Local volunteers, emergency workers and other ‘everyday heroes’ honored

DETROIT LAKES — There were lots of hugs, lots of tears and lots of smiles visible on the faces of the 150 or so people gathered at the Detroit Lakes Holiday Inn this past Thursday, April 25, for the 2024 United Way of Becker County Celebration of Heroes.

“This is my favorite event of the year, for a number of different reasons,” said Terry Haus, United Way executive director, in his opening remarks. “Tonight is the night to pay tribute to our heroes, who work tirelessly throughout the year to keep us safe.”

Before asking the various area area law enforcement, fire department and emergency medical service groups attending the event to stand up and be recognized, Haus said, “I want to acknowledge their unwavering commitment and hard work. These heroes put themselves on the line to protect and serve our communities. I want to recognize the bravery, dedication and sacrifice made by those in the fire service, law enforcement and emergency medical services.”

Five special awards were presented during the celebration, with the most prestigious honor saved for last: The Bob and Michelle Harris Memorial Award has been presented annually since 2002, “to select individuals in the community who embody the spirit of leadership, community involvement and hometown spirit.”

This year’s Harris Award recipient is Roger Lee, a longtime Detroit Lakes resident who was known for his leadership as an elementary principal at Detroit Lakes Public Schools, where he served from 1974-99.

“He was known as the principal that knew every student and made a point of meeting their parents and finding out where they lived,” said Cody Einerson, 2023 United Way president, during Lee’s introduction. “He had the respect of the students because they knew he cared about them as a student.

“That caring attitude still continues,” Einerson added. “It’s hard to imagine the number of students that he has impacted.”

Since his retirement from school administration, Lee has continued to stay involved in the community through a variety of interests, including memberships in the Lakes Curling Club, Sons of Norway, Buffalo Lake Watershed District board and Detroit Lakes Downtown Alive committee.

Through his membership in the local Habitat for Humanity/Fuller Center for Housing, where he also served on the board for many years, Lee also helped to organize the weekly Tuesday Picnics in the Park fundraisers that took place prior to every Tuesdays in the Park summer concert at the City Park Bandshell.

A member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Detroit Lakes, Lee also serves on the church’s Life and Growth Committee, as well as its Development Foundation board of directors.

“You can find him almost every Sunday, visiting with friends prior to church and welcoming any new faces to help them feel welcomed and valued,” Einerson said. “He also gives rides to people unable to get to services, medical appointments, or home repairs, to help them live at home independently as long as they wish. “

The crowd of about 150 or so gathered for the celebration all got to their feet to applaud Lee as he made his way to the stage.

In accepting the award, Lee said, “The only thing that’s missing is my wife, Jan, standing up here to accept this award with me. Everything we get involved with, we both participate in … Detroit Lakes has been very good to us, so we in turn have tried to be good to Detroit Lakes. We get great pleasure out of contributing, and we hope to continue doing that.”

Other award recipients included the following:

The Branden family of Frazee, including Dylan, Tabiatha and their daughters, Maddie, Audrenna and Johannah, were honored for “showing up for their community in numerous ways.”

Einerson said, “They do this out of the goodness of their own hearts… without being asked. They see a need and they are quick to jump right in and lend a hand. The parents lead by example and are showing their daughters the vital role of volunteering. Just in the last year this family has showed up in the pouring rain to help patch a hole in a wall of the Cornerstone Youth Center (in Frazee), which prevented major damage to the facility; laid flooring and cleaned and organized numerous times, volunteered to supervise youth, put together floats for parades, volunteered hundreds of hours for the Haunted Forest and many more, all at the CornerStone Community & Youth Center.

“They also are helping lead (Frazee) Turkey Day festivities, they help serve meals at community events, clean up various parts of town, constantly doing pay it forward type deeds and are one of the go-to town people for ideas and support. And above all this, they are the first to tell others how great they are and the good work they are doing.”

The Mahube-Otwa Community Action Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, including volunteer tax preparers Arthur Baker, Dana Laine, Debra Carlson, Howard Lohman, Jean Moe, Laurie Brekke, Mary Kessler and Patty Cummins, were honored with the Community S;pirit Business Award for their work in preparing the tax returns of thousands of Becker County residents over the past 40 years.

This past tax season, the group completed more than 1,500 tax returns — state and federal income as well as property/rental tax rebates — which brought over $600,000 back into the community.

“The volunteers at the Becker County site have an impressive, combined volunteer experience of more than 82 years,” Einerson said. “In 2023 alone, they dedicated over 1,000 hours of their time within a four-month period. To put it into perspective, that is equivalent to more than 244 workdays.

“It takes a true hero to be able to explain tax codes,” he joked.

Brooklyn Coufal, daughter of Lake Park Fire Chief Dave Coufal, received the award from her proud father.

Award presenter Alyssa Hagedorn said, “This year’s Youth Everday Hero has a true passion for creativity and artistry. She started her own business by selling braided rubber band and clay bead bracelets to her friends and family. As her interest grew, she discovered different beads and decided to make wristlets with them. to her surprise, they all sold out on the same day she posted about them on social media.”

Since then, Brooklyn has used her talents to raise funds for fire departments in the communities where she exhibits her work at art and craft shows.

“This young hero decided to donate 10% of her sales to local fire departments,” Hagedorn said. “So far she has donated to departments in Lake Park, Detroit Lakes, Ulen, Frazee and Dilworth, and plans to donate to Pelican Rapids and Hawley in the upcoming weeks.”

A Place to Belong Executive Director Kayla Fagre was honored with this year’s Adult Everyday Hero Award for her work with clients at the local nonprofit.

“This everyday hero, creates a welcoming environment where individuals with mental illnesses can come together, share stories, build bonds, and express themselves without fear of judgment,” Hagedorn said in presenting the award. “Some may question how they can be considered a hero when they are just doing their job. But the truth is, their job is an act of heroism in itself. This person approaches their work with integrity, compassion, principle, and courage.”

“Our hero’s heroism lies in the fact that they don’t just help people once — they do it every single day,” Hagedorn added. “They go above and beyond their duties by spending extra time with each individual who walks through their doors. This person also takes their passion to serve people in our community with mental health issues by serving as the chair of the Advisory Council for Mental Health in Becker County and serves on the board of Wellness in the Woods, which is dedicated to improving access for people with mental health issues and substance use recovery and incarceration issues.”

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