Honoring Our Local Heroes On The Frontline

93.9 The Eagle wants to  salute our local heroes in Mid-Missouri that are helping save lives and keeping us and our families safe during this health crisis.

These frontline heroes are doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, EMT paramedics, grocery store employees, truck drivers and others that are helping our community stay safe and be strong during this time of crisis. These unsung heroes  might be a family member, friend, neighbor or a complete stranger that are helping keep our families safe and are bringing hope to our community.

There are so many people right now who are helping, and we’d love to hear their stories. Please share their name and what they’re doing to help out their community during this pandemic. We would love to recognize them on our Wall of Heroes. 

Please fill out the registration form below and share on your social media pages.  We’ll be sharing these stories on air, online and on social media.

It’s just a small way to show our thanks to all those individuals in our communities who are having an impact on our lives.

WALL OF HEROES

• Vicki Stamp would like to recognize Breanna who  is a tech in a Jefferson City Walgreens. Not only do the employees of all the pharmacies have to be wary of everyone coming in with colds, flu, and other stuff, now they have to worry about people coming in with Coronavirus. Along with impatient people waiting for their prescriptions or to check out in the pharmacy, Breanna has been screamed at for putting gas in her car after work because people didn’t want her touching the pump handles. Breanna has left her 2 boys with family members and been away from them for weeks and away from family to keep from possibly bringing any sort or illness to them. She has worked 28 days in a row and out of those 28 days, 17 days were over 12 hour shifts. She along with all the other pharmacy employees are my heroes!
• Christopher Lynn would like to honor his wife Christina! My wife, Christina, is a pharmacist. Not only is she on the frontlines to protect the general public, she is also making tough choices to protect our family. We have two teenagers at home. Our daughter has underlining health issues due to chronic lung disease of prematurity and a compromised immune system. Our daughter is in that high risk category. She was born at 28 weeks weighing 1 pound 12 oz and had quite an assault on her underdeveloped lungs her first 89 days in the NICU. Even before covid, she has had to be careful with numerous ER visits, 2 trips to National Jewish Hospital in Denver, and one year in high school when she was homebound. We live in Centralia, but for the past 3 weeks my wife has been living in Columbia in a few airbnbs/apartments since she must work and is exposed to many people including some that are sick. We have spent an extra $1500 so far for her lodgings. Christina even does our grocery shopping and delivers it to Centralia, so I can keep from going out in public and exposing myself which would in turn expose my daughter. When my wife delivers the groceries, the kids and I get to visit her outside at a social distance for about an hour. I am a teacher, so I get to stay at home while maintaining contact online with my students. My wife is a true hero. I would say that she makes sacrifices for her family, but it is actually greater than that. Christina is a hero because living away from us is much BIGGER than a sacrifice. Christina has even greater value for the life and health of our daughter more so than seeing her and the rest of us each day in person. That is no sacrifice at all. That is the definition of a heroic being! Thank you Christina for being a great mother and contributor to the health of our community.
• Stephen Mcbee would like to honor Tom. So I was trying to help out someone that had lost there job and needed to change their oil in their car. It was a dinky little thing with the oil filter hard to get to, so to save me from going on a cussing rant, I thought I would just pick up a gift card and let the pros handle it. We called on 4 different places to see what we could do and they either don’t sell gift cards or wouldn’t pick up the phone (could be a Covid19 issue). BUT! I called on Plaza Tire Service and the manger said he would write out a gift card to help. I go in to pay for it and after he hears the story, he donates the oil change! Class act. Looking for a reputable mid-MO business to support? Here you go!!!
• Jason Gruender would like to honor his wife Bridget.  Dr. Bridget Gruender with Liberty Family Medicine continues to provide primary care medical services to many people in our community. She has been on the frontlines of the pandemic from the beginning and has been able offer care to patients through telemedicine services and still offers in-office visits for urgent medical issues such as stiches or casting fractures. She has managed the increasing anxiety issues of many patients and has implemented a non-contact procedure for picking up medications from her clinic. Even now, members of our community join her clinic each day and she and her team are able to provide amazing services through the awesome model of healthcare that she introduced to Columbia 4 years ago!
• Chuck Rackers would like to nominate Jennifer Rackers.  Jennifer works at a nursing home as the acting Activities Director. Due to age or other conditions, the residents are considered at risk of covid-19. They spend most of their time in their rooms for social distancing. Friends and family can only see their loved ones from outside, through a closed window. Jennifer and her team work twice as hard now to spend more time with the residents talking, playing games, and finding ways to keep their spirits up. She has organized a week-long “Olympics” in which the residents participate. She schedules games and activities that reflect the desires and personalities of each individual. She spends her working days (and many of her off hours), working on booklets, reading materials, music, videos and games that her residents would enjoy. She personally cares about the health and welfare of each and everyone of the people in her care. She is a hero for the dedication and compassion she brings to her job every single day.
• Karen Lucke nominates Mark and Susie Mahnken.  They own and manage Missouri Legacy Beef. They had been selling at MU dorms and Columbia restaurants as well as the Columbia Farmer’s Market. Now, they are just doing the farmer’s market and they are delivering beef to people’s homes! With out the restaurant business they are working hard to keep their farm and business going as which also means keeping as many employees busy as they can! Best of all for me, I stay safe by staying home and having their delicious and healthy beef delivered to my door!
• Brian Foster would like to nominate Manda Foster.  Manda is doing an incredible job of helping kids learn and have a semblance of normal and consistency in their lives. She works at Great Circle and teaches both residential and day-treatment students. Since there are many who live on campus, Manda tirelessly goes in every day to ensure they are learning basic skills then spends time calling other students, checking in on them, communicating with families, and finding whether they need anything while living through this unusual situation. Further, she still writes lesson plans, does paperwork, and still helps her own children with their own remote learning!
• Kamille Carey would like to nominate ALL individuals working in the repair and maintenance shops and dealerships. From technicians, advisors, to office staff! Everyday they are putting themselves at risk by getting in and out of customer’s vehicles. They are still here to help ensure your vehicle is SAFE and reliable. From a simple tire pressure check to major repairs. Without them we would not be able to get from point A to point B. Thank you!
• Peggy Kelly nominates Heidi Baybrook.  Heidi is an R.N. She’s works in medical ICU. She is one of the nurses caring for 4 covid 19 patients. She cares deeply for her patients and is very dedicated to them. She has 2 children at home and has exercised extreme care in educating them about covid. She’s also been very careful in making sure she uses every precaution to keep her family safe. She’s very committed to healthcare.
• Curt Kelley would also like to salute Nick and Heidi.  They are both charge nurses at a local hospital in Columbia. They are a husband and wife team that work in the Medical intensive care unit where the covid19 patients are cared for. They volunteer to work directly with the covid19 patients putting themselves in harms way to care for the most ill.