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HOIC/SCE employees are hometown heroes

Heart to Heart, October 2009 Connections

 Some call them concerned citizens and dedicated community members. Others hail them as hometown heroes. No matter the label, HOIC/SCE employees who volunteer their time and talents for community organizations, such as volunteer fire departments, youth sports programs, or the Lion’s Club, have one thing in common: a desire to help others in their community.
 

It’s what propelled Lucas Hauser, Zearing location manager, to join the fire department in both Zearing and Melbourne last year. He says his father-in-law, a 35 year veteran of the Melbourne department, told stories of helping friends and neighbors. Then last year, when his neighbor’s house caught fire after being struck by lightning, he says he saw first-hand the importance of volunteer groups.
 

“I stood outside my own home at 3 am watching those guys fight to save my neighbor’s house,” recalls Hauser. “I knew that was something I wanted to be a part of.”
 

He joined the two departments a month later.

Family tradition
 Others are born into the tradition. Growing up, Nate and Brandon Wanders’ parents were involved with the volunteer fire department in Barnes City.

“Ever since I was little kid, I wanted to be a fireman,” says Brandon, who drives truck for the Feed Mill. “I wanted to be able to help protect my community like my parents.”
 

He does.
 

Brandon leads the Deep River Department as chief. His brother, Nate, volunteers in Barnes City.
 

Both say it’s important to get involved in the communities beyond emergency calls with outreach programs, such as hosting fire safety demonstrations at the local schools and handing out and installing batteries for fire detectors. Working with the fire department has also taken Nate to help in other communities. Last spring, he joined members of the New Sharon Fire Department to help sandbag in Eddyville and Oskaloosa. When the F5 tornado destroyed Parkersburg, Nate spent three days helping clean up the aftermath. They helped tear down houses and clean up yards.
 

“We would pick up stuff and hand people their lives in small plastic bags,” remembers Nate, who also drives feed truck. “Although we couldn’t salvage their belongings, they were grateful we were willing to help.”

The goal of fun
Helping kids is the reason behind Brandon Hansen’s involvement with the Park Board in Roland. The father of three says he couldn’t say no when a neighbor asked him to serve on the park board.

 “We spend a lot of time at the park,” says Hansen, an agronomist in Roland. “We all need to do something for the community and since we use the park quite a bit, I thought it would be a good fit.”
 Along with overseeing maintenance of the softball complex, Hansen and fellow board members have r

enovated the concession stand and purchased a new scoreboard. Recently, the group purchased land and is in the planning stages to build a new sports complex.
 

This isn’t the first time Hansen’s kids have gotten him involved. He’s also a soccer coach, leading a group of first and second graders in the fundamentals.
 

“I like to focus in on the fun,” he says. “I don’t know everything about soccer, but I know I can help them learn to have fun while playing which is very important at this age.”

We serve
Having a good time is important to livestock specialist Ken Mergen as well. A member of the Sully Lion’s Club, along with Ryk De Goey, of the safety department, Mergen says getting together with his fellow Lions to help those in the community is one of his definitions of a good time.
 

“We work hard,” says Mergen, who joined the Lion’s Club eight years ago, “but we have a great time. That’s the way it should be.”
 

While having a great time, neither Mergen nor De Goey forget the motto of the international organization – We Serve. The Sully Lions boasts a long list of service activities – raising money for the libraries in Lynnville and Sully, distributing turkeys during the holidays, installing storm windows and contributing to the heating assistance fund to name a few. De Goey credits the coop with being  supportive of his role in the local chapter. The group holds many fundraisers throughout the year, including operating a food stand during the Tulip Time Festival in Pella. De Goey says he never had a problem taking days off to help.
 

“The coop’s willingness shows HOIC/SCE is interested in community service and wants their employees to be involved,” says De Goey. “I have always been encouraged by my supervisors and co-workers. They make it easy to work around schedules.”

Crucial support
Having the support of the company to take emergency calls during work hours is vital to Scott Richardson, a volunteer fireman and first responder in Story City. The value couldn’t be denied last year when an accident involving a semi and construction crew occurred on Interstate 35. Richardson, along with HOIC/SCE employees and fire department volunteers, Jim and Jamie Beck, Tyler Oberender, and Jason Goodmanson, all responded to the call.

 “It was so important to have as many trained people there as possible,” says Richardson who drives an LP truck in the Story City area. “The fact that all volunteers who work for HOIC/SCE were able to step away from their work and help says a lot about how much the company supports their communities and the employees who volunteer.”
 

For communities like Story City that rely on ambulance services from neighboring towns, their ability to step away at a moment’s notice is crucial. Since Story City doesn’t operate an ambulance service of their own, they must wait for one from Ames, Boone or Nevada.

 “It’s huge for people who need an ambulance to have a first responder with them,” says Richardson. “We’re usually first on the scene so we’re able to stay with them until the ambulance arrives.”
 

Richardson says most in the community are aware of the cooperative’s support of their volunteers.
 

“Nothing shows your community you support them more than when you whole-heartedly support those who live, work and volunteer.”