"I would rather myself be injured, not more patients."

Chen Fating
Facilities Employee

When an arsonist burst into a hospital in Hangzhou, China to detonate a bomb and set fire to beds, environmental services worker Chen Fating's first thought wasn't to run. He knew he had to do something.

Chen's hands and feet had been badly burned. Later it was discovered that his foot was fractured. Yet he still leapt into action. He tackled the suspect and dragged him out of the ward into the hands of hospital security. Chen's selfless act saved the lives of 70 patients on the ward and prevented further danger to the building.

"Its a good feeling to know you can help make a lot of people's lives better."

Erika Wilkins
Food Service Manager

With so many new stresses, that first year of university can be tough when you're far from home. Unless you're studying at Tennessee Chattanooga where Erika is food service manager. She cares as much about students' wellbeing as she does about what they're eating.

Erika spotted a student sitting on her own looking down. She sat down and simply asked her if she was okay. The student immediately opened up and Erika listened to the student's feelings and fears. Just by listening, Erika comforted the student and helped her realize that even far from home, she was never alone.

"It was satisfying to step up and help other team members."

John Hammel
Uniforms Driver

Buried under sleet and snow, Texas went into a deep freeze last February. But the heart of route rep John Hammel burned warm. As large parts of the state struggled with no power and water, John did his part to keep hospitals running.

After a full day navigating treacherous roads, he volunteered for an emergency water run to Austin. With the loading docks covered in ice, he first helped load the pallets by hand. Then John slept in his truck so he could be on the road at dawn. The bad weather had traffic backed up for miles. The trip, normally two hours long, took all day and most of the evening. But John didn't turn back until the hospital got the supplies they needed.

"No matter how small or large the task at hand, everyone comes together to make it happen."

Angie McCormick
Business Dining

Last August a derecho ripped through Iowa. Its hurricane force winds caused major damage in the Cedar Rapids area leaving food and other resources scarce. Getting the power up and running was a priority for the area's main energy provided Alliant Energy. But how to provide meals for 500 powerline workers without power?

In less than 12 hours, Angie McCormick and her team developed a plan to feed the Alliant Energy employees while keeping COVID-19 safety measures top of mind. She brought together several teams as one to accomplish this herculean feat. At the peak, they served over 3,000 people at each meal and over 11 days they dished out 40,429 meals.