When I asked Heather Makechnie for the interview that would bring about this article, she agreed conditionally. The condition was that we focus on volunteerism. I agreed. But first let’s get a little background on Heather herself.
Heather and her husband Art have raised seven children, all boys. They have 15 grandchildren, with twin girls on the way. Thirteen of the grandchildren are girls, and there is not a more proud mom or grandmother. The pictures on the wall behind the dining room table tell stories of love and laughter.
Heather worked for 10 years for Proctor Academy and has a love for kids that gives her a special glow when she talks about their successes. Heather said, “I thought I had found a great love when I found my husband. I found an even greater love with each one of my sons. But grandchildren have taught me to love more than I thought I could.”
Heather and I both have busy schedules, so we met for dinner, and the black bean and squash soup was so good it made me almost forget the reason I came. Dinner was great, but I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed our conversation.
Heather’s enthusiasm is contagious. Before I left, she had me almost signed up to become a Lion. Perhaps that is one of the reasons she is now a King Lion in the Franklin New Hampshire chapter of the Lions Club. As she recites some of the things that the Lions Club does, besides providing the glasses and hearing aids programs, you can tell she is actively engaged in helping people.
You should have seen Heather’s face light up as she told about the Lions Clubs and the ways they engage youth in service projects such as cleaning up Camp Allen, which is a summer experience camp for physically and mentally challenged adults. The school children collect socks for the homeless through the Got Socks campaign, and some of them teach elders about iPhones and computers.
Lions Clubs work with the New Hampshire Association for the Blind. They screen low vision children and help them receive the glasses they so badly need to succeed in school. Once again, Heather’s smile lights up her face as she tells stories of kids who were failing and acting out at school and who received screening and glasses from Lions and now are becoming very successful students.
But wait – the reason for my interview was not about her relationship with the Lions Club or American Red Cross. It was about the award she had recently received.
Spirit of New Hampshire
On November 10, Heather was honored by Volunteer New Hampshire with a Spirit of New Hampshire award for the work she does with the Central New Hampshire Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
Local radio personality Nazzy, the morning drive host on 105.5 WJYY, was the award presenter. He read these words as Heather walked across the stage at the Capitol Center for the Performing Arts in Concord to accept her award:
“Heather has been volunteering with MRC since 2009. She volunteers in shelters and clinics, both locally and in other regions when needed. Heather takes on everything with a smile.”
One of MRC’s goals is to enhance community preparedness through citizen involvement and allow communities more autonomy in responding to emergencies with less reliance on state or national resources. The MRC program is a local resource with a mission to improve the health and safety of communities across the country by organizing and using public health, medical, and other community volunteers.
Heather could not stress enough the need for these help organizations to work together to provide supplemental personnel for existing public health and emergency response teams.
Heather is also a member of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). This team educates people about disaster preparedness and trains them to help in all situations to the utmost of their ability.
Heather’s smile lets you know personally her sense of pride in her community and her joy in working with the other volunteers. For her, the community would be non-existent without the volunteers who provide so many services.
“Volunteerism is 90% of the vital life force of our community, without which our community would crumble into piles of chaotic bits,” Heather told the Beacon the day after receiving her award.
Heather urges people to volunteer in whatever capacity they can. Every little bit helps, from the people sitting at the table checking you in as you come to vote, to the EMTs, police, and firefighters who run to the rescue in the middle of the night whenever called.
Oh, by the way – our interview ended when she received a call as an EMT for the Andover EMS. I am not sure how that call turned out, but with Heather on the call, I am sure it went very well, and everything that could be done to help, was.
Well done, Heather Makechnie. Without people like you, our community would be left wanting. Thank you for all the things you do, both large and small.