MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon’s 2022 Volunteers of the Year are two dedicated members of the community: Guy Hager and Joe Rinehart.
Hager served in the Navy as a nuclear reactor operator on submarines from 1977 to 1983. He is a mechanical engineer and currently a training manager for Trillium Energy, a nationwide company for natural gas and hydrogen fueled vehicles.
Specifically for Mount Vernon, Hager is the director of the city’s neighborhood watch, which was no longer active, he said. The watch was created two years ago along with help from Debbie Fairest who created and designed the website.
Hager created the watch after seeing crime proliferate throughout his street. Afterward, he spoke with the Mount Vernon police chief, who was very interested in Hager’s proposition.
The goal for the watch, according to Hager, is for the city’s police and fire department to have extra eyes and ears on the street. In return, the goal is to reduce crime by reporting it and helping the police get to where they need to be.
The watch includes about 60 members, Hager said. He hopes to expand it in the coming months. There’s also plans to expand outside city limits with Apple Valley showing interest in starting its own neighborhood watch, he said.
Hager is also an honor guard member that provide military honors at funerals in and around Knox County, which he’s graciously done for two years.
Hager has been to about a dozen funerals, honoring veterans who served in the Vietnam and Korean War, he said.
“It’s one of the most wonderful things I do,” Hager said.
Joe Rinehart is the Communication Department Chair and Director of Broadcasting at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. He’s also part of WNZR radio on-air staff and also supervises the student media team for livestreaming of campus events, including MVNU Athletics.
He also works as chair of the Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival board, and is a member of the Food For The Hungry board of directors as well — which he sees as a top priority.
Food For The Hungry started annually in 1982, Rinehart said, with trucks filled with food for local community members.
“We had years where we raised $300,000,” he said.
When time allows, he directs and co-produces the live video stream of Food For the Hungry each year. This year Rinehart was the announcer for the Mount Vernon Memorial Day Parade.
The reason Rinehart is part of Food for the Hungry and the arts festival is that it’s bigger than himself, he said.
“It’s things that I enjoy doing,” he said. “Things that I learned and the gifts that I’ve tried to develop over the years to serve other people.”
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