2014 Herald-Times Everyday Heroes

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Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 3

Inside This Section...

Amal Altoma......................................................................... 26 Jim and Anne Bright.............................................................23 Pat Burner...............................................................................10 Vickie Carmichael.................................................................12 Eric Day...................................................................................13 Raymond Doyle.....................................................................21

EDITORS NOTE:

Paul Ford................................................................................ 24

The Herald-Times published its first tribute to Every-

Jim Griffin................................................................................22 Bill Hays.....................................................................................4 Maria Lee..................................................................................5 Melissa and Jeep Mahaffey............................................... 25 Jesse Padgett........................................................................20 Nancy Riggert........................................................................18 Linda Shanahan.....................................................................14

day Heroes in 2013. Sixty men and women were nominated that year, and all were deserving of recognition. But there are so many more people who make contributions that often go unnoticed in the community, so we called for nominations again this year.

Readers answered with 52 new nominations in 2014 that featured 54 people. These 54 individuals are involved in their professional capacity, in a formal volunteer sense, and by simply doing good deeds for those in need. No cookie cutters here.

Once again we went through the difficult process of selecting a smaller number for feature stories in this

Adam Sommer........................................................................6

section, picking out 20. All those nominated, along with

Karin St. John...........................................................................9

tion as well.

Dan Watts...............................................................................15 Cathleen Weber.....................................................................16 Chuck Welch............................................................................8 Justin Wisniewski.................................................................19

the name of their nominator, are mentioned in this secWe’re proud to introduce you to our Everyday Heroes for 2014. Our hope is their stories will be an inspiration to everyone to be a hero to someone. Every day.

4 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Bill Hays Providing a better life for people and animals

By Mary Keck 812-331-4353 | mkeck@heraldt.com When Bill Hays was a kid, he didn’t have any pets. He spent his days fantasizing about walking around with a lot of dogs.

Today, Hays has 11 dogs, 9 cats, and two horses, and they’ve all been rescued.

Stroll up Hays’ walkway lined with pots of bright flowers, and you’ll be greeted at the door by a gray cat with a brain tumor.

Go inside, and you’ll meet a beautiful black dog with a back injury. She may not get up to greet you, but she’ll wag her tail and her eyes will light up when you reach out to pat her head.

Many of Hays’ pets are over 10 years old, and some are pushing 20. Hays prefers to adopt older dogs and cats. There’s something about them having been in a home and then being given up that draws him to them, he says.

Each day, Hays and his dogs take a walk around his country acres past the chickens and the horses, around the pond, and back to the home where they will live out their days.

“They’re so grateful,” he said. “It’s as if they know they’ve been rescued.”

When his pets become ill or they die, it is never easy, but Hays takes comfort in knowing he’s given them the best life possible.

He isn’t only a caretaker of pets; Hays is a caretaker of people, too. Particularly, the many young people who have been in his classroom throughout his 40 years of teaching.

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

While he has never had a child of his own, Hays will tell you he’s had thousands. He even has students who are children of his former students.

He remembers one who was in his English class who was not paying attention and acting out. When Hays tried to talk to him about changing his behavior, the student stopped showing up to class.

About seven years later, a letter arrived for Hays, written from prison by his former student.

“I wish I would have listened to you,” it said.

Hays wrote back, and soon they were corresponding regularly. Then, Hays visited and even brought the young man’s daughter along.

Hays helped his former student earn his high school diploma.

Hays found him a lawyer who helped him get out of prison a year early. Once his student was free, Hays helped him find work.

Since misbehaving in English class so many years ago, Hays’ former student has started his own construction business.

“He was just a really good person who had made poor choices,” Hays said. “This is what good teachers do.”

This December, Bloomington High School North will lose a good teacher when Hays retires after 40 years. He plans to continue volunteering to help young people, but most of the time, Hays will be calling to his horses with a “whoop” and scratching his rescued dogs just behind the ears.

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 5

Maria S. Lee Finding relief in helping others

By Mary Keck 812-331-4353 | mkeck@heraldt.com When life gets tough, Maria Lee finds relief in helping others.

The first time, when she cut off her hair and donated it to Locks of Love for those who have lost their hair while battling cancer, Lee was having a rough day.

It was just before her son, Jacob’s, spring break, and Lee was on her way to church. She hit a pothole that bent the rim of her wheel.

Her first thought was that she expected to spend hundreds to get the car fixed, money she wouldn’t be able to use to enjoy spring break with her son.

Waiting at the mechanic’s shop, listening to her wheel rim being beaten back into place, wasn’t making her feel any better, so she crossed the street to the hair salon.

There was a little girl getting her hair cut who planned to donate it, and Lee was inspired.

She had long hair that flowed down her back, and she told the stylist to cut it off. After a few snips, Lee’s day didn’t seem so bad.

“It just totally took me right out of that,” she said.

Since that day, Lee has given her hair to Locks of Love about six times.

Lee is someone you can rely on. Need help? She’s there, and she’s often accompanied by her son, Jacob, a senior at Bloomington North.

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

As a single mom who still finds time to give back, Lee has made an impression on Jacob, who spends a lot of his time volunteering.

“She’s the one true role model in my life,” he said. “I can just look up to my mom.”

For Jacob, his mom really stands out. Not just because he loves her but because of her character and how she gives back to others.

He remembers how committed she was to helping him learn to read. Before Jacob was born, Lee had time for her passion for photography.

“I traded in my camera bag for a diaper bag,” she said with a laugh.

As a single mom, Lee needed support and got Jacob involved in the Boys and Girls Club when he was young. While he was there, she started giving back. She helped clean up and worked with kids on knitting, crocheting and sewing.

She’s traded in her stitching needles for a hammer and nails, building homes with Habitat for Humanity. When it gets cold, she heads over to the Interfaith Winter Shelter and helps set up cots, lay out blankets and get food ready for the homeless.

“So, when they come in, they can relax and have a warm place to spend the night,” she said.

Ask her why she does it, and Lee will shrug her shoulders and say, “I just like doing it. It’s a good feeling.”

Now that Jacob is older, Lee has more time to pursue photography again, but she doesn’t plan on giving up on helping others any time soon.

6 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Adam Sommer Chris Howell | Herald-Times

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Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 7

Community Kitchen supervisor tries to create fun, safe atmosphere for clients and volunteers

By Rachel Bunn 812-331-4357 | rbunn@heraldt.com Sometimes, a job just fits.

Adam Sommer has spent 12 years working at the Community Kitchen of Monroe County, starting as a volunteer and eventually becoming the kitchen supervisor.

“You do things you know you’re cut out for – it’s a perfect fit,” Sommer said.

It’s Sommer’s job to plan meals, supervise volunteers, serve patrons and just generally oversee and keep safe the dining room at the Community Kitchen.

The day begins at 11 a.m. with kitchen prep, getting everything ready for the hot evening meal and preparing the cold carry-outs and food for the children’s programs. Preparing the hot meal continues into the afternoon, and at 4 p.m., the kitchen begins serving.

Though most days are structured the same, it’s the small things that happen in between that make the days.

“Intense events, heartbreaking events, stories of success,” Sommer said.

“I’ve been very fortunate to be part of this organization and fortunate enough to know what impact it has.”

The positive outlook is something Sommer tries to give the volunteers

he supervises, creating an atmosphere of fun in the kitchen.

