Melyssa Haas: An Everyday Hero

Doctors, firefighters, policemen, Mother Theresa, and the Pope are just a few of the things that come to mind when we think of the word hero. What we don’t think about are the everyday hero’s that go unrecognized. These are the individuals who make a change not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us.

Today I would like to share with you one of these everyday hero’s that often goes unrecognized. Her name is Melyssa Haas. Melyssa and I met just two years ago at work and although I haven’t known her that long I quickly learned how much influence she would have not only in my life but in the lives of many women and children that I have never met.

First and foremost Melyssa is a mother. She has two children Issac who is 5 and
I met Mel when I became a waitress 2 years ago, we hit it off right away. Talking about our lives and family we quickly realized that we had a lot in common. We had both been slammed by the economy and had to go back to work, we both lived pretty far away from our families, and we both had two children, we have even been married almost the same amount of time.

But there was one thing she was doing that I wasn’t. Going back to school. Before meeting her I thought there was no way with my busy schedule that I could go back to school , get a business degree and still have time for family and
Mel works at a youth facility where her job title is “a cook” , but she is so much more than that. After serving the troubled kids their meals she makes it a point to stop what she is doing and goes and sits with the kids. When she sits with them she listens to what they have to say about their families and all the troubles that have been through. The kids know that they can trust her with their secrets because she does not judge them for who they are.

I also mentioned that she has a job as a counselor, this is at teen parents. Teen parents is a place where young mothers go who are homeless and in trouble. When these girls have no one else to turn to Melyssa is there. She has taken time away from her life with her kids to help these girls try to turn a new leaf.

Every Tuesday night she teaches the girls the basics of taking care of their new babies, how to budget their money, and even how to cook. Along with the classes she helps with many other things. She has taken the girls to countless doctors appointments, been at the hospital with them while they gave labor because no one else showed up, and has spent numerous occasions with some of the girls in the NICU. After giving birth if the moms are homeless Melyssa helps them find a place to live. While the she is trying to help the young mothers get established she opens up her home and takes care of their babies. Feeding, bathing, changing, and clothing