Four Freedom Festival heroes to be honored Friday

This year's Freedom Festival Heroes all serve their community with their time, talents and passion.

• What: Tribute to Heroes Luncheon
• When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, June 25
• Where: Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel, 350 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
• Tickets: $30 each by calling (319) 365-8313 or visiting www.freedomfestival.com

• What: Tribute to Heroes Luncheon
• When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Friday, June 25
• Where: Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel, 350 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids
• Tickets: $30 each by calling (319) 365-8313 or visiting www.freedomfestival.com

The four heroes, Chuck Scott, Karla Goettel, Steve Thomas and Vicki Terronez, all of Cedar Rapids, will be honored June 25 at the “Tribute to Heroes” luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel. They also will serve as grand marshals for the Freedom Festival Parade on June 26.

Chuck Scott

After retiring from Rockwell Collins in 1991, Chuck Scott, 81, wanted to contribute to the community where he grew up by volunteering.

“I didn't just want to sit and relax,” he says.

He started volunteering at Salem United Methodist Church where he is a member. Through the church, he was introduced to the Margaret Bock Housing project and the Ecumenical Community Center.

He maintains the finances for all three entities, which takes about 30 hours a week.

“It's almost a full-time job,” he says. “I still take time for the things that are necessary. I pick and choose my own hours.”

Scott continues to volunteer despite undergoing treatments for cancer the past two years.

“My energy level has been taxed over the past few years,” he says. “But activity and the need to continue helps me.”

Last year the Ecumenical Center and its member agencies, Helping Hands and CompuPlace, moved into the building at 601-605 Second Ave. SE. The building also houses Green Square Meals and Witwer Senior Center meals.

“If a person is hungry, they can find a meal in Cedar Rapids,” Scott says.

Scott can usually be found at the center each day.

“I'm hoping that I am making a contribution to the community,” he says.

Karla Goettel

Shortly after the Flood of 2008 ravaged her hometown of Cedar Rapids, Karla Goettel lost her longtime friend to breast cancer.

“I felt a hole in my heart,” she says.

Wanting to fill that hole, on Christmas Day that year, she called a friend who was affected by the flood to see if she needed help.

Several families helped her friend and her neighbors by providing immediate needs such as furniture and household goods.

“It was a wake-up call,” Goettel says. “Helping five families was not going to touch the tip of the iceberg.”

While speaking about the needs of flood victims, Goettel met Wendee Deal and Susan Elliott-Bryan in May 2009, and the Flood Them With Love organization expanded.

Since then, the organization has partnered with Horizons and has helped more than 1,500 people with more than $300,000 in cash and vouchers and countless household items.

“It has taken an army of angels,” Goettel, 60, says. “I feel like an incubator. There are major donors in the community who have stuck with us since the beginning.”

Goettel, a professional musician, still speaks about the continuing needs of flood victims.

“We need to remind the community that people are still suffering mightily,” she says.

Steve Thomas

When St. Luke's Hospital physical therapist Steve Thomas was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, he retired in June 2008.

“I lost my strength and balance,” he says. “I decided not to put my patients at risk.”

He immediately volunteered with Hands On Disaster Response with flood recovery.

“I wanted to serve,” he says. “My goal in life is to help people.”

He has also volunteered with the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition, AmeriCorps and Block by Block.

“I've been gutting homes for two years,” he says. “It gives me something to do. I want to keep busy. As a physical therapist, your realize if you don't help yourself, you can't help others.”

While he is honored to be named a Freedom Festival Hero, he believes there are more deserving people for the award.

One person he has is mind is Cedar Rapids Police Officer Tim Davis who suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was assaulted by a robbery suspect in 2009.

“I have a disease that nature caused, but Mr. Davis has a disease that crime and violence caused.”

Thomas, 63, is thankful he still has the mobility and energy to help with flood recovery.

“I try to make the best of whatever time I have left,” he says. “I'm glad I'm still able to do this. Instead of fixing people, I'm fixing houses.”

Vicki Terronez

Vicki Terronez, 58, began her career at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids in 1980 in the financial aid department.

When the department was restructured in 2004, she became the college's Veteran's Affairs Certifying Official.

As certifying official, Terronez evaluates military transcripts, reports veterans' withdrawals to the Department of Veterans Affairs and advocates for veterans.

Not a veteran herself, she learned everything she could about veterans' benefits by attending training at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in St. Louis and joining certifying official organizations.

“I wanted resources to draw from,” she says.

As well as serving as sponsor for the Kirkwood Veterans Club, she is on the board of directors of the Iowa Military Education Coordinating Committee and is the volunteer chair of Stand Down for Homeless Veterans in Cedar Rapids.

At Kirkwood, she helped facilitate a private Veterans' Lounge on the third floor of Iowa Hall.

“It's a nice place for everyone to interact and get to know each other,” she says. “They could be sitting in class and not realize the person sitting next to them is a veteran.”

Terronez is proud to be a sounding board for Kirkwood's veteran population, which tops 550 students.

“Sometimes it's hard for them to transition,” she says. “I have the best job on campus.”