Hoosier Lottery Beneficiary, Local Police & Firefighters’ Pensions

David is one Hoosier who truly has a passion for helping people in their time of need.

David started his 32-year firefighting career in Wayne Township as a volunteer firefighter. In 1998 he was hired at Plainfield Fire Territory as a paramedic firefighter, where he worked his way up to Battalion Chief. In 2014 he stepped down and spent the remainder of his career driving the Plainfield Fire Department fire truck.

“Driving the truck was my favorite part of the job,” he said. “I was responsible for everyone, and the lights and sirens were pretty cool.”

When asked why he wanted to be a firefighter, David said, “Most people look at firefighters as heroes. And while you don’t do life-saving things every day, you do make an impact on people's lives.”

He continued, “The old saying is that you meet these people on their worst day and it's your job to fix that for them. Whether it means taking them to the hospital, getting them out of a car accident, putting out the fire, or just being there and being human with them. Once I realized that, I realized this is something I wanted to do for a very long time.”

David shared an example of one of these very human moments. Years ago, an older gentleman passed out on the lawn while cutting his grass. David and his team showed up, and after they took care of the man, they realized he was still very concerned about his grass not getting cut. One of David’s firefighters asked if he could finish the job, which of course, David allowed. The good deed made it to Facebook and was even picked up by local news.

“This man was so concerned about his neighbors and his grass, and we were able to step up and take that burden off of him and make a huge impact on his life,” David said. “We made him feel like we cared, because we actually did.”

Now retired, David has a new role – one where he’s still making sure people are taken care of. After volunteering for many years, David now serves as Facilities Director for the local Meals on Wheels program, which provides healthy meals for people in their homes.

“It's a great organization with a great cause,” David said. “You just assume everyone has food, but that’s not the case. That's what drew me here. I can continue to help people by feeding them nutritious, heart-healthy meals every day.”

David is thankful for his pension and said it played a role in him being able to retire. When he’s not working at Meals on Wheels, David enjoys spending time with his two children, woodworking, fishing, day tripping, going to sporting events and checking out different farmers’ markets with his wife. He even enjoys playing the occasional lottery ticket.

The Hoosier Lottery would like to extend our sincere gratitude to David and all the other fire department personnel who make a huge difference in the lives of so many, each and every day.