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Heroes Essay Contest 2009
Essay Winner: Grades 6-8, Evansville Christian School
Have you ever had a loved one get lost or wander away from home? My great-grandmother did once, and it was very nerve racking for the whole family. After this my papa decided to join the Spencer County First Responders. My Grandpa Jerry is my hero. He splits his time between family and emergency groups of many types to help others in the local area. The Spencer County First Responders is a group of individuals that local county and state police agencies can call on for immediate help during times of emergency. They assist during all different types of emergency situations from natural disasters like tornadoes or the recent ice storm, to searching for individuals who have gone missing. Many times his help is needed at church shelters or soup kitchens when people are evacuated away from their homes after an emergency or natural disaster. It takes a lot of manpower to set up a shelter with food and sleeping supplies with little to no advanced notice. He and his fellow volunteers are just a phone call away twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Search and rescue crews also call upon him to help with searching for elderly and young children who have wondered away. At times he will go by foot, but when broader areas must be covered he uses his horse to help in the search. Occasionally he is called out to look for missing or lost people. I remember a few years ago he missed a family get-together because he was working with a search party. On this particular day he and other volunteers took their horses and helped look for a missing elderly lady with dementia. She had wondered away from her home and gotten lost. By bringing their horses they were able to cover the rougher terrain in the area they were searching, and also search a broader area. The temperature was predicted to drop below freezing that night and finding her was the only way to save her life. The search group found her late that night deep in the woods behind her home. Had it not been for his group and the horses she probably wouldn't have been found alive. I think it's awesome that my grandpa volunteers his time to this organization. I know he doesn't see himself as a hero, but I do. The people he helps truly appreciate his and others assistance in helping them in a time of need. Many people dedicate their time and money to helping others, and my papa is just one of the many people around the world doing what he can to help others in need or in times of distress.
The Southwestern Indiana Chapter of the American Red Cross
29 S. Stockwell Road Evansville, IN 47714 | Phone: 812-471-7200 | Fax: 812-471-7210