El Paso County Public Health Champion strives to serve others
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A Southern Colorado non-profit is receiving special recognition for providing volunteers to fight on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Emergency Incident Support Group provides critical support to first responders across the county. For the past three months, the non-profit helped vaccination clinics across El Paso County, providing them with meals and any support they might have needed.
Mary Williamson is one of three 2021 El Paso County Public Health Champions. She's part of the 27 Emergency Incident Support volunteers who ran 20 mission days supporting El Paso County Public Health vaccination clinics. This was on top of running all 20 days with the Emergency Incident Support group. Williamson was also giving vaccinations on the days between.
Williamson, a volunteer with Emergency Incident Support Group, says she is lucky to work in a career where every day feels like Christmas time, the season of giving.
"I don't know why we take the Christmas tree down, we can have the Christmas tree all day and we can just decorate it for each season," said Williamson.
For Williamson -- the season of giving is all year long. She spends her days donating countless hours with this organization -- helping our first responders.
"With public health, we were on scene at the vaccination clinics and we provide great food, not just good food but great food to support their morale," said Williamson.
During the pandemic -- the team referred to as the backbone of the county-- putting other volunteers' needs first to help fight off COVID-19.
"We did everything we could to give them something that would make them happy, and they would come in the morning and ask us - what is going to be for breakfast today, what is going to be for lunch today?"
The organization has been a staple in our community for more than five years -- helping with everything from natural disasters to everyday emergency response. but this year was a different type of test. Volunteers donated more than 1,000 hours helping first responders on the frontlines of the pandemic.
"This was the most challenging because we were also part of it and because it lasted so long. Usually, our others disasters and major fires don't last more than a week and this was something where we all had to take care of each other," said Williamson.
The organization itself is volunteer-based and is supported through donations and grants. For more on the organization head on over to their website by clicking here.
