For the Love of our Community Heroes 2021 - Winners Week 6

We Invite You to Follow Along Our 10 Week Campaign and Read All About Our Amazing Oregon Heroes!

Sunriver Resort's “For the Love of Community Heroes” campaign invites community members to privately nominate their Oregon hero. In appreciation, we are offering a complimentary two-night stay at Sunriver Resort for some well-earned time to relax & unwind, amidst all the beauty Central Oregon offers.10 winners are selected each week, for 10 weeks. Below are just a few of the stories that our nominees have allowed us to share, more stories to come. We invite you to follow along our 10 week campaign and read all about our amazing Oregon heroes!

BLAIR'S STORIES

Blair is a nurse at St. Charles, and has worked tirelessly through the pandemic, even picking up extra hours. She does everything with a smile on her face and is truly the most selfless person I've ever met. She deserves a couple nights at Sunriver to relax and be a queen!

Hi there! I already submitted but somehow forgot to add a VERY important detail! Not only has Blair been a nurse throughout this pandemic, she has also taken on a little sister through the big brothers big sisters program of central oregon. She consistently makes time for her little sister aliyah to make her feel special and heard. Blair is extremely selfless - not many people especially during a pandemic would take this on and do something so amazing for a little girl and her family. Blair is truly making a difference in our community.

MICHELLE'S STORY

I am nominating Michelle as a community hero because as a family practice physician, she is on the front line, risking her own health and safety in order to provide medical care for her patients. Although she officially retired at the end of December, Michelle has already returned to her office to work part time because of the pandemic. She also volunteers on weekends to administer COVID vaccines to the elderly. Michelle’s dedication to her patients is truly admirable and that is why she is a community hero.

COREY'S STORY

Corey is an outstanding member of his fire community. He has the role of Assistant Fire Chief for Greenacres Rural Fire Department, Assistant Unit Forester for Coos Forest Protection association as a wildland firefighter and maintains his ems certification. Currently he is working on his air attack qualifications that will allow him to be certified in the state of Oregon to assist via the air when the need arises. He has over 18 years of volunteer service with the fire department. Fighting wildfires in almost every state, assisting with disaster relief services through PatRick Fire and even hunkering down in an old motel to escape a tornado are just a few of his everyday stories he can tell. From whole handedly being part of the reason the town of Agness, OR is still standing to lending a helping hand during a 20 day fire tour in Canada he is always ready to help without even being asked. Corey has seen so much loss over his time of fighting fire yet he wakes up with a positive view on life each and every day. He’s the one the men and women of our community turn to after fatality calls, after responding to life or death car crashes and after watching their neighbors houses burn down. He is the one that shows the people in our community what it’s like to feel important, heard and be a part of the bigger picture. Because of this he is a valued member of our community and deserves to be recognized.

JACKIE'S STORY

Jackie is the the managing Director of Candlelighters. The organization supports children fighting cancer and supporting their families. During the pandemic many families struggled with parents losing their jobs and the cost of treatments and transportation and even paying rent became an additional hardship. Jackie's team delivered with Candy Cane Lane to assure that all of the families (kids with cancer, siblings and parents) received Christmas Gifts. When Camp Erin for kids with cancer had to shut down she developed a virtual camp experience. Jackie is always diligent to assure everyone is supported with everything from meals, Family game night so other families going thru the experience of watching their child fight cancer could come together to share their journeys. Candlelighters is an amazing organization and Jackie makes sure all the families are supported thru out their fight and she is there for them to provide bereavement support to the parents and siblings.

CHRISTINE'S STORY

Christine is a first grade teacher who has worked long hours to ensure her students get the education they need and deserve. She has navigated new technology and had a hybrid classroom where she taught in person and through zoom at the same time in an effort to meet the ever changing rules and regulations that covid brings. Her dedication is evident. She has poured her heart into her classroom and the chance to unwind and take a few days to herself would be much deserved.

CONOR'S STORY

Conor is a volunteer firefighter for Clackamas County and also a student finishing his degree. He works so hard day in and day out. When the wildfires swept through Clackamas county in September he dropped everything to serve and fight for his community. Conor is a true hero and works endlessly to make sure his community is safe for everyone!

TOSH'S STORY

I am pleased to introduce you to the delightful Mr. Tosh. I have been blessed to work alongside Tosh for the past five years at J Bar J Youth Services. During this time, Tosh has consistently shown honor, integrity, and humor while interacting with staff and youth. Tosh works for a portion of the company that is located inside of the juvenile detention building. This environment can often feel restrictive; staff are regularly unaware of the weather outside. In addition to the isolating effects of this environment, the lack of space and confined area create a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. This was learned all too well when an outbreak of COVID-19 swept throughout the program. Tosh worked diligently during this stressful time to ensure that the youth were provided with outlets to express their fear and frustration, that surfaces were sanitized and that staff felt supported. In the midst of supporting the well-being of the program, Tosh contracted COVID-19 himself. While under quarantine, Tosh contacted work on multiple occassions to express frustration about missing work and inquire about how he could continue to support the program. Tosh is selfless, caring and kind. He truly encapsulates the definition of a community hero.

STEPHANIE'S STORY

Señora Stephanie has worked so hard as a 2nd grade bilingual teacher. Our daughter has gained so much confidence after a rough year at school. Señora Stephanie makes her feel so welcome, seen, and heard, in the virtual classroom. On top of that, her Spanish, math, and other academic skills have improved so much. We are really grateful to Señora Stephanie’s dedication and hard work moving all her teaching online.

PATRICIA'S STORY

Tricia is an Emergency room social worker, going 5 nights a week to help people in mental crisis. She is also the amazing mother of our 6 month old Finnley.

CHRIS' STORY

It may be silly to nominate my husband, but I am so incredibly proud of him and what all he has accomplished during this pandemic. He works for the City of Bend's Utility Department and has been reporting to work since the very first day of the pandemic. Chris has been in the office helping oversee the entire City's water and sewer system. He hasn't skipped a beat and hasn't complained. He did mention once that he is surprised that City workers are not considered "essential" when we all know how catastrophic things could get if something happened to our underground infrastructure. He has responded to emergency water main breaks, has managed team members who have had to isolate and quarantine, met with other first responders and has been a behind the scenes hero for our entire community.