United Way: Everyday heroes in Monroe County
What is a hero? According to the Oxford Dictionary, a hero is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” For the past 22 years, Everyday Heroes have been celebrated right here in Monroe County, as a fundraiser hosted by and for the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties. There are some remarkable people honored who have performed some extraordinary actions — selfless people who make the world a better place. Many individuals and groups have been honored at a Celebration banquet since 2003. This year we honored 18 local hometown heroes this past Wednesday, April 3, at LaRoy’s Hall in LaSalle, MI. Once again, it was a guaranteed heartwarming evening! Here are this year’s honorees:
Law Enforcement: MCSO Deputy Justin Zielinski, MCSO Deputy Danny Greenwood, and MCSO Deputy Shawna Hester; Animal Rescue Hero: Monroe Township Fire Department; Community Hero: Bedford Heart Heroes; Youth Good Samaritan Hero: Ava Arnold; Labor/Union Hero: Justin McManaway; Adult Good Samaritan: Terry Wain and Don Wain; Medical Professional Hero: Pinnacle Dental Group, Dr. Dawlat Hasso and Dental Assistant Meredyth McLaughlin ; Workplace Good Samaritan: MCSO Deputy Alec Preadmore, MCSO Deputy Lance Shields, and Brad Porter; Fire Hero: Monroe City Firefighters Derek Kull, James Hubert, Dan Little, Zac Gilstorff. For more detailed information on these heroes, please see the complete Monroe News article!
Each year, hero nominations are solicited from the community to honor actions from the previous year. The hero must either be a Monroe County resident, employed in Monroe County or the heroic action taken place in Monroe County. A group of community leaders, called the nomination committee, reviews all the nominations and selects the winners in the above-mentioned categories. Troy Goodnough, Monroe County Sheriff, is the chair of the nomination committee. If you would like to nominate a hero this year, go to our website at unitedwaymlc.org to download the nomination form.
Twenty-two years ago we held our inaugural Everyday Heroes Celebration and to date, over 215 individuals and groups have been honored. We typically host around 200 people each year, and each year the stories are compelling. Looking over the packed house this week, it seems unbelievable that this event is still wildly popular. It really is a community celebration of everything that is good in the community, in this world. And God knows we need some good news to celebrate!
In 2016, as the executive director of Catherine Cobb Safe House (formerly the Family Counseling and Children’s Services of Lenawee County), I also introduced Everyday Heroes to Lenawee County. And it has been well received there, too, where community demographics are similar to Monroe County. They will be holding their annual Everyday Heroes Celebration in November 2024.
Annually the United Way funds 27 local Monroe County agency programs. We also sponsor countywide 2-1-1 services, and coordinate Project Ramp, 4 annual Health Check events, and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). All funds raised in Monroe County stay in Monroe County. For more information about the GIVING AND LIVING UNITED, please contact us! Call us at 734-242-1331, contact us for an appointment at our office: 216 N. Monroe St., Monroe, MI 48162. Or you can visit our website at unitedwayMLC.org or contact me at lpipis@unitedwayMLC.org.
— Laura Schultz Pipis is the executive director of the United Way of Monroe/Lenawee Counties.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: United Way: Everyday heroes in Monroe County
