Welcome to the second edition of Hero Highlight! This month’s hero is Putnam County’s Linda Merkel. For those of you that know Linda, know that I have made a stellar choice in this month’s selection.

I first met Linda when I was in the seventh grade. My older siblings were involved in P.I.E club which stands for Prevention Intervention Education. This club was all about substance awareness and education. Once a month students from every school in my county join together for the P.I.E breakfast, which is this club’s version of a meeting. Since my older siblings were my ride to school, I also went to these early morning meetings. Linda was eager to get me involved with the organization and her passion for aiding in the education of the community was contagious. After meeting her, I realized that there were little bits of Linda all around me. This woman had a hand in everything. After getting to know her through P.I.E., she also got me involved with Teen Court, National Night Out, The Puppet Program, and more.

Teen Court is one of my favorite extra curricular activities that I was involved with in high school. This was a program where minors who had infractions with the law could be represented by their peers to a group of their peers, who served as jurors and would decide their sentence. As long as they completed their sentence fully, their infraction would be removed from their permanent record. When I was just starting, I served as a juror and had a small role in the organization. However, Linda did not let me settle there. She asked me to serve as an attorney and represent my peers in their trial. While the thought of representing someone else in a legal setting was intimidating, it provided me with a new way to connect with and serve my community. This was an awesome experience for me. Not only was I learning the basics of legal practices, I was also reminded to stay out of trouble every time I served. Linda is the reason I had this opportunity. Had she not pushed me to get involved on a more active level, I would have stayed in my comfort zone, and my work within my community would have been limited.

Linda not only aides in teen court and P.I.E. coalition, but she also was a key component in making sure National Night out happened yearly, elementary substance and abuse programs were put into place, and that the youth of Putnam County was always a priority. Recently, after serving her community for thirteen years as the director of Putnam County Youth Development Commission, she has recently retired.

However, “retired” is a very relative term for Linda. She maintains being ever loyal to her community as she currently stays involved in PIE coalition, serves as the Co-Chair for National Night Out, and volunteers in other parts of her community.

My life has been greatly affected by Linda Merkel. She has given me amazing volunteer opportunities, allowed me to form connections within my community, and has challenged me to be the best version of myself. However, I am not alone in my admiration for Linda. She has connected with hundreds of kids while serving in her community, and somehow has made each and every one feel valued, appreciated, and worthy of a voice. Linda advocates for the youth of Putnam County, and teaches the youth to advocate for one another. Putnam County has been incredibly blessed by Linda’s presence. Though she has chosen to move into retirement, her legacy will live on for many years to come.

Linda Merkel is known for constantly putting the youth of Putnam County first. She is an advocate for kids, a servant to others, and a mentor for many in her community. I am honored to share a bit of her story with you all and I hope you can all see why she is deserving of this month’s hero title.

Linda, Putnam County owes you a great debt for your years of work. I am honored to know you and have been mentored by you.