Do you know a hometown hero? Someone who has gone above and beyond to make the community a better place in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic? If so, Bluebonnet News would like to hear from you.
In recent days, Bluebonnet News has posted some of the community’s recommendations on our Facebook page. We will now be sharing these on our website, http://www.BluebonnetNews.com, and also posting to Facebook.
Some of the recent honorees are a restaurant manager keeping her employees paid and the community fed, a community outreach director for a local church who is feeding the community, and first responders from Cleveland for their efforts to keep people safe.
Today’s recommendation for an Unsung Hero/Heroine of COVID-19 comes from Keri Elliott, a Hardin resident and administrative assistant at First Liberty National Bank. Elliott nominated several women from Hardin and Liberty who she feels are going above and beyond to help others.
In her nomination email, she wrote:
The novel Coronavirus is all we see when on social media, listening to the radio, or on TV. Every day we have frontline members risking self and soul for the life of others. Nurses and healthcare workers, first responders, grocery personnel and many other essential workers deemed necessary by the government have risked exposure to continue the fight against COVID-19 and ensure the communities can function safely.
Business owners and individuals around the community have joined forces with some of our local seamstresses to create another kind of army to fight this virus.
Angela DeDear, a real estate agent, and Deann Rives, an insurance saleswoman, connected with two of our local seamstresses/quilters, Rhonda Ewell and Susan Odum, and together these four women jumped into action to do what they could to help fight this war. From Deann’s perspective, insuring people’s property was just one aspect of her job. Helping to ensure their safety meant so much more. All four women became superheroes when the community most needed them.
Alongside these women, many volunteers washed, cut, and sewed for hours on end. Deann created the Facebook group ‘Sew Strong Liberty County – Covering the Front Lines’ and began organizing and coordinating the task of arranging pickups and deliveries, donations, and traveling many miles to make sure these mask covers made it to the people who needed them. This group of four women quickly grew into more than 60 volunteers who donated countless hours of their time to ensure the continued production of these mask covers.
Local bakery owner April Koen-Spurlock began helping to run orders (between cutting and sewing) alongside Deann. To comply with social distancing and help everyone stay safe, these women went so far as to spray down their vehicles with disinfectant before and after each delivery.
Deann’s daughter Kennedy, owner of K3 Designs, spent an afternoon with Rhonda Ewell to learn the craft and later went home to add to this coalition of volunteers.
There was even a pup who spent his afternoon covered in fabric scraps as his owner, Tiffany Graham, spent the day cutting away pattern after pattern.
We are constantly asked “Who is your hero? Who do you to look to for guidance?” In a time of desperation and uncertainty I most definitely have found my heroes. Deann, Angela, Rhonda, Susan, and April, in addition to all of the volunteers, have stepped up and shown our community that where there is a will, there is a way and our town will persevere. We applaud your selflessness and desire to help. Our community salutes you. You ladies are our small town heroes.
If you know an Unsung Hero/Heroine who deserves a pat on the back, please send details to editor@bluebonnetnews.com. Please include photos.