If he sees someone isn’t enjoying one job, he’ll try to find something for them to do that will make them excited and happy.

A lot of Sommer’s job is about reading people, whether it’s the volunteers or the clients he’s working with.

Whenever there’s an “intense event,” something that would cause Sommer to ask a client to leave, it can be trying. Over the years, Sommer’s learned not to take what happens too personally, saying that most clients have the same desires as staff — to keep the Community Kitchen safe.

It’s not an easy task by any means, though. Whenever a client becomes upset or disorderly, it can be shocking for volunteers who have never seen it before. Sommer said he tries to keep a cool demeanor and stay positive, something he learned from his mom.

And Sommer is always willing to give anyone a second chance.

“There’s always this room for forgiveness and there’s always room for understanding and to provide nutrition for those people who may really challenge rules,” he said.

But even the most challenging of clients wouldn’t keep Sommer away from the Community Kitchen. He said he’s been there for more than a decade because of the people he interacts with on a day-to-day basis, from the volunteers to the staff to the clients.

“It’s just what I do,” Sommer said.

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8 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Chuck Welch Firefighter never fails to answer a call for help

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com Chuck Welch spent his career as a firefighter, but he’s spent most of his life as a teacher.

“He taught me so much,” said Bloomington Fire Department Capt.

Tim Richards. “Chuck Welch was a really good teacher.”

It wasn’t just his fellow firefighters who benefited from Welch’s knack for helping people learn. He spent time as a GED instructor, a substitute teacher and a tutor. Even after he suffered a stroke in January 2012, kids still wanted him to tutor them.

“He always figured out people’s weaknesses and how to turn them around into a strong point,” said his wife, Jean Welch.

People seemed to see that in him, because he kept getting asked to help out.

The first call came from his country during the Vietnam War. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Welch married and started working at Otis Elevator on Bloomington’s west side in the early 1970s. A coworker needed help passing the GED, and knowing Welch was good at math, he asked for help.

Welch went to a class with his friend and discovered the instructor was his high school algebra teacher. The instructor asked him to help out. Welch said yes, and when she eventually left, he took over.

“Seeing their successes and the smiles on their faces kept me wanting to teach,” he said.

The calls to help kept coming, but sometimes they came from the most unassuming places.

“I saw a program on TV,” he said. “Somebody needed help in school, and somebody like myself helped.”

Inspired by the show, he talked to the principal at Edgewood Junior High School and asked if there were any students who

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

needed help. Don Calvert, a retired teacher, said Welch was more than competent.

“He truly enjoyed it,” Calvert said. “We have a tendency to enjoy what we’re good at.”

Welch was so good that students and parents started seeking him out for tutoring. At one point, he had so many students coming to his home after school he had to move the operation to the Ellettsville branch of the Monroe County Public Library.

While teaching was Welch’s forte, he found other ways to help people. In 2006, he rode a bicycle from Ellettsville to Branson, Missouri, to honor the men and women of the armed forces. He also used the ride to raise money for the annual Shop with a Firefighter program and the Ellettsville Masonic Lodge.

Welch retired from the fire department in 2007, but kept training and had plans for another ride that would follow the Mississippi River from Bemidji, Minnesota, to New Orleans. Unfortunately, his stroke prevented him from making that trip.

It didn’t stop him from tutoring, though.

“A couple kids were really upset because Chuck couldn’t tutor them,” Jean Welch said. “They insisted their parents call so they could come down to the nursing home for him to tutor them.”

He hasn’t tutored anyone since then, but he’s still willing.

“I haven’t, but it doesn’t mean I wouldn’t,” he said, smiling. “Why, do you need help?”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 9

Karin St. John ‘What can I help you with?’

By Lindsey Erdody 812-331-4368 | lerdody@heraldt.com What can I help you with?

That’s what Karin St. John has asked for decades as she dedicated her time to local schools, events and organizations. She’s researched playground equipment, served as treasurer for a local festival, built houses with Habitat for Humanity and raised money to put lights on a soccer field. Wherever she saw a need, she stepped up.

“I never regretted asking that question,” St. John said. “I would definitely do it again.”

St. John’s involvement in the community jumped when her daughters, Emma and Alex, started preschool, and she joined the board for the school.

Her engagement grew with her kids. During elementary school, she joined the parent-teacher organization, volunteered during field days and carnivals, tutored students in math and English and served as a playground monitor for a few months.

“I just saw the need and had the time,” St. John said. “Everybody does their share of how and when they can help.”

When her daughters entered Tri-North Middle School, St. John was on the PTO “right out of the gate.” At Bloomington High School North, she kept up her pace with the school’s Hoosiers Outrun Cancer and Habitat for Humanity groups.

Also during that time, Emma and Alex started sports, and St. John cheered through 26 seasons of basketball, soccer and track and field, traveling with the teams and providing food during away games.

She also organized fundraisers for schools, including raising money to install lights and bleachers at the soccer fields so the junior varsity and varsity teams could play in one night.

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

“We didn’t have somebody to just write us a check,” St. John said.

Even though it was exhausting at times, St. John said she laced up her shoes and did it, knowing it was the right thing to do.

“You just march forward and know there’s an end,” St. John said.

She never kept a running list of her involvement, and after jotting everything down to remember, she still doesn’t consider herself any kind of “hero.”

“I just did what I had to do,” St. John said.

Emma St. John would disagree, though, believing her mom went above and beyond to support her children.

“My mother’s heroics haven’t been illustrated in one grand or sweeping interaction or event, but instead have spanned a lifetime,” Emma St. John wrote in her nomination letter. “To some, being a mom is something that anyone can do, and that may be true, but it takes a special kind of woman to be an exceptional mother, and Karin St. John has been an exceptional mother.”

Now her daughters are attending Indiana University, but St. John’s life hasn’t slowed down. She’s serving as executive director of the Bloomington Parks Foundation, which raises money for local parks and provides scholarships to youths in need to participate in various programs.

“I’ve been super fortunate to do the things that I did,” St. John said. “It’s been wonderful. On to the next thing I’m going to do.”

10 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Pat Burner Volunteer, 87, has no intention of slowing down

By Sarah Morin 812-331-4363 | smorin@heraldt.com Pat Burner shrugs off sleepiness on a recent afternoon with a smile and a Coke Zero. She was up before dawn to accompany a couple while the husband received cancer treatment.

“They think I’m a member of their family,” she says.

It’s easy to see why.

She pours a Coke Zero for a houseguest there to ask about her life, a full life. A life chronicled by Burner herself in four books: “History of Family”; “My First 80 years”; “80 on”; and the most recent, “Nearly 90.”

Does she have plans for a fifth book?

“I think that’s going to be it,” she says.

Perhaps, but it’s not for lack of material. A typical week for Burner involves volunteering at the weekly Wednesday food pantry at First United Methodist Church, leading sing-alongs and devotions at several nursing homes and gathering with friends at McDonald’s for birthday celebrations complete with singing.

“I’m not an exceptional singer,” she says. “I’m just a common, old, love-to-sing person.”

At the nursing homes, it’s a mix of hymns and some secular numbers like “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for 2)” and “Take Me out to the Ballgame.”

Burner is also involved with the collection and presentation of Christmas gifts for about 150 senior citizens living in Golden Living Center.

