On April 13, Kelly Hostetler, executive director of St. Joseph County United Way, will be honored for her work supporting the health of the community at the Rotunda of the state capital in Lansing.
This award recognizes individuals and organizations across the state working to maintain and improve the health of their local communities. The Hometown Health Hero award is a major part of Public Health Week in Michigan. Hostetler was nominated for the award by the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency.
“Ms. Hostetler has been instrumental in supporting the health and well-being of St. Joseph County residents for many years,” says Rebecca Burns, Health Officer. “We are delighted to see her dedication honored through this award. Her assistance to our agency throughout the pandemic was invaluable. Ms. Hostetler worked tirelessly to support community vaccination efforts by coordinating volunteers and food for our agency’s mass vaccination clinics. More recently, she supported efforts to outreach in communities who needed additional access to vaccine and partnered with our mobile unit to support community “pop-up” vaccination clinics. St. Joseph County United Way’s support of the community and community agencies during the pandemic was critical to the resiliency of the county.”
Hostetler said she’s humbled and honored to receive the award.
“The staff at BHSJ CHA work hard every day, but during the pandemic their burden was heavy,” she said. “The partnership and collaboration between our agencies allowed us to support the county through a challenging time. This award truly belongs to the residents of St. Joseph County for their unselfish support of United Way, our partner organizations, and the local businesses and industries who came together during the pandemic.”
