Find ways to offer thanks to heroes

To the editor:

As we start to plan our recovery from this pandemic, we wanted to take a moment to thank the individuals and businesses of Jay County for the gratitude that you have shown us.

We have felt appreciated over the last month as day after day another package of snacks and drinks arrived at our stations. We feel appreciated and humbled to be offered discounts at local businesses and your gifts of thanks. There are so many and they came so fast that we would be remiss to even try and name all of them.

We serve an awesome community and that’s exactly how we see it, an opportunity to serve. We don’t feel like heroes, we are just doing what we love to do and that’s serve you.

We would like to share with you who we see as our heroes. We are awestruck by the people taking care of other people. The food banks, the rescue mission, the local churches, our wonderful school system and all of the individuals who sprang into action to take care of the needs of our community.

In the month of May, we celebrate EMS week. It’s a time when we are supposed to “toot our own horn,” if you will, and promote what we do. But, you know what we do.

Therefore, we would like to challenge you to use the month of May to honor our heroes. We would challenge you to not give any donation or special thank you offering to us, but instead find those unsung community servants who jumped to help and continue to help those in need and make a donation to them on our behalf. Then share your giving with us in a card or email.

We want the help to go to those who need it most and over the next few months, needs could be huge. Help us continue to serve our community.

Let’s validate the phrase, “We are all in this together!”

Sincerely,

Gary Barnett

John McFarland

Wesley Miller

Jay Emergency Medical Service