Hometown Heroes

Jillian Ferron, of Malta, has been working as a USO member to ease the lives of soldiers by offering them a break from battlefields and allowing them to stay connected with their families.

Veronica Alber, of West Lebanon, has been working on a project, not to enhance her own life but the life of her friend and personal hero.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Jordan Barach of Bethlehem, worked as a firefighter, EMT, and also serves as a Marine.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Alex Lilac raised $15,000 for a scholarship fund in memory of a Capital Region native who lost his life this year.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Stephen Freiberger, of Stillwater, has worked a multitude of jobs as a civil servant, including working as an EMT, Army veteran, police officer, and firefighter.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Aidan O'Connor Jr., of Oak Hill, works as a flight paramedic for Lifenet of NY at the base located at the South Albany airport.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Gerald Christie, of Halfmoon, started a nonprofit organization to raise money for students who cannot afford to attend college. But what inspired him to start his generous organization may qualify him to be a "hero" in and of itself.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Cpl. Frank Houser of The United States Marine Corps., of Wynantskill, became what some may call a "hero" after he returned from deployment in Afghanistan.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Diana Wahid, of Schenectady, became what some may call a "hero" after she delivered a baby in her own apartment building.

This week's "Hometown Hero," Jessica Painter, of Albany, works to give animals a second chance at life with new families. She does this by taking professional photographs of animals in shelters in hopes that those photographs will get the animals adopted...

This week's "Hometown Hero," Adrienne Wilson, works to bring a sense of community to Troy. Fittingly, her nominator listed her occupation as a "community servant," reflecting the time and energy she puts into where she calls home. She is driven to improve the environment and encourages youth to start thinking globally while acting locally...

Melissa Rosenthal-Dubin has been leading a troop of Girl Scouts for the past several years, showing passion for her troop and for her community. When she's not helping her girls earn badges, the Guilderland resident also owns her own business and is raising four kids of her own...