Dayna Hilton
Dayna Hilton is an amazing fire safety advocate.
Hilton, a certified Fire and Life Safety Educator II and Firefighter II, volunteers with Johnson County RFD #1 in Clarksville, Arkansas, on the Arkansas Fire Prevention Commission, is a deputy fire marshal for the State of Arkansas and serves on several national fire service committees. She volunteers as the state educator contact for the National Fire Protection Association for the state of Arkansas and is a member of the Home Safety Council's Expert.
Arkansas is ranked seventh in fire related deaths and injuries. Nationally, the very young have a much greater risk of fire-related deaths than other children. Troubled by these statistics, Dayna set out to help “make a difference” in the state of Arkansas and in the nation. Dayna has worked as a volunteer firefighter since August 2000 and has donated over 3,000 hours each year to help keep children and their caregivers fire safe.
She also established numerous fire safety programs to educate her community and nation. Dayna hosts several fire safety websites, blogs and radio programs geared toward the education of firefighters, children and their caregivers. She serves on committees on the local and national levels, conducts countless fire safety presentations as well as helping share her programming efforts with other fire departments.
Firefighter Dayna is also the author of a children’s fire safety book entitled Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog. To date, the book has been been credited with saving the lives of two adults and seven children. A portion of the book’s proceeds support the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation. Dayna’s four-legged companion, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, travels with her, taking their fire safety messages all across the United States. Together, the duo has reached millions of children and their caregivers.
Dayna’s efforts have brought about greater awareness of fire safety around the nation. Through innovative fire safety programming, Dayna and her canine companion, Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, have reached millions of children and their caregivers.
Carole Moore-Biggio
Carole Moore-Biggio of New Hampshire exemplifies the power of ordinary people accomplishing extraordinary things. When her brother, Brian Moore, was deployed to Iraq with his National Guard Unit, Carole started a non-profit organization with a mission to send care packages to troops in the Middle East. Carole and her “army of volunteers” sent supplies to Brian’s unit, and to any member of the military who requested a care package. The service members benefiting from Carole’s packages were so impressed by her ability to provide needed supplies that they named her organization “Mooremart”, because she had “moore” supplies than a national department store!
So far, Carole has sent care packages to more than 11,000 members of the Armed Services for a total 21,000 care packages.
Over the last three years, Carole has also organized a Christmas Stocking Drive, shipping almost 8,000 Christmas stockings to troops recuperating at international military hospitals, to members of the Armed Services stationed around the world, and to the processing center in Kuwait for military members arriving in the Middle East during Christmas week.
Today, MooreMart’s mission has expanded to include children in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mooremart has supplied two schools in rural Afghanistan and three schools in Baghdad. Orphanages and schools throughout the Middle East have benefited from new school supplies, toys and outerwear provided by Mooremart. Carole also organized soccer ball drives, distributing over 3,200 soccer balls to local villages throughout the Middle East.
Carole’s service is a strong reminder that people drive change, that passion overcomes obstacles and that service brings people together. Through Mooremart, Carole has mobilized her community and created a support network that now reaches thousands of miles to the Middle East and Asia.
Tyler McGee
As if Tyler McGee’s senior year in high school wasn’t busy enough, he has added visiting the sick and elderly, teaching reading to first graders, and working with the local Apple Valley Sheriff’s station.
However, Tyler may be best known for his work with dogs, training them in agility and obedience so they can serve alongside him. When Tyler was 6 years old, he began showing his Welsh Corgi, Shadow, who ran timed obstacle courses at the fair. So far, he has trained three dogs in agility and therapy work. Tyler and his dogs have visited senior citizens and the sick, to brighten their days. For the last three years, he has organized an annual Salute to Veterans Senior Citizen Fun Day with a barbeque lunch, hayrides, gifts, and dog agility exhibitions.
For the last six years Tyler has tutored first-graders in reading and organized Agility Fun Runs for Books, collecting almost 1,000 books and more than $1,000 to purchase books. His fundraising has provided books to 55 first- grade classes in the Apple Valley Unified School District.
At the Apple Valley Sheriff’s station, Tyler volunteers more than 120 hours a month. When one of the deputies was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Tyler organized two pancake breakfasts that earned more than $15,000 for the young deputy and his family.
Tyler’s volunteer work at the Sheriff’s station has made him a strong advocate for gun safety. He teaches the Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program to over 1,000 first-graders in his community. This program instructs students to stop, don’t touch, leave the area and tell an adult if they see or find a gun.
Tyler shows the power of an individual to change his community significantly for the better. He is an inspiration to the senior citizens, students and deputies of Apple Valley.
