The November Traverse City Business News is out, featuring a cover story that celebrates those locals who have made a massive difference, often behind the scenes.

Here's the TCBN's list of Hometown Heroes (keeping in mind these are just who are standing in for the hundreds we all encounter every day).

Norm Fred
Norm Fred had an idea. He was fishing with his brother-in-law and thought that area rivers, like the Platte, Manistee and others, needed some TLC.

“They were beautiful but filthy,” he said. “That bothered me.”

So in October of 2004 he hatched his big idea: He and some friends from the Traverse Paddle Club could spend a day cleaning the waters. He expected eight people … and 80 showed up. Better, yet when they were done for the day, he asked if they wanted to do it again the next year.

“Absolutely,” was the reply.

Fred says it took on a life of its own and became an annual event for the Traverse Paddle Club until 2011. That’s when Fred and his fellow volunteers established the Boardman River Clean Sweep as an official non-profit. Despite the name, it works to clean numerous rivers around the area. Even though the pandemic prevented the group from gathering last year, many of the volunteers went out on their own.

Today the 82-year-old is still going strong.

“The volunteers are amazing. We’ve made a big impact,” said Fred. “Now (the rivers are) amazingly clean.”

Denise Busley
When Mike and Denise Busley opened the Grand Traverse Pie Company in 1996, they didn’t know they’d be creating a pie empire. But as the endeavor took off, Denise found herself looking beyond pie to other ways she could help the community. She became involved in child sexual abuse prevention, working with the Traverse Bay Children’s Advocacy Center.

“I’m blessed I could do advocacy 100% of the time. I wouldn’t be able to do (work) outside the pie shop if it was not for the staff,” she said, crediting her husband Mike and staffers for keeping things humming, even through the pandemic.

She’s also worked closely with the Grand Traverse Community Foundation and supports non-profits such as the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Peace Ranch, Michael’s Place, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and others.

“I have a lot of passion for humanity,” she said.

And while she doesn’t work directly in the shops, which now total 15, she remains proud of the company’s commitment to the agricultural community.

“We’re in an agriculturally rich spot,” she said. “It’s about the community. Where can you put your energy to make a difference? Think globally, act locally.”

Nelson Asper
Like all the people profiled here, Nelson Asper doesn’t think of himself as a hero. He doesn’t even really think of his efforts for himself, but in tribute to his late wife Cindy.

“She said life is for living, loving and laughing,” he said. “It’s the motto we lived our lives by.”

When she passed away from cancer, he decided to do something that would honor her while helping the world around us. So he donated $30,000 to the city to build a butterfly garden at Hull Park in honor.

“We have four large gardens here at home on the Boardman, with lots of bees and butterflies,” he said. “All I plant are things for pollinators.”

In early summer last year, the two had noticed a decline in the monarch population. After she died, a long-planned family gathering included a single monarch, which fluttered over to greet the family.

“There’s Mimi Cindy!” one of the couple’s granddaughters shouted.

Asper says the monarch danced around the entire weekend. When he returned home, three chrysalises the couple had cared for had hatched into the gorgeous butterflies. He released them into the surrounding cedars, then noticed all the other monarchs floating around the wildflower garden.

Now the garden area behind the Traverse Area District Library will be transformed into a butterfly garden. Work will begin this fall, with planting taking place come spring – just in time for more butterflies.

Tristan Ringsmuth
During his senior year of high school in 2020, Tristan Ringsmuth found himself studying at home as the pandemic struck and online learning replaced in-person schooling. He knew many of his neighbors weren’t comfortable going out, even for necessities. So he began going on grocery and pharmacy runs for them.

“I realized I could do this as a service,” he said. “Those who are compromised or elderly needed help with their groceries. It was a surprisingly worrisome thing.”

As the pandemic raged on, he also knew the typical summer jobs wouldn’t be available. So after running errands for friends, he looked into Shipt, the delivery service that shops and delivers grocery items through Meijer, Costco, and its parent company Target, among other retailers.

“I’m a healthy young person and I felt less at risk. Not having to go out seemed like a good option for people I knew,” said Ringsmuth, referring to his grandmother and great aunt and uncle. He worked until he left for college and did so again when he returned for winter break.

