‘Heroes Among Us’ recognized

Chances are you passed a hero some time today and didn’t even realize it.

Heroes are people who make a positive difference in the community. Sometimes these heroes are recognized through great deeds or selfless acts, more often their impact is felt through small gestures and service.

These quiet heroes make their communities better places to live, work and play. Each year since 2013 the Medford Cooperative recognizes these heroes through the Heroes Among Us program. In the past the heroes were recognized as part of the annual Medford Parkfest celebration in August. While COVID-19 canceled that event, Medford Cooperative still wished to recognize the efforts of these heroes and what they do to improve the lives of those around them.

All honorees were nominated by community members. The 2020 recipients are as follows, with some information from the nominations:

_ Taylor County Health Department - Education of health, wellness, and safety during COVID-19 pandemic; saving lives in our community.

_ Eric Peterson - Protecting and helping citizens. Always working as he cares for Perces, our K9 officer. Together they do educational talks about prevention. He is also an Ambassador for the Chamber.

_ Father Patrick McConnell - Accommodated individuals of all age groups during this time to keep them connected to their faith. Always looking for things he can do to support the community and find ways to involve individuals that may not have been involved in the past, all while remaining as safe as possible.

_ Chuck Prihoda - Helps promote literacy among children and adults with Little Free Libraries and other organizations.

_ Arlene Judnic - Started and runs Strong Bones Classes, site manager for Rib Lake Nutrition, started quilting class and is good friend to anyone in need.

_ Liza Dalieden - Advocate for vulnerable populations in the community; leads by example and continues to forge ahead with integrity and positive outlook even given the current situation; fighting for the community by putting the safety and well-being of others first and foremost.

Each recipient received a prize basket from Medford Cooperative General Manager Chip Courtney.