She figures she started volunteering 62 years ago when she agreed to teach Sunday school, which she did for 27 years.

Burner is a mother of five; a grandmother of eight and a greatgrandmother of nine.

“I love people,” she says. “ I just love people.”

She typed out a sheet titled “VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES” that could rival any college-bound high school junior. There’s the food pantry and nursing home sing-alongs. And there’s mention of her being a retired high school biology and physical science teacher — and her days as a Girl Scout leader and Cub Scout leader.

Chris Howell | Herald-Times

At the end, there’s a sentence in tidy cursive that she has added. “Volunteering is a difficult business. It is singing and laughing in the good times — holding a spouse as a loved one passes in the tough times.”

Does she ever slow down?

“Now, it’d be a sin to be bored,” she says with a smile.

Her children wish she weren’t always so busy.

A daughter, whom she talks to on the phone nightly, is known to scold her, not wanting her mom to wear herself out.

“I ignore their advice,” Burner says of her children who wish she’d slow down.

A neighbor got the same response. The neighbor fussed at Burner for doing yard work.

You can tell by the red begonias out back and the covered garden out front that this woman sporting New Balance sneakers didn’t listen. She even pulls that neighbor’s weeds, too. It all works out — that neighbor helps her with any computer issues.

Burner turns 88 in April. Her husband, Charles, has been deceased for 13 years.

He worked with the Federal Fish and Wildlife Reserve, bringing the couple across this country’s prairie with stops in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia before landing in Bloomington. The landscape prints covering the walls and clusters of potted plants by the windows are more than decorations, sure signs of the couple’s love for nature.

When asked what else inspires her, she replies, “Great writing.”

Like most writers, she’s also an avid reader. She likes religious books and travel books, sources of reflection and motivation before she closes her eyes for the night. To get a jumpstart on the next day, she sets her coffee maker the night before to brew — those 5 a.m. visit to hospitals and cancer treatments come early.

“Once I get my coffee, I’m ready to go.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 11

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12 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Vickie Carmichael Providing nourishment for both body and spirit

By Dann Denny 812-331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com Two years ago, in an attempt to spread the love of God to those outside the Bloomington community, Vickie Carmichael organized a five-day, all-female trip to New York City to reach out to the homeless there, partnering with the New York School of Urban Ministries.

Carmichael, assistant director of women’s ministries at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, was pleasantly surprised when 54 women, most from Sherwood Oaks, signed up to spend a week feeding homeless men and women on the streets of New York and giving makeovers to women in a homeless shelter.

Four months ago, she took another group of 32 women to the Big Apple for five days of similar service.

“We went to the steps of the St. Bartholomew Church, where two to three dozen men and women sleep every night,” she said.

“We talked with them and listened to their stories and gave them hot sandwiches and bottled water. One man gave his life to Christ.”

The women spent an entire day at a women’s shelter, where they gave makeovers to most of the 160 women there.

“We just wanted to let them know someone cared about them,” she said. “There was a lot of relationship-building and heart-to-heart conversation; and we would pray with them if they gave us permission. We wanted to help them find a purpose in life and build them up in any way we could.”

Carmichael said after the women returned from their first trip two years ago, they shifted their focus to Bloomington’s homeless community. The women’s group began buying food, then making and serving meals to about 120 homeless folks at Trinity Episcopal Church six Sundays a year. The 2 p.m. Sunday meal at the church is served by others on the remaining Sundays.

Matthew Hatcher | Herald-Times

“We are so fortunate to be able to do this, “ she said. “We’ve served country chicken, pasta, vegetables and fruit; but what they really love are the meatball sandwiches. They often come back for seconds.”

Carmichael said she plans to continue organizing the trips to New York City and expand the group’s local feeding efforts.

“None of this outreach is possible without a strong team working together,” she said. “I serve with some remarkable women.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 13

Eric Day Butler University student makes it a point to ‘Stay Positive’

By Dann Denny 812-331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com Nine months ago, when Eric Day began getting 30 treatments at the IU Health Proton Therapy Center after his benign brain tumor began growing again, he met a young girl who changed his life.

The girl, Allison Williams, was 6 years old at the time, and receiving treatments for eye cancer. She and Day were both staying at Jill’s House, a 22-room facility for patients and their families receiving treatment at the center.

“She had this contagious smile and was always so bubbly and happy,” said Day, a 23-year-old senior at Butler University. “The day I had to leave Jill’s House and say goodbye to her was one of the hardest days of my life.”

As they parted, Allison handed Day a piece of paper, which he placed into his pocket. Later, he opened it and read these words — “Stay positive, Allison.”

“I still have it on the bedside stand in my home in Plymouth,” Day said. “It reminds me that the only thing we can control is our attitude.”

When Day went to Butler University in the fall of 2012, he started making wristbands with this message — “Stay Positive/G3 (Give God Glory) — and selling them on www.staypositivebands.org for $5 each. He also sells them for $1 at his speaking engagements. He’s donated all the sales, about $15,000 worth, to Jill’s House.

Because Jill’s House will close at the end of the year, he hopes to eventually donate funds from future wristband sales to “Stay Positive,” a 501(c) 3 he hopes to have up and running by then. Its mission might be providing scholarships for cancer patients.

Courtesy photo

“No matter what we face — divorce, the suicide of a friend, an illness — we can control one thing, and that’s our attitude,” he said.

“The Stay Positive wristbands are a friendly reminder of the power of those two simple words, and I think it’s helping people. I get 100 emails a week from all over saying, ‘Thank you for helping me out.’”

Day, who was born 90 percent deaf in one ear and 80 percent deaf in the other, was diagnosed with a pea-sized benign brain tumor in October 2010. He’s had surgeries and is now in remission.

At Butler, he has formed a “Stay Positive” student organization that now has nearly 200 members who help him organize events on campus and in schools, where he speaks and sells wristbands and T-shirts.

He’s also writing a “Stay Positive” children’s book that he hopes will be published in early December.

“I hope it helps grade school kids and their parents better understand cancer and the importance of staying positive,” he said.

14 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Linda Shanahan Party for foster children a gift of love

By Michael Reschke 812-331-4370 | mreschke@heraldt.com The first time Jamie Lawrence-Nickels spoke to Linda Shanahan, she thought Shanahan had lost her mind.

“I thought she was crazy,” the resource support supervisor with the Department of Child Services said.

Shanahan wanted to throw a Christmas party for all the foster children in Monroe County. Lawrence-Nickels put her in touch with the Region 13 director, who explained foster children from Monroe County can be placed all over the region, which includes Lawrence, Monroe, Brown, Owen and Greene counties.

It would be a huge undertaking, but Shanahan said she wanted to do it anyway. That was August of 2013. In December of that year, Shanahan had her party with 286 children and gifts for all of them.

“It’s very heartwarming,” Shanahan said of the party. “It makes you appreciate a lot of things.”

Shanahan didn’t have a lot of things when she was growing up in Tampa, Florida. Her family was so poor she started making her own clothes in fourth grade. Despite that, she remembers her father giving a man the last $5 he had one day. When she asked him why, he said it was because the man needed it to buy food for his children.

“Ever since then, I’ve always tried to help,” she said.

Her junior year of high school, she used the money she made ironing clothes for two women to throw a Christmas party at her home for 13 orphaned children.

