Tommies Making a Difference
Paper hearts are popping up on windows around the world. Children are waving to grandma and grandpa through glass doors. Young, healthy adults are doing grocery shopping for elderly neighbors. These stories of connection and survival are both heartbreaking and uplifting, as people navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are grateful to St. Thomas alumni who chose to answer a call when given the chance to make a bigger impact in their communities. Meet a few of these Tommie heroes!
Tommie Heroes
Chad Ford '99
Between working full-time at CHS Inc. and raising a young family, Chad Ford '99 spends his weekends as a volunteer firefighter. And the "new normal" at the station has changed how his team responds to its calls.
Phil Steger '13 J.D.
With local homeless shelters facing a shortage of hand sanitizer, Phil Steger '13 J.D., owner of Brother Justus Whiskey, had his company shut down its entire operation and focus on gettting as much sanitizer as possible into places that need it most.
John Monahan '73
A when a nonprofit hospital system was running low on supplies, this entrepreneur rallied his network of friends and colleagues to create and distribute the items most needed on the frontline.
Hannah Volkman '14
Hannah Volkman ’14 is an epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When she accepted her new job and moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January, she couldn’t have known what would happen next. “Just about when I settled in, the quarantine began and my professional and personal life transformed overnight,” said Volkman.