Kind hearts, civic pride combine to honor frontliners in O’Fallon

A grassroots movement to spread joy throughout O’Fallon has been gaining momentum the past few weeks.

The “O-Town Proud” goal is to honor local medical professionals, police, fire, EMS and communications personnel while supporting local businesses.

“We want to thank everyone for their love and support. We wanted to give a token of appreciation to people that deserve it, for their hard work and dedication,” said Brad Lewis, an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in O’Fallon who put this idea in motion.

He was encouraged by several community-minded individuals.

The idea was simple: Purchase a light gray T-shirt, sweatshirt or hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with the navy logo “O-Town Proud.” Designed by Daniel Cox and printed by C&C Sports, 100 percent of the proceeds would be used to purchase gift cards from local restaurants, then distributed to health care workers and first responders. The tops range in price from $14 to $25.

O-Town Proud took off like a wildfire.

“When I first did my video, I thought we might get $500-$1,000. I couldn’t believe it. It had 100 shares and we raised over $4,000,” Lewis said.

The donations keep coming in, and he is ecstatic.

Lewis has purchased restaurant gift cards, and with volunteers, has delivered them to health care workers at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and Memorial Hospital East, and to the O’Fallon Police and O’Fallon Fire and O’Fallon/Shiloh EMS personnel, plus the telecommunications dispatchers.

“It’s actually not an original idea,” he said. “A friend in another town was doing something similar, and I thought we could put our own twist on it. I really wanted something that could give pride to the community, that people could be proud to be from O’Fallon, that we could wear and share, and support local businesses.”

Volunteers help deliver the T-shirts and apparel orders.

Wayne Portell of C&C Sports is the only one handling the goods, Lewis said, and he puts the shirts in plastic bags and organizes them.

“I’d love to shake his hand, but we don’t to be safe,” he said.

He has another friend who put the orders on Excel spread sheets, and volunteers check off the lists as they drive to the delivery destinations.

“We’re trying to be as mindful of government regulations as we can,” he said.

Lewis proud of community response

While Lewis always had faith in people’s goodness, now during a critical public health emergency, it’s even more inspiring and gratifying to see.

“Kindness is a powerful thing. A lot of people want to find ways they can help other people,” Lewis said. “The vast majority of our parishioners are always seeking ways to try to help the community.”

And he finds comfort in watching more young people get involved in serving others.

“The last couple of years, I’ve been seeing the younger generation in larger numbers find ways to help out in the community. I think they’re finding it to be a lot of fun,” Lewis said.

“It’s so cool to see the different ages and groups of people come together in new ways,” he said.

Lewis, who has been at the O’Fallon church for eight years, officially was ordained a minister in July 2019. He grew up in Belleville, O’Fallon and Shiloh, and his wife, Jamie, is from O’Fallon. He is also the chaplain for the O’Fallon Police Department.

While he is a person who thrives on face-to-face interaction, he understands the importance of social distancing during this stay-at-home quarantine.

“I’m on Zoom now for meetings two-three times a day. It’s a way of connecting,” he said.

New wrinkles to O-Town Proud

Two things are new to the cause. They are now giving away O-Town decals to anyone who donates $10 or more at www.otownproud.com.

Besides on cars, Lewis said he would love to see them in business windows.

Another incentive to recognize deserving people, he has a Healthcare Hero nomination form for people to fill out. He is looking for someone who has stepped it up during the coronavirus pandemic.

The only qualifications are that the nominee live or work in O’Fallon and they be in a healthcare related field.

“They do not have to be involved in direct patient care. Lots of folks who support our community provide critical ancillary services,” he said.

Qualified nominees will be entered into a drawing and the winner will be randomly chosen. The winner will receive a $200 gift card to 1818 Chophouse-O’Fallon. For the form, go to this Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScSmxJzw1tqvd-LDCaYDKvEDNeItDlJ7FylVMQUKPi7mgBe2A/viewform

“We continue to be amazed and overwhelmed by all the generous donations and support we continue to receive from the community,” said St. Elizabeth’s CNO Regina Peterson.

Heart print-outs, other website info

Because some people are asking what they can do to offer further support, they can show their appreciation for health care workers by displaying a heart print-out from the hospital website and place it on their front door or in their front window.

“As our health care workers drive into work each morning or evening, they would see these hearts on their way in to work at our hospital and clinics. It would really give our colleagues a boost to see how everyone is pulling for them,” Peterson said.

Visit www.steliz.org/paper-hearts and print out the 8.5” x 11” heart flyer and display it on a front door or in a front window. There is also a heart outline parents can print out for their kids to decorate and display. Everyone is encouraged to take a photo and share it on social media with the hashtag, #heartsforhealthcare.

O-Town Proud has a Facebook page where Lewis posts videos, photos and updates.

To purchase O-Town T-shirts or make a donation, visit www.otownpround.com. To contact Pastor Lewis, email him at: otownproud@gmail.com.