This summer as things eased, he was able to get what he called “a slightly more normal job at a winery,” though he’s maintained his ties with the company.

“As demand goes down, I don’t want to be taking orders away from people who rely on that (employment) and need it more,” he said.

Jacques Brent-Burgess
Dr. Jacques Brent-Burgess, a specialist in internal medicine and pediatrics, has been part of hospitalist team at Munson Medical Center throughout the pandemic. He’s part of Sound Physician Partners, a team of around 60 doctors and nurse practitioners who work at Munson. Other members provide care at other facilities around the area and around the country.

He says that at the onset of the pandemic there were a lot of unknowns.

“We had to remain nimble. Things change very quickly,” said Burgess. The sudden onset and subsequent lack of equipment resulted in the reuse of PPE and judicious use of ventilators.

“This is real triage medicine,” he said.

It also meant changes at home.

“Many would disrobe and shower before (joining) their family. Some were sleeping on a different level from their families,” he said. That comes from a doctor who himself contracted COVID, even though he says he did everything right.

“It’s a very humbling experience,” he said.

Burgess bemoans what he calls a massive shortage of healthcare workers.

“I’m a bit curious as to where everybody has gone. We’re still short-staffed. Many of us are tired. We need respite,” he said.

While cheering the development and availability of vaccines, he sees the pandemic not giving up its grip easily.

“I believe we are not done yet,” he said.

Kim Gribi
Each summer for the past five years, Kim Gribi has welcomed a group of inner city Chicago students to the area, working with the Chicago organization My Block, My Hood, My City.

“I was watching the news one night and saw My Block, My Hood My City had just won a grant from Mazda,” she said. “I reached out.”

Now a group of kids and their chaperones drive up from the Windy City each summer, kicking off with a BBQ at Gribi’s home.

“If that was all we did, that would be a vacation” for them, Gribi says.

But that is just the start of a whirlwind four days. The kids stay at the nearby Sleep Inn and enjoy activities such as a trip to Mackinac Island, Adventure Camp at Crystal Mountain Resort, swimming at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, and zip-lining at Mt. Holiday.

Gribi believes in sharing what makes the area so attractive, enjoyable and safe.

“Inner city kids can just be kids. Some hadn’t even ridden a bike,” she said.

In fact, even after she’d encouraged some to take bikes and ride around the neighborhood, they hadn’t. She asked why and was dumbfounded when told that it was considered far too dangerous at their home and they didn’t know it could be safe here.

The program has gotten so popular Gribi says there’s a waiting list to participate.

Jonathan Reed
After joining the Marines out of high school, Jonathan Reed transferred to the Army to go into nursing, a unit the Marines don’t offer.

After discharge, he was placed in the inactive reserves and began working at Munson Medical Center, attending nursing school at Northwestern Michigan College. Soon, he was unexpectedly called up. And rather than being assigned to a nursing unit, he was assigned to help guard a National Guard intelligence unit in Iraq, where he suffered injuries.

Upon returning to Traverse City, he graduated in 2008 with his B.A., then began working on a doctorate. He was feeling fatigued all the time and started having difficulty with his graduate studies. His neck injury was finally rediagnosed as a brain injury. He was forced to abandon his studies in the doctorate program at Grand Valley, and worse, he couldn’t collect any disability unless he quit working altogether.

“The (Veterans Administration) fought me for three years after their doctor had diagnosed me,” he said.

In 2020, his status was changed after nine years of not being allowed to work. He immediately contacted Munson, and was hired for a medical surgical unit in May as the pandemic was surging.

“I would have come back whenever,” Reed said. “Being away were some rough years.”

Being back was rough too – Reed himself caught COVID. He recently returned to a critical care position, his first love.

“I don’t question the choice to come back,” he said. “I love my job.”

Piper Shumar
Piper Shumar first started collecting empty returnables on a whim. While waiting for her dad at the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race, she noticed a lot of empties on the ground. She decided to collect some of them so she could buy herself a winter bike helmet. Instead, her dad George Shumar suggested she donate the nearly $100 to Bikes for Tikes, which provides bicycles for kids who can’t afford them.