It would be several years before she had the means to throw another Christmas party. In 2003, as a real estate agent selling oceanfront rental properties in Georgia, she used her disposable income to throw Christmas parties for foster children.

When she retired in 2006, she moved to Bloomington with her

Jeremy Hogan | Herald-Times

husband, Hugh, who is from Indiana. Once she settled into her new home, she started looking for ways to help out.

At one point, while helping Dwight Hollingsworth, managing partner at LongHorn Steakhouse, with goody bags for children at the Boys & Girls Club, she told him about her idea. The next time she went to the restaurant, Hollingsworth told her LongHorn would be willing to furnish all the food if she had another party, she said.

Since then, she has filed for and received 501(c)3 status from the IRS for her nonprofit Kids Do Matter. Child Services helped get her in touch with foster parents to find out how many kids they had, their ages, sizes and genders. Shanahan even bought gifts for the biological children of foster parents.

“It’s not fair for some to go and some not to go,” she said.

Fundraising for the party has been difficult. Due to confidentiality concerns, the location of the party could not be advertised and the children invited could not be identified. Shanahan said she got about $7,000 in donations, but took out a $35,000 bank loan to pay for everything. She said if she doesn’t get more financial help, this year might be the last one for the party.

While she can’t afford to continue funding the party, she can continue to buy the gifts and wrap the presents, which she does almost year round. Her dining room and living room were already filled with clothes and toys in September. Gift bags with yardsticks with numbers on them marked which family a particular group of presents will go to.

“I have to wrap about 100 gifts per week to be able to pull this off,” she said.

It’s a lot of money and work, but it’s something Shanahan plans to do for as long as she can.

“I love it,” she said. “I don’t know, I just love doing it.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 15

Dan Watts No downside to helping other people

By MJ Slaby 812-331-4371 | mslaby@heraldt.com The location changes, and the faces of the volunteers and clients change.

But for Dan Watts, there’s a good feeling from the Interfaith Winter Shelter that’s always there.

It’s there when he walks into the shelter’s location for the night and sees it all set up waiting to serve people. It’s there when people who would otherwise be on the streets are sleeping inside. And it’s there when all the supplies are cleaned up after a successful night.

It’s a feeling that he said tells him “maybe something good is happening here” when people are helping other people.

“There’s really not a downside, except losing a little sleep,” Watts said.

Watts never set out to lead and be the president of the board for the Interfaith Winter Shelter. After he retired, he and his wife, Karen, moved to Bloomington — home of their alma mater Indiana University ­­— to be close to their son and his family. When their son moved, Watts and his wife decided to stay in Bloomington.

An avid volunteer, helping others was on Watt’s to-do list for retirement. After a career in environmental issues and related volunteering, he wanted to try something different.

“I think that when you are retired, you should have a lot of things to do,” he said.

So he went to a meeting about the Interfaith Winter Shelter on behalf of First Presbyterian Church and stayed involved. The shelter was needed in the community, and it’s an effective and low-cost way to help, Watts said.

“It’s the volunteers that make it work,” he said.

Chris Howell | Herald-Times

The label “everyday hero” makes him a little uneasy. He said the shelter’s success isn’t based on what one person does, but rather everyone together.

“There are a lot of people more deserving than me,” Watts said.

As board president, Watts said he tries to see the volunteers as often as he can and talk with them to let them know the board wants to help and appreciates their work.

Volunteering at the shelter has taught him that much as the shelter can’t run with just one volunteer, there isn’t one reason behind homelessness. Sometimes, it’s a lack of low-cost housing.

Sometimes, it’s losing a job. Or it could be an addiction or a car that breaks down that prevents a person from working.

And that’s why more than one person needs to be working on a solution, Watts said. And while that solution is being formed, he said, people should be doing something to help and be involved in the community.

“We can’t do everything,” Watts said. “But we can do something.”

16 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Cathleen Weber Creating a place to belong

By Dann Denny 812-331-4350 | ddenny@heraldt.com Cathleen Weber, founder and owner of The Better Day Club — an adult day program serving people in Monroe and surrounding counties with early-to-moderate stage Alzheimer’s disease or dementia — did not hesitate when asked what she loves about her job.

“Every single day, I hear our club members say how much they feel like they belong here,” said Weber, a licensed clinical social worker. “This is a place where they can laugh and feel valued and enjoy themselves and be accepted for who they are. This the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.”

Jean Capler, who nominated Weber as an Everyday Hero, said, “She is a force of nature when it comes to doing what needs to be done for people. She is an incredibly skilled, insightful, committed and effective social worker with a heart. She truly believes in the dignity and worth of all people.”

It was a year ago this month that Weber opened The Better Day Club at 4211 E. Third St. Today, a dozen members are in the club, participating in art therapy and speech therapy designed to improve speech and cognition.

“The goal of art therapy, other than to have fun, is to give people another means of expression and communication when using language is frustrating,” Weber said. “We’ve

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

found that a number of our club members have a tremendous artistic side they have never explored.”

The club is open from noon-4 p.m. three days a week — providing therapeutic, social and cognitive engagement activities based on best practice research. The cost is $100 per four-hour session, which includes a catered lunch, snacks and art supplies. Some outings, such as to a Cardinal Stage production, cost extra. The club accepts private pay and long-term care insurance, but not Medicaid.

She said club members take field trips to places such as the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, do service projects and have lively discussions.

“We have a lot of fun and laugh a lot, and we talk about whatever they want to talk about — religion, politics, sports,” she said. “Our activities reflect the interests of our members. This is their program, not ours.”

Weber said club members come from all walks of life and range in age from 67 to 92.

“Dementia can be an isolating disease that affects their social life, so we want to provide a safe place where they can connect with others and be themselves,” she said.

Weber is supported by an assistant director with a bachelor’s in social work and an art therapist, and works closely with the Indiana University Speech and Hearing Clinic, IU students and community volunteers.

“With Alzheimer’s, the sooner you reach out for support the better,” she said.

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 17

be because I said I would.

A pro romi mise se made. mad ade. e. A pro romi mise se kept. ept.t.

A promise ppromise made. m A promise ppromise kept. kkep because I said I would.

Alex Sheen’s father died of small cell lung cancer on September 4th, 2012. His father was good with his promises, so Alex titled his father’s eulogy “because I said I would” and created the promise card in his memory. Eventually Alex would decide to resign from his corporate position in order to advance because I said I would’s mission.

To learn more, visit the website at www.becauseisaidiwould.com.

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Because I said I would is a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to bettering humanity through promises made and kept. To encourage positive change and acts of kindness, we send “promise cards” to anywhere in the world at no cost. People use these cards to remember the importance of their word, for promises both big and small. It might just seem like a piece of paper, but promise cards have motivated people to stick with their commitments to better humanity. A heroin addict’s promise to stay in rehab. A young girl’s promise to stop cutting herself. Or a simple promise to volunteer at the local food bank. We have distributed over 1,275,000 promise cards to over 105 different countries!

18 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Nancy Riggert Volunteering pays off in variety of ways

By Laura Lane 812-331-4362 | llane@heraldt.com Payment for volunteers comes in ways other than money — a smile, a hearty thank you, satisfaction for making a difference.

