Over the last few months, in the face of unprecedented challenges, fear, and uncertainty, we’ve had many neighbors who have went above and beyond and answered the call to serve our community in many different ways.
Healthcare workers in hospitals and nursing homes, first responders, grocery store clerks, delivery drivers, educators and many others worked tirelessly and in some cases risked their own health to provide the essential care and services we needed to get through these difficult times. I am in awe of their sacrifice and service and they most certainly deserve our gratitude.
A few weeks back, we started collecting nominations for "Community Heroes." Here are a few that we received.
Katie Ortiz
Katie Ortiz of Manchester is an ICU Nurse at Hartford Hospital. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie was assigned to the COVID-19 Intensive Care Units at Hartford Hospital and has tirelessly provided specialized care to critically ill patients diagnosed with COVID-19. When she isn’t doing that, Katie is a mom to two young sons and juggling her work responsibilities with overseeing remote learning at home! We salute Katie!
Chris Brown
Chris works at Highland Park Market (HPM) and was nominated by the Devanney family. Glastonbury residents will know Chris as a long-time bartender for events at The Gallery.
When the epidemic started and The Gallery shut down, instead of staying home, Chris went from working part-time at HPM to working full time nonstop up to seven days a week on the front lines at the market helping wherever he was needed. Says Molly Devanney, “Chris truly went above and beyond to make sure customers were taken care of.” Thanks Chris!
Tom and Candice Maningas
Tom and Candice Maningas of Glastonbury are both full time workers on the front line of Connecticut’s COVID-19 response. Tom is a PA in the Emergency Room at St. Francis Hospital, and Candice is a nurse on a critical care floor at John Dempsey Hospital at UConn Health Center.
On top of that, they have two very young children at home, and had to take turns tag teaming on parental duties as they came home from their shifts at the hospital. We salute Tom and Candice for their personal commitment and sacrifice during these stressful times.
Geralyn Thames
Geralyn is a Student Success Officer for Manchester Public Schools working with some of our most vulnerable students.
Since the start of distance learning for COVID-19 she has worked around the clock to make sure students are staying engaged and social emotional learning is being addressed during these stressful times. Without the work of people like Geralyn, these vulnerable students are at risk of harmful isolation. Thank you Geralyn!
We salute these heroes and ALL of the essential workers out there across Manchester and Glastonbury!
