The Kids for the Community organization held a Hero’s Day event at the Palmerton Grove pavilion for children to meet local heroes including EMTs, veterans, firefighters and police officers.

Jennifer Merkel founded the organization this past June with their mission being to volunteer in the community and help people in need.

Dawn Benner, a Lehighton EMT, has been involved in EMS for 17 years. Her booth had informational handouts, pens, crayons, stickers and temporary tattoos for the kids. Additionally there were hands-on activities such as a hands-only CPR station as well as Stop the Bleed supplies to teach kids how to control bleeding and use a tourniquet.

When asked about the best and worst part of her job, Benner responded, “The best part is always when you know you’re helping somebody and you’re there for them in their time of need. The hardest part is those tough calls everybody has.”

Benner said, “It’s important to get the kids interested in this stuff while they’re young and be able to keep and nurture that interest as they grow up. It’s also good to let them know that these jobs are out there and to introduce them to the ambulance so they’re not scared of it when it comes out. Maybe in the future they’ll want to follow the same path that we did.”

Another participant in the event was Mark Strohl, a veteran who served as a logistics specialist in the Navy. Strohl initially joined the military after college in 2001 to serve the country as well as travel the world. He has served for 14 years, and one of the highlights of his career was he was on board the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier when President George W. Bush gave his Mission Accomplished speech.

Strohl noted that the best things about being in the Navy are being able to earn a stable paycheck, education benefits to pay for college, job training, and a chance to travel and experience new opportunities. He also added that the worst part of being enlisted is that you have to leave your home and your loved ones behind.

When asked about the importance of the event, Strohl said, “This event is important because it’s good to get the children out so they can hear stories about heroes and see how they can grow up and take on that role. … For the military, it’s good for kids to see their options. College isn’t the only route in life, and the military can even be a part of that route to go to college as well as to finance it and get job training.”

Strohl said, “Heroes are just everyday people that take on that role. We all can be heroes, it’s just a matter of stepping into that role.”