Or sometimes, a meatloaf and a dozen eggs from the chickens out back.

When Nancy Riggert traveled around southern Indiana as a volunteer teaching Girl Scouts about adolescent health and development, one rural troop leader approached Riggert as she left with, yes, meatloaf and eggs, in appreciation.

“She said I probably wouldn’t have time fix dinner for my family by the time I got home,” the Bloomington woman recalled. “That was probably 25 years ago, and I still remember her.”

It’s people such as that, who repay with kindness or just a smile acknowledging thanks, that enrich Riggert’s life. Whether taking pictures at the animal shelter for posters of adoptable dogs seeking a home, helping Indiana University students navigate their way as a student advocate or sewing elaborate costumes for Bloomington High School South’s upcoming “Phantom of the Opera” production, Riggert finds joy behind the scenes.

She arrived in Bloomington 30 years ago, a newlywed from Wisconsin who had never been to Indiana, she explained, as she helped upholster an old chaise lounge on South’s auditorium stage with striped fabric salvaged from curtains discarded from a local “Sound of Music” show.

“I knew not a soul in town” back then, she said. So she started volunteering to meet people, “and I have continued encountering people who have become lifelong friends.”

She mostly enjoys working with young people, and for the past eight years has helped create and sew costumes for Sounds of South

Laura Lane | Herald-Times

productions; both of her children have been members. She developed her sewing skills as an adult, recalling how as a teenager she sewed together the leg holes of the elastic-waist shorts she made in junior high home economics class.

When her daughter was 2, Riggert decided to make her a bunny costume for Halloween. “It was pretty cute,” she admits. Her creative bent took off from there, and she has been sewing since. You will find her scouring the racks at Goodwill, where she recently discovered a good-sized embroidered pillow and a sparkly $4 gown she remade into a cape for this month’s Phantom performances.

South student Tsolmon Batgerel stood onstage on a recent afternoon as Riggert adjusted the golden and green tapestry gown she created for the girl. “I don’t know anyone who would put in the time to make it so well,” said the 16-year-old, who sings the role of Carlotta.

Sometimes, volunteering has unexpected outcomes. The adoption of Walter, for instance, the 170-pound St. Bernard she photographed in May who now is a part of her family.

“My son went with me to retake some pictures, and when we were back where the strays are, we saw this big head, then the rest of him, and William said, ‘Oh, Mom. We need this dog.’ He worked on us for a week until we brought him home.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 19

Justin Wisniewski Choosing to care and not to judge

By Rod Spaw 812-331-4338 | rspaw@heraldt.com Holly Wisniewski describes her husband, Justin, as “rough around the edges.”

Bearded, an outdoorsman, hunter, fisherman and “self-proclaimed ‘red neck,’” she writes in an email introducing him. Then, she adds, “He is also an angel here on Earth.”

The first thing you notice upon meeting him in person is the friendly smile and strong handshake. His hands are large and rough, like you expect from someone who does construction work, which he does as owner of Pro-Finish Concrete.

His “angel” side comes out in conversation about the random acts of kindness that have become part of his everyday routine.

Wisniewski doesn’t speak of it in a bragging fashion. Going out of his way to help is just his nature, he explains.

“If I see a turtle in the road, I’m all brakes and move that fellow out of the road,” he says. “I brake for squirrels.”

While many people won’t brake for someone who looks like they need a break, Justin Wisniewski stops, goes back and sees if there is anything he can do to make their day a little better. A hot meal, a motel room, warm gloves on a cold night or a ride somewhere.

Those are things Wisniewski can do for strangers, and tries to, he says, on a weekly basis.

“I don’t care who they are or what they’ve done,” he says of the people he decides to help. “If I can give them a $5 slice of pizza and a Coke, and they’re happy for the afternoon, so be it.”

Like the time Wisniewski came across a man walking north on Ind. 37 — barefoot and shirtless. He stopped, and the man told him that he had just been released from prison and was trying to get to Martinsville, where he would have a place to stay.

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

Wisniewski left the man by the side of the road and drove to a store where he purchased a shirt and shoes. Then, Wisniewski caught up with the barefoot traveler, gave him the clothing, bought him dinner and drove him the rest of the way to his destination.

Wisniewski credits his upbringing with laying the foundation for a generous nature. His parents were always helping or being helped by other family members and friends, he says.

However, Wisniewski cites his wife as the inspiration for his most recent charitable activities. He says Holly’s volunteer work with local agencies enlightened him about the amount of need in the community.

“It was the right thing to do,” he says of not turning away from the people he could help.

Some of those folks, he knows, may not be in as bad a situation as they proclaim. Some may be looking to take advantage of a generous community.

Wisniewski says he helps enough people to have a good sense of who genuinely needs it. But if he gets fooled once in a while, that’s OK, too.

“If that’s what they’re doing, so be it. It doesn’t bother me,” he says. “I don’t judge.”

Wisniewski says all he is doing is trying to pass along some of the good fortune that has come to him and his family, and to provide a good example for sons Grayson and Jake.

“I can’t help every single one,” he says of the downtrodden people he sees around Bloomington. “But I can help some of them.”

20 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Jesse Padgett Always willing to lend time or tools to a good cause

By Maureen Langley 812-331-4232 | mlangley@schurz.com As Mae Padgett sees it, she and her 86-year-old husband, Jesse, can sit at home and do nothing, or go and help others.

Jesse has lost one lung to cancer, has had six hip operations and a knee operation, and has had his spleen removed. Jesse went into cardiac arrest after an operation in Monroe Hospital. This year, doctors found a spot on his other lung.

In spite of that, Jesse still often lends his time and tools to help others fix things.

In 1965, he stopped to help a woman whose car had broken down. The woman later wrote a poem about him that was published in a book by Paul L. Heard. Mae said that Jesse would stop to help anyone with a flat tire or car troubles.

“He really connects with children and adults,” Mae said. “People call him a friend right away.”

Mae and Jesse take care of their twin great-grandsons twice a week so the parents can run errands and buy groceries. Jesse loves babysitting and playing with children.

Jesse’s brothers have passed away, but he’s still close to his nieces. They bring their children to visit with Mae and Jesse on

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

holidays. Jesse enjoys seeing his nieces and their sons. He likes to play games with the children and build toys for them and his grandsons.

“They never thought anyone would spend that much time with the children,” Mae said.

Jesse built a swimming pool in his backyard for his relatives’ children. He’s played badminton with them, and helped them build go-karts, as well as other toys.

“He’s always been so enthusiastic with children,” Mae said.

When Jesse was young, he had to live with his grandmother because his parents abandoned him. His grandmother became bedridden when he was in grade school. Jesse went home every day at noon to care for her. She passed away when he was 15, and he had to care for himself after that.

Mae said that a lot of people they know don’t have their parents anymore, so she and Jesse have acted as fill-in parents for them.

“They adopt us, and it makes us feel so good,” Mae said. “He just makes everyone feel like what they say is important.”

Jesse had an auction and sold a lot of his tools. He realized he’s getting older and has to downsize.

However, that’s not going to stop him from lending what he does have.

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 21

Raymond Doyle A do-everything guy for people in need

By Maureen Langley 812-331-4232 | mlangley@schurz.com Raymond Doyle worked for Boy Scouts of America in Bloomington and Terre Haute for 32 years.

