.

Nominated by Joyce Deckard

Albert “Abe” Hanna

Exemplary neighbor, home handyman and inspiring octogenarian whose twice daily visits to his wife in a nursing home and his independence are remarkable.

Nominated by Nancy Hiller

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Nominees continued...

Craig K. Self

A volunteer at the South Side Recycling Center for the past four years known for his helpfulness with senior citizen visitors and all around hard work.

Nominated by Trish Lee

Shantelle Powell

Works with disabled people and goes “above and beyond” for everyone, known for bringing her sign language and nursing skills into use to be helpful to all.

Nominated by Kimberly Preston

Morgan Newman

A high school junior who organized a donation drive to collect bras to send to overseas victims of sex trafficking for resale as a source of income.

Nominated by Dennis Laffoon

Carol Darling

Original Honey Creek School teacher, volunteer with Red Cross book sale, the Monroe County History Center and her philanthropic sorority.

Nominated by Sue H. Talbot

Mychal Doering

Ellettsville community volunteer, particularly with youth activities and athletic teams that help local kids find direction in their lives.

Nominated by Eric Crouch

Charli Sparks

Pre-school teacher at Fairview Elementary School who goes the extra mile for her students and their families, including providing special food gifts at Thanksgiving.

Nominated by Robbie Sparks

Rodney Taylor

Veteran Marine and dedicated paramedic who learned from his dad and believes in passing along the benefits of years of experience to those coming into the profession.

Nominated by Monica Smith

Keri Gross

Student counselor, cancer survivor and tireless example of strength in the face of adversity; a listener who helps people keep their own lives together.

Nominated by Jessica Richardson

Janet Decker

Advocate for children with club foot syndrome who created a innovative way for families to share the expense of the therapy shoes that can correct the deformity.

Nominated by John Decker

Sadie Johnson

Teen jazz musician who has participated in many non-profit events and events, particularly a program that provides musical instruments to ill children.

Nominated by Caroline Johnson

Jay Arnold

Volunteer fire fighter who has devoted his life to helping his family and others, grows his own vegetables and raises chickens on a farm with his family.

Nominated by Elizabeth Harrell

James A. Harvey

Longtime educator and public servant for more than 40 years, leader in recent efforts to expand the Shalom Center, Rotarian and Friends of the Library member.

Nominated by Harmon Baldwin

Glee Noble

Retired high school teacher who now teaches Spanish at the Bloomington Adult Community Center, known for bringing a world view to her classes.

Nominated by Anonymous

Heather Mikulich

Mother of four who finds time to volunteer at Unionville school events, care for her nieces and nephews and help her ailing grandmother with shopping and housework.

Nominated by Alice L. Owens

Carthell and Peggy Everett

Longtime Smithville area volunteers, friend and helper to international students, founder of a local food pantry, parks advocates and 4-H club supporters.

Nominated by Tommy J. Bartlett

Nicole Griffin

Sunday and Bible school teacher, expert communicator on children’s education issues, and constant welcoming presence at the Indiana University Visitors Center.

Nominated by Alexandra Lamb

Louann Collier

Dedicated parent to her own and many foster children, foster parent to as many as 59 children over the years hoping to give them a good start in life.

Nominated by Steve and Pamela Olivas

Nelly Long

Octogenarian and embodiment of constant neighborly helpfulness, always willing to help those in need with rides, chores and home visits.

Nominated by Earldean Nikirk

Mary Burch Ratliff and Wes Ratliff

Helpful neighbors and church members who have devoted weeks at a time in volunteering in such places as Central America and Keyna with the IU medical mission.

Nominated by Siri Terjesen

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