a guy who knows about a community

I grew up in a small town. I returned to that small town (Red Bluff, Ca) back in 2004 after my 4 year contract with the US Navy. Since returning home, I've met hundreds of people who make a great impact in the Community. From sports organizations to non profits to your everyday heroes that help a small town stay alive and in our case, thrive.

About six months ago, I was sent a friend request by a dog... Yes a dog. His name? Kaiser Von Hindlick... I got the notice on my phone and at first glance, I thought this was some kind of spam account or something even worse. To my surprise, when I got home, I got on the computer and checked the account out. The dog's owner, Dan Mabry, sent me a friend request shortly after. From first glance, Dan seemed to be just an average guy who had a funny sense of humor. However, after a few weeks, I realized he was much more than "average".

And so now over the past 6 months or so, I've seen Dan jump head first into the topics and problems that face our local community. We had a missing teenager, and he spent his days and nights tirelessly asking people to get the word out. Missing dogs, homes lost to fires, home insurance rates skyrocketing because of ISO ratings.... You name it, if its a problem for our local community, he's there trying to find a solution for it. He's a Rudy. To him, no problem is too big if you get enough people involved. He isn't pushy in trying to get people to purchase insurance through him. He's too busy trying to make a real difference in the area.

About two months ago, he shared a story of a neighbor who had been battling with Wells Fargo. The story goes that his neighbor had reached a deal with Wells Fargo Mortgage and weeks after the "Deal", she was served with a foreclosure notice. Being the hero that Dan is, he hopped on the horn and shared the information of the CEO of Wells Fargo along with email, fax, and phone numbers for the office of the CEO.

I have had many conversations with Dan, and I consider myself lucky to have met him and his lovely wife Debi, and their awesome dog Kaiser. If there were a photo in the dictionary next to the word Local Hero, Dan's face would be there. If you have a chance, swing by his page and say hi. Send a friend request to his dog who responds with "ARRF", and see just how much of a difference this man is doing in our community. I wish everyone had a man like Dan in their community.

Happy New year everyone!