He’s been a Cub master and Scoutmaster. He’s worked on several committees for district and council groups. He’s done everything from delivering food to shut-ins to training other people to be leaders.

“He does everything people need done,” said his wife, Pat, said.

In 1995, he was forced to retire because of a heart problem. Since then, he’s received disability and uses that as a source of income to help fuel his volunteer work.

“Almost everything we do is volunteer related,” Pat said.

Raymond volunteers at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, but most of the work he and Pat do is for the Area 10 retired seniors volunteer program.

Area 10 is a nonprofit organization that provides resources to seniors in Monroe and Owen counties. It provides meals for disabled and housebound seniors, matches adults with volunteer opportunities, houses more than 100 seniors in three apartment complexes and provides rides through the Rural Transit bus service.

Raymond also spends a lot of his time working for his church doing odd jobs.

In past years, Raymond has restructured doorways and built ramps for people whose houses didn’t accommodate their disabilities. He’s rewired homes and has fixed floors, walls, doors and just about everything else.

He and his wife also do proxy shopping for people who are homebound.

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

“We drive people all over practically half of Indiana,” Pat added.

He and his wife are particularly passionate about starting a driver program in Bloomington. It’s for people with disabilities.

“The hardest part for handicapped people is transportation,” Pat said.

The group will be having a meeting in the conference room of the Bloomington Transit building Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. A speaker from Indianapolis will be discussing how the program works in that way.

“He is a wonderful man who thinks of others first,” Pat said.

22 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Jim Griffin Supporting young people any way he can

By Allison Chaplin 812-331-4352 | achaplin@schurz.com Jim Griffin reports for duty at the Teachers Warehouse, a nonprofit organization that provides free school supplies to public schools, dressed in a laborer’s shirt and well-worn jeans with holes, patches and cuffs that are sometimes falling apart. He is always ready to get to work.

Griffin is a member of the Bloomington Rotary Club, which initiated the project for the retail school supply store in 2002, but it wasn’t until 2006 that he made a personal commitment to spend every Thursday volunteering there.

Since then, Griffin has clocked hundreds of hours in support of teachers and students in Brown, Greene, Lawrence, Monroe and Owen counties. The Teachers Warehouse relies on volunteers and, according to his neighbor Anne Bright, Griffin labors tirelessly for the program.

His disciplined work ethic comes from a well-ordered upbringing and the four years he spent studying at the Virginia Military Institute.

“If it needs to be done, I do it,” he said. “If I get my hands dirty, I don’t care. I’m happy to say that I can lift heavy things at my age, although I don’t lift anything heavier than 45 pounds because I no longer try to impress the females in my life.”

Griffin is 73 now, and he and his wife, Charlotte, moved to Bloomington in 2006 after living in Gaithersburg, Maryland, for almost 30 years. She volunteers at the Hilltop Garden and Nature Center at Indiana University, which works collaboratively with the Teachers Warehouse on the Seed Start Kit program.

The kits are prepared by volunteers at Hilltop Gardens and include planting necessities for five types of seeds to provide a

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

hands-on teaching activity on biology and nutrition. Once they are ready, Griffin loads his car with thousands of the small packets of soil and seeds, which are made from totally recyclable materials, and delivers them to classrooms.

“He loves that children are learning about sustainability and the earth,” Bright said.

Although the couple never had children of their own, every year they host an international student coming to IU through the Bloomington Worldwide Friendship organization. Griffin lost track as he counted on both hands how many students he and his wife have had in their home. He stopped at 14.

One of the closest relationships with a student he and his wife hosted gave him the opportunity to be a surrogate father of the bride for a Chinese student whose parents could not travel to the U.S. for their daughter’s wedding.

“That really touched me,” Griffin said. “My father used to cry at weddings, and apparently, I inherited that from him.”

Bright said she has often observed Griffin exceeding the friendship expected in these relationships as well as the work expected of him at the Teachers Warehouse, because he goes out of his way to help students with any problem they may have.

“Jim is a truly generous and caring person,” she said. “He has been a pal, sometimes a dad, and always a great support.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 23

Jim & Anne Bright Providing a home away from home for international students

By Lauren Slavin 812-331-4376 | lslavin@heraldt.com Jim and Anne Bright have hundreds of children.

None by blood, but the number includes Jim’s former students in the Indiana University School of Journalism and the countless international students the couple have helped acclimate to living in Bloomington since 2006.

“We’ve had too many students to count, really,” Anne said. “We have about eight little kids back in Japan who call us grandparents.”

From 2000 to 2001, the Brights lived in Japan for Jim’s job as deputy general manager of corporate communications with Mazda Motor Corp. The experience of living across the globe and having to rely on the support of a new community endeared them to work with Bloomington Worldwide Friendship, a nonprofit organization that has connected community members and IU international students for more than 60 years.

“People were so helpful to us in Japan,” Anne said. “This is our way of paying back all the kindness we received there.”

Anne served as president of BWF from 2012 to 2014, and is still a member of its board. The Brights usually are hosts to four international students every academic year, and help the young adults with everything from grocery shopping and making doctors’ appointments to holding Thanksgiving celebrations, when as many as 14 students have come to their home for a traditional American turkey dinner.

“Even though here we are situated in the heartland of America, Indiana has this influence on the global scene,” Jim said.

The Brights’ nonprofit involvement shines through several other local organizations as well. As a visiting Winslow professor teach-

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

ing public relations, Jim would have his students split into teams to develop PR campaigns for local nonprofits such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity as a “real world” servicelearning project.

“Bloomington is a real community with a heart,” said Jim, who has also been a Big Brother since he and Anne started dating. “It’s just an amazing community when you think about the number of big-hearted agencies.”

The students would meet with these organizations’ executive directors to discuss the constant struggle for funding in the nonprofit world, and at the end of the semester, the nonprofit involved would select a winning campaign to utilize in the future.

“Some of my former students still tell me it was the best, most helpful, most meaningful class they ever had,” Jim said.

Jim also works extensively with the Bloomington Rotary Club, where he was the president from 2012 to 2013. He will serve as the Rotary International’s Southern Indiana district governor for the 2010-2016 year.

“He’s such a believer in it because of its international focus,” Anne said.

“It fits,” her husband added.

24 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Paul Ford A lifesaver in more ways than one

By Abigail Tonsing 812-331-4245 | atonsing@heraldt.com Within a quarter mile of Grandview Elementary School, Lt. Paul Ford already knows Mason, a boy with Down syndrome, is right where he needs to be. The sound of beeping in Ford’s work truck grows stronger the closer he gets.

Ford carries a tackle box that doesn’t hold bait or hooks. It contains waterproof vinyl bands, individual transmitters the size of a quarter, lithium ion batteries and other supplies he might need to check on the receivers and antennas secured at six different fire stations in Monroe County.

Ford uses a pair of surgical scissors to snip a band from the boy’s ankle. As he replaces a battery in a transmitter, a teacher’s assistant sings “The Wheels on the Bus” to the boy. Ford tells the woman if Mason ever roams from school to call 911, then call the Van Buren Township Fire Department.

This bracelet will help find him.

Project Lifesaver is an internationally recognized program that uses individual transmitters in bracelets to track people who are at risk of wandering off, including adults with Alzheimer’s and children with autism. Trained emergency responders use handheld receivers and antennas to follow and find a person’s individual frequency code should one go missing.