Now Piper’s Project: This Girl Can is an ongoing endeavor. It’s expanded its geographic footprint, with people coming from as far away as Grand Rapids to drop off cans.

Piper has expanded its reach as well: Last year she purchased gift cards for older kids.

While it is dubbed Piper’s Project, her parents are a vital part of the endeavor, driving to pick up and haul the empties.

“It’s become a part-time job,” said dad George with a laugh.

Timber Ridge campground serves as a collection point. Other local supporters include Mr. Bill’s T Shirt Shop, which makes t-shirts to sell at Timber Ridge. The profits go to the project, of course.

Her notoriety has spread as far as Florida, where a local TV station picked up on the story. Locally Piper was awarded the Good Deed Award by the American Legion Auxiliary.

Good deed and good news: She plans to keep up the good work for the foreseeable future.

“I’ll likely do a couple more years,” she said.

Tiffany and Jason McQueer
During the pandemic when schools had transitioned to online learning, the owners of J&S Hamburg South still noticed school buses going by. They learned that they were delivering the free lunches to students who otherwise wouldn’t receive them.

Knowing that wasn’t happening on the weekend, they decided to step into the breach.

“I wondered who was feeding the kids on the weekends,” said Tiffany. “My husband said, ‘We are.’ He’s a pretty awesome guy.”

Given the unknowns during the early stages of the pandemic, they opted to use all pre-packaged items, including an Uncrustables peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, apple sauce and juice. That first week they did 80 meals. By the second week, they were up to 400. That was back in April of 2020; the number has since doubled.

Not content to stop there, they also made trays of food for workers at Munson.

“We needed to do something that made us happy,” Tiffany said.

Now they’re still going strong, totaling some 59,000 meals. They also have added a drop-off in their hometown of Kingsley at Rock Youth Center. One change is that Project Feed the Kids is now a nonprofit. While they took donations previously, they didn’t realize at the time that they would have to pay taxes on them.

“Donations have slowed down, but as a nonprofit, corporations can donate and we can get grants,” she said. “It’s been really amazing.”

Maya Tisdale
Serving as an inspiration for her family is one thing. Maya Tisdale has taken that to another level, as the centerpiece of a book about overcoming obstacles. Not bad for a second-grader.

Maya was a super preemie, weighing only 1lb. 10oz. at birth. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. At four she had surgery to destroy problematic nerve roots in the spinal cord with the hope she’d be able to someday walk without assistance.

“Someday” turned out to be just seven weeks later.

Maya’s mom Ann decided to encourage others as they’d been encouraged, and the result was “Mighty Miss Maya: See It, Then Be It,” a book wherein the title character is a fierce little girl who doesn’t let anything stand in her way. She and her dog Abby go on big adventures and when she face challenges she reminds herself to see it and then be it.

It came from a motto the Tisdales have in their family. Ann says they plan to have another book based around a family saying come out in fall 2022. Maya says while her mom writes the books, she weighs in with suggestions.

“Change this a little, that a little,” she said.

They’ve used proceeds from the book to help other children get physical therapy such as Maya has. To date they’ve raised about $4,000.

“We’ve helped four kids from around the country get intensive therapy,” Ann said.

Caelin Runyon
Caelin Runyon wanted to be a nurse, but after a year the Buckley native decided she wasn’t quite ready. So she joined the Air Force, serving her country for six years. Now she’s back at Munson Medical Center as a nursing assistant on one of its critical care heart floors while going to nursing school.

“I started on the floor at 18 and was trying to go to school. It didn’t work,” she said.

So at 19 she opted for the Air Force, where she became a weapons loader. She says she learned a lot there, though after one stint left to go back to her first love.

“I didn’t want it to be a career,” she said.

Now she’s back on A3 and just started her first year at Baker College while remaining in the Air Force Reserve, but things haven’t been easy since March 2020, she says.

“The hardest time was in November. The whole floor was COVID-positive and we were short-staffed,” she said. “I saw fatalities. That really opened my eyes as to how serious it was and is. It’s mentally and emotionally exhausting.”

Runyon says lessons learned during her time in the Air Force continue to serve her.

“Both (demand) teamwork,” she said. “You can’t do it by yourself.”

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