Hometown Heroes

NYRA will be given first responders, doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers free admission to the grandstand on Friday, July 16th.

County Waste has partnered with us to honor those in our communities who are truly making a difference and Josh Grassi from Clifton Park is truly one-of-a-kind.  He loves animals so much, his spends countless hours (and his own resources) tracking down and locating lost pets.

GNA's Hometown Hero, Henrietta "Hank" Dunn from Duanesburg, was nominated by her friend Betsey.  Betsey explained to us all the terrific, selfless work that Hank does in the community and we were blown away.  Hank goes out of her way to make sure that women battling breast cancer get treated to things like facials, manicures, pedicures, haircuts, wigs, and even chocolates.  These are the

February's WGNA 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 GNA made to Carly surprising her

This unique woman is the epitome of a Hometown Hero. The Coxsackie native fights fires, spearheads fundraisers for her church, and spends countless hours creating fun activities for local kids. Jennifer Moore-Warren is our December Hometown Hero.

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 GNA 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 GNA why he decided to make such a bold leap and it's the kind of life-changi

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.

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.

Cheryl Schweinsberg from Albany is only 28 years old and she's already dedicated almost half of her life to serving her community by volunteering to change lives and work as a paramedic in Albany attempting to save them as well.  She was nominated to be April's Hometown Hero by her admiring co-worker Brianna and we're really glad she was.  After we spent a few minutes with Cheryl on the phone, we

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.