Ford helped relaunch the program at the start of the year after funds were raised to replace obsolete equipment. The program is funded entirely by donations, and costs about $350 for each person a year.

Last month, 16 Monroe County families were using the program for two adults with Alzheimer’s, one young man with Prader-Willi syndrome, two children with Down syndrome and 11 children with autism.

Matthew Hatcher | Herald-Times

He’s used the equipment to assist with eight successful searches.

Ford has been a firefighter for 32 years, first in in South Houston, Texas, before he moved to Indiana to raise a family with his wife, Christina.

There are the runs that stick with him. The Bloomington woman who walked out of her home at 4 o’clock one winter morning in 2012, and was found dead at the bottom of a hill a quarter mile away.

There are the stories that haunt him. The Georgia man with Alzheimer’s who was shot four times and killed after he rang the doorbell and tried the door of a rural rental house.

There is his own family situation. His mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s, but isn’t prone to wandering. Yet. But it was sound of desperation in Carrie Shahbahrami’s voice that tugged at his heart and caused him to act.

Shahbahrami’s nonverbal daughter with autism has issues with wandering away. At a loss for what do to, the mother called the Van Buren fire department for help.

“I just couldn’t imagine losing my kids. That’s the kicker,” says Ford, who is the father of three adult children, Keera, Andrew and Amanda, and 13-year-old twins, Seth and Sierra.

“Big thing, it gives people peace of mind.”

Like any firefighter, any hero, Ford credits others for their hard work and shies away from his own.

He calls Shahbahrami his “right hand girl” with the program, and he speaks highly of fellow firefighter Kevin Rader’s involvement.

He thanks Monroe County’s other fire departments for joining and training.

“My time, I don’t count that,” he says with a shrug.

“I’m just a guy doing a job.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 25

Melissa & Jeep Mahaffey Brother, sister donate hair to honor friends touched by cancer

By Lauren Slavin 812-331-4376 | lslavin@heraldt.com “Anything you can do, I can do better” is any younger sibling’s mantra. For 10-year-old Melissa Mahaffey, following in her older brother Jeep’s footsteps meant shaving her head.

“I saw my brother doing it, and I thought it was really cool,” Melissa said. “I thought, ‘Mom’s doing it; Jeep’s doing it; why can’t I?’” The two youngest Mahaffey children both had their light blond locks shaved to stubble last year to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer, a cause close to their hearts despite their youth.

“It touches all of us at some point in our lives, but we don’t seem to do anything about it,” Jeep said. “If that (shaving your head) were to become a social norm, that would be perfectly OK.” Two of the Mahaffey children’s friends, both under the age of 10, were diagnosed with cancer in the past decade. A girl they attended Sunday school with passed away in 2010 after a five-year fight with neuroblastoma. While pediatric cancer is heartbreaking, research and funding for children’s cancers is limited when compared to other diseases, said Megan Mahaffey, mother of Melissa and 12-year-old Jeep.

“Our network of folks we’ve known who have been touched by pediatric cancer has grown by leaps and bounds,” Megan said. “I’ve got three kids. If one is facing that, how do I help the other two have a normal life when you’re just trying to keep one alive?”

Jeep had been growing out his hair for more than two years when he told his mother he was interested in donating it with his sick friend in mind.

“When I shaved my hair off, I did it in honor of him,” Jeep said.

Megan posted an online fundraising page to her Facebook and

Matthew Hatcher | Herald-Times

Twitter, where friends and family could support Jeep by donating to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit charity for childhood cancer. By April 2013, when Jeep shaved his head, he had raised $3,300 for St. Baldrick’s. Jeep also attended an Indiana University Evans Scholars event for St. Baldrick’s and helped students raise more than $5,000 for the charity.

Megan also planned to shave her head, but didn’t expect her daughter to ask to join her.

“I went, ‘Are you sure?’” Megan said. “I said, ‘You’ve got to understand when they do this, they take it all off.’”

Melissa wrote her mom a letter to say she knew she was making a difference and wasn’t worried that other kids would make fun of her. Megan posted the letter to Facebook, and her daughter raised close to $5,000 before shaving her head in October 2013.

“I have two older brothers who are already mean enough,” Melissa said. “I can take a few people saying, ‘Wow, you look ugly with that shaved head.’”

Though Melissa said she did have to answer to her friends, who knew that she loved the hair she had grown to the small of her back.

“My friends thought I was nuts at that point,” said Melissa. “I said, ‘The fact I’m not doing it feels insane to me.’”

So what’s the next challenge for Jeep and Melissa? Getting their dad and older brother to join their bald family.

26 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Amal Altoma ‘On-demand’ volunteer busier than ever in retirement

By Lauren Slavin 812-331-4376 | lslavin@heraldt.com After retiring from her career as a librarian, Amal Altoma only got busier.

“I think I’m busier now than I was when I was working,” Altoma said during a break from helping at the Monroe County Public Library. “I have more time for volunteer work.”

Working as a librarian for more than 30 years with the MCPL gave Altoma insight into Bloomington that has served her as an “on-demand” volunteer, as she refers to her work with more than a dozen local nonprofits.

“I look and see where I’m needed, where I can be of help,” she said. “You know more about what goes on and the interests of your community. You’re just more aware of what’s going on and what’s needed in your community.”

Originally from Iraq, Altoma has lived in Bloomington for 50 years with her husband, Salih, who is a professor at Indiana University. The two raised their children here.

“This community has been very, very good to me and my family. It’s the most livable, wonderful town,” Altoma said. “You can go to Kirkwood, see the world. That’s what a community is.

I want it to be better.”

In 2007, Altoma was a recipient of the city of Bloomington’s Community Volunteer Awards for Community Inspiration.

Altoma was recognized for her work with the MCPL’s Volunteers in Tutoring Adult Learners program, which offers free tutoring to promote adult literacy. The award was the start to her years of post-retirement volunteer work with VITAL’s Quiz Bowl and Friends of the Library’s community events.

Much of Altoma’s volunteer work involves books, reading and education. She gathers school supplies for Teachers Warehouse

David Snodgress | Herald-Times

to deliver in backpacks to children and also volunteers at the American Red Cross’ Annual Book Fair, where she makes lunch for the volunteers.

“I’m good at fixing food,” Altoma said. “Cooking is the easiest thing to do. It doesn’t talk back to you,” she said, laughing.

Altoma worked with the Altrusa International Club of Bloomington to help install and maintain a library at Jill’s House, where patients of IU’s Health Proton Therapy Center could live while they received treatment. Altrusa International was started as a professional women’s organization, and Altoma says the Bloomington club has an older, though no less enthusiastic, membership.

“A lot of feisty women are still out there,” Altoma said.

Altoma and other volunteers visit the Jill’s House library regularly to check the shelves and add new material. Enough fundraising enabled the club to purchase a computer for the library. The group was also able to donate a therapeutic garden that wraps around the Jill’s House patio.

“I thought that was a very unique thing,” Altoma said. “The guests, especially the children, seemed to enjoy in summer sitting out there.”

Altoma is also passionate about Meals on Wheels, which gives her another opportunity to see the city and meet citizens.

“I go places I never would in Bloomington,” she said. “I feel for people who are in a way homebound for a period of time or always, maybe because I’m such an outgoing person.”

