John Bruner, who, among other volunteer efforts helped found Webster County Crime Stoppers in 1982, prefaced his comments about being celebrated as a Hometown Hero Tuesday by comparing Fort Dodge to his family.

“When you really, really love them, you’ll do anything for them,” Bruner said. “And it’s the same if you really, really love your community, you really, really love your town. You’ll do anything for them, and I really, really love Fort Dodge.”

In a packed dining room at Willow Ridge Country Club, his audience understood.

The annual luncheon is hosted by Serving Our Servants and the Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way.

Four people were honored as Servant of the Year by Serving Our Servants.

Fort Dodge Firefighter/Paramedic Devon Schuster was one of them.

The Rev. Al Henderson, who leads Serving Our Servants, said when he approached Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter about this year’s nominee, the chief told him the decision to nominate Schuster was an easy one.

“When I went in to talk with the fire chief about this year’s nominee, he says, ‘I don’t even need to think about it,'” Henderson recalled. “‘I know who it’s got to be. I get cards and letters all the time.'”

An attempt to save a woman who drove into Moorland Pond on Sept. 21, 2018 earned two men hero status.

Moorland firefighter Randy Hanna and Sgt. Jayson Heesch, with the Webster County Sheriff’s Department, jumped into the freezing cold water. Despite their efforts, the woman in the car could not be saved.

“All first responders, they’re just out there to help everybody when they can,” Hanna said. “I think any first responder here would have done the same thing.”

Heesch, who retired from the Webster County Sheriff’s Department in January after 30 years, agreed.

“We have a great group of first responders in Webster County,” he said. “I didn’t look at it as being that big a deal when we got there. I know Randy didn’t.”

Heesch added that, while he’s honored to be recognized, it’s bittersweet, since rescuers weren’t able to save the woman.

Morgan Border, at 17, is the youngest person to ever receive a Fort Dodge Community Foundation and United Way Community Hero award. When she was 12, she started the Stay A-Breast fundraiser as 4-H project to raise money for breast cancer research.

Now, she has raised more than $50,000.

“I believe the heroes are the cancer patients and what they go through, because it’s really hard and I know a lot of people who fight this disease,” she said. “And I’m really sorry that you have to go through this.”

Another Community Hero award recipient was Bruner, who has volunteered for more than 10 organizations over the past 40 years.

Jim Reed, president of Shellabration Inc., was also honored.

In 2001, Reed helped get the Shellabration concert series started, and later used those efforts to raise money to remodel the Oleson Park Bandshell, which was the venue of Shellabration for a number of years.

“No. 1, you have to have a vision and a plan,” Reed said. “Two, you have to have a champion or a sparkplug that can sell and promote it. And No. 3, you’ve got to have a team of people that can execute on the plan and have buy-in. One doesn’t become successful without the other.”

He added, “And I’ll echo what John said. I’m damn proud to be from Fort Dodge.”