The Heroes of the Fourth District

About a month ago, I took to social media to ask the people of Arkansas' Fourth District to nominate their fellow residents who have gone above and beyond to selflessly serve others in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The response was staggering! We received an incredible number of inspirational stories of those who gave back to their communities while expecting nothing in return. Last week, I visited 17 of these Hometown Heroes to congratulate them on their service and listen to their stories.

These heroes included Bearden Police Chief Nathan Greeley, who bought essentials for hurting residents with his own money, delivered medications, and conducted wellness checks on those who were sick.

In Pine Bluff we heard the stories of Mr. Daryl Graydon, owner of Lil D's BBQ, who, while surviving the pandemic, gave away meals to front line workers such as doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, and anyone else in the community who needed one.

In Rison, Ms. Lynn Wilson, owner of Rison Pharmacy, and her employees held drive-thru COVID-19 vaccine clinics as the only distributor of the vaccine in Cleveland County and educated the public on the safety of the vaccine. As a direct result, Cleveland County has the highest percentage of vaccinated individuals in the state.

I will be sharing the stories of all of our Hometown Heroes over the course of several weeks on my Facebook page. After an incredibly difficult year, it was heartwarming to read these stories and visit with those who have poured their time and energy back into their communities.

I was fortunate to meet with people from all different backgrounds- law enforcement, educators, restaurant owners, pharmacists, church employees, and the list goes on. However, in speaking to each person this week, one common theme emerged – their profound humility. When thanked for their service to our community, the heroes often said no thanks was needed, they were only filling needs they saw in their communities. That humility of spirit is what makes the work of these men and women so admirable, and I was truly honored to meet them.