Much of her ability to be a full-time volunteer Altoma credits to her husband, who she says never complains about the gas she uses to drive and will even help her with food preparation when she cooks for her fellow volunteers.

“He always said, ‘Whatever you want to do,’” Altoma said.

“He has been most supportive.”

Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 27

Celebrating bright spots in our community

Congratulations TO THE 2014 EVERYDAY HEROES!

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On behalf of The Herald-Times and the Everyday Heroes sponsors, thank you for your contributions to our community! You help make Bloomington great.

Amal Altoma

Jim Griffin

Adam Sommers

Jim and Anne Bright

Bill Hays

Karin St. John

Patricia Burner

Maria Lee

Dan Watts

Vickie Carmichael

Jeep and Melissa Mahaffey

Cathleen Weber

Eric Day

Jesse Padgett

Chuck Welch

Raymond Doyle

Nancy Riggert

Justin Wisniewski

Paul Ford

Linda Shanahan

28 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Thank you TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS.

BLOOMINGTON

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Everyday heroes | THE HERALD-TIMES | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | 29

We at the H-T were overjoyed to get so many 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 the remaining nominees and who nominated them. They are listed in the order in which they arrived.

Melinda Seader

A volunteer building scenery for local theater and arts groups, she is known for her skill and hard work in creative design.

Nominated by Anonymous

Dianna Johnson

A retired elementary school teacher and longtime volunteer coordinator known for spreading her love for reading with those around her.

Nominated by Loretta Neidigh

Lou and Lenny Newman

Pianist and accordionist who perform at seniors’ communities and are known for their lively performances of golden oldies.

Nominated by Harmon A. Baldwin

Dale Short

Volunteer firefighter at the Pleasant Run Fire Department known for his selflessness and work teaching young people life skills.

Nominated by Melissa Short

Melissa Richardson

Longtime children’s advocate working to make young people safe and happy, known for her positive examples in both job and home life.

Nominated by Joann Calabrese

Pat Surra

Generous quilter and CPA who has donated her time and talents to fundraisers and is known for her sunny disposition.

Nominated by Jocelyn Bowie

Jerard Ruff

Beloved pediatrician and allergy specialist who has devoted himself to the Bloomington community.

Nominated by Anonymous

Lynette Johnson

Bob Evans general manager, who treats co-workers and customers with kindness and respect.

Nominated by Anonymous

Sarah True

Oncology nurse at IMA who has treated hundreds of patients during her 12-hour days or longer.

Nominated by her parents

Carla Hedges

Retired nurse whose latest endeavor is to be a court appointed special advocate to help children.

Richie Austin

An angel in a family’s time of despair who see the Everyday Hero as a way to thank him for all he’s done.

Nominated by Estacia Bland

Kimball Wolf

Devoted husband who views his wife’s diagnosis with multiple sclerosis as their “M.S.,” with her every step of the way.

Nominated by his wife.

Jennifer Mackinday

An Elizabeth Dole Foundation fellow and a vets program coordinator who helps veterans.

Michael Gastineau

Dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness in the Bloomington area.

Nominated by Janice Walker

Wade Henderson

Single dad who raised three kids, works full time but still volunteers at a fire station and supports a child battling Hodgkins lymphoma.

Nominated by Staci Willoughby

Janet James

Helped her son rehabilitate from a near-life-ending motorcycle accident in 1991, ensuring he could return to a normal life.

Nominated by John Brady

Jeffrey Mills

Always willing to help others and never says “no” to a request for assistance, despite dealing with his own chronic pain.

Nominated by Kathleen Mills

Elizabeth Estabrook Busey

Procurement and materials manager for the Interfaith Winter shelter at First United Church for each of the years the site has served as a participating shelter.

Nominated by MK Peckham

Billy DeWitt

A devoted son, self-taught handyman and Bloomington Township Fire Department part-time employee with high career aspirations.

Nominated by Kathy DeWitt

Steven Marshall

A Childs Elementary School fourth-grade teacher and summer employee at Lake Monroe Boat Rental whose passion for education extends outside school hours.

Nominated by Brett Shepley

Kenny Dovenbarger

The environmentally conscious custodial supervisor of Binford Elementary School who is considered family by students, faculty and staff.

Nominated by Rodgers/Binford Parent-Teacher Organization Recycling Committee

30 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014 | THE HERALD-TIMES | Everyday Heroes

Holly Eason

The pharmacy manager at Marsh East, she helps people navigate the complex world of pharmacology with a dose of compassion, attention and hope.

Nominated by Dana Cattani

summaries continued...

Jessica Willis

A 24-year veteran of the Monroe County Community School Corp. and an engaged teacher who puts the needs of her students above her own.

Nominated by Hal Willis

Nathan Williamson

A Monroe County deputy, husband and father of three.

Nominated by Paula Williams

Sandy Chuke

A daycare owner and mother who provides a home for children in need.

Nominated by Charlotte Reed

Jennifer Cassady

Amazing sister, aunt and friend who volunteers for Big Brothers, Big Sisters and the Circles Initiative.

Nominated by Julie Warren

David Smith

Diane Walker

A 23-year-old full-time IU student who works for two volunteer fire departments and in the safety division of the IU Student Recreational Sports Center.

Nominated by Terra Smith

Vocational Rehab Staff

Works for Stone Belt and in group homes for adults with special needs. She “helps those who need help the most.”

Nominated by Tresa Boltinghouse

Executive director of the District 10 Pro Bono Project, which provides legal services to indigent people who would not otherwise be able to have an advocate for justice.

Nominated by Janet Decker Vocational rehab counselors Jenny Austin, Sandra Clauser, Julie Miller and Chere Howard, and their support staff, Melinda Helms and Rita Bruner, work to support area residents who have a disability.

Nominated by Jean Capler

Tania Kornofsky

Point person for “New Leaf; New Life” at the Monroe County Corrections Center. The program helps inmates.

Nominated by Amy Cornell

Stephanie Harreld

Lynda Nordo

Single mother with two children, including one with autism, described as “optimistic, calm, and always anxious to make a better life for herself and her children.”

Nominated by Nikki Gastineau

We salute the every day heroes who make a difference in our community.

At Redbud Hills we treat all of our residents like heroes. Come join us for a complimentary meal and personal visit to meet Redbud’s residents and staff!

Congratulations to the Everyday Heroes!

Call 812-650-4776 to schedule your personal visit today!

Thank you for all you do for our community.

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Redbud Hills

Independent Retirement Living

3211 E Moores Pike, Bloomington, IN 47401 812-650-4776 | redbudhills.com

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BLOOMINGTON Salutes the Great Achievements of Our Local Everyday Heroes!

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Smithville, home of Indiana’s fastest Internet, salutes the

“Everyday Heroes” who strengthen our community with selfless acts of value.

As the American legend Mark Twain once

Smithville Communications is privileged to

May your deeds of kindness and service

wrote: “Action speaks louder than words, but

support and salute the “Everyday Heroes”

inspire all in our greater community and

not nearly as often.” Those who act selflessly

of our community, including both those

beyond – a humble thank you from your

for the betterment of their communities are a

recognized and unrecognized for their

friends at Smithville Communications.

rare prize indeed.

valuable acts of compassion.

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