Hometown Hero

Mark Becker from East Greenbush wasn't an easy guy to get a hold of, but for good reason.  This busy firefighter, Army vet, father of three children, and manager of a  family business certainly has his hands full! Yet he still finds time to give back to his community and acts as a great role model for his colleagues and everyone he's around.   We salute you sir, we thank you for your service, and

This month's Hometown Hero has worked at the same job for over thirty years where she serves selflessly in the city of Corinth. She lives by the mantra of doing one good deed a day. It could be a small act of kindness or a great big one as long as an effort is made to do one each day.

February's Hometown Hero is an amazing young girl named Carly Waters from Schoharie.  When Carly, 9, learned that both of her sisters deal with hearing loss, she decided to turn lemons into the sweetest way to raise money for kids dealing with the same problem.  Carly's mom Marissa wrote in on behalf of her kind daughter.  Read her story and hear the call that we made to Carly surprising her with

Our January Hometown Hero was slightly taken aback when we called the other morning. Moments after identifying ourselves the first thing she responded with was 'How can I help you?'

We've all had teachers and known school officials who've gone above and beyond the call of duty making long-lasting impacts on students.  November's Hometown Hero does all of those things and much, much more.  Her name is Lisa Mickle, and she's the principal of Okte Elementary School (Shen) in Clifton Park.

John Bradke is originally from Niskayuna where he served as a volunteer firefighter for 12 years, but in his heart, he knew he needed to be doing what he loves down in New York City. So 5 years ago he chased his dream of becoming a firefighter in the Bronx, leaving behind a loving girlfriend, family, and friends.  He told us why he decided to make such a bold leap and it's the kind of life-changin

Heroes come in all walks of life, lines of duty, and nooks and crannies. They are first responders, mentors, leaders, military personnel, and teachers.  And sometimes, they are simply a kind neighbor. September’s County Waste Hometown Hero is Ashley Carmichael from Potter Hollow and we are honored here at WGNA to tell you her story.

Renee from Selkirk was nursing a massive migraine when we unexpectedly called her Thursday morning to tell her about her Hometown Hero nomination.  We tried to tell her we were totally cool with calling her back, but Renee wouldn't budge.  Migraine or not,  her desire to spread the word about her homeless initiative 'Street Soldiers' was way too important to pass up.  She powered through the phone

Food festivals, country music concerts, and saving people's lives (not necessarily in that order) aren't exactly everyone's top 3 things they make time for in their lives.  But for one local young woman, she feels she was put here to do just that and she's pretty amazing.  However, food and music often get put on the back burner when it comes to rushing to a scene to help people.  Such is the case

What doesn't June's Hometown Hero do?  Kim Talbot from Scotia was just wrapping up the 2018 school year when we called her the other morning to talk to her about the nomination from a friend of hers.  She was in the middle of serving breakfasts, packing lunches and arranging for underprivileged students of the Scotia-Glenville school district to have their necessary essentials.  Listen to the phon

Every month it's such an honor to learn about everyday people doing simply amazing things and Chrissy and I get to experience that with our Hometown Heroes. May's recipient is a woman named Robin Wickham-Drobner from Coxsackie. What she does every single day is nothing short of remarkable, and it was our pleasure to honor her as this month's Hometown Hero.

Alexander Kovarovic, from Guilderland, is a nineteen year old motivational speaker, suicide prevention advocate, crisis prevention counselor, drug and alcohol intervention counselor, and an in training firefighter. He has been an advocate for teens across the country and around the world.