Public Service Recognition Week: Maeve Yourdon, DFAS Rome

ROME, NY, UNITED STATES

05.04.2022

Story by Kalyn Curtis 

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Rome, New York, May 4, 2022 - Americans have volunteered an estimated 113 billion hours over the past fourteen years. Maeve Yourdon has contributed to those hours for the past 11 years with the Deerfield Volunteer Fire Department in Deerfield, New York.

The Deerfield Volunteer Fire Department comprises over 70 active members and 30 associate members that have responded to an estimated 331 calls per year. Maeve and her husband, Kevin, are both active members.

For Yourdon - volunteer firefighting is her passion. In addition to her job as a lead in the Customer Service Call Center at DFAS Rome, Yourdon can add volunteer firefighter to her resume of jobs that help the community and those in it.

Firefighting is about helping others, but Yourdon says it's also about challenging herself.

"I just like helping people, but I'm always challenging myself, I'm always trying to prove myself. And it's not like I'm trying to prove myself to be one of the boys – because that's just not what it is," said Yourdon. "I'm challenging myself physically because I'm always trying to better myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. But I'm also trying to help others," Yourdon said.

Yourdon has been with DFAS Rome for just over one year. She started in Mil PCS as an examiner and recently got promoted to lead in the customer care center. Yourdon says the training she has received during her time at the fire department often goes hand in hand with her customer care skills at DFAS.

"As a firefighter over the years, I have difficult scenarios, where I'm on the scene with medical calls and I have bystanders or car accidents where there are head injuries. I have to calm people down and use my customer care skills," said Yourdon.

Yourdon says that it's comforting to her to know that she can be the one they look to in someone's worst hour.

"There are terrible things that I have seen, just things that you don't ever want to hear about, and yes bad things happen, but I would rather know that it happened and be able to help," Yourdon said. "The worst feeling in the world is when you're stuck and go 'what do I do? How do I fix that?'"

Training.jpgIT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR

Maeve isn't the only one in her family with a heart of gold. Her husband - Kevin Yourdon's roots run deep within the volunteer firefighting community, with several of his family members serving in various department roles. It all started with Kevin's grandfather being a founding member of the department.

"My husband's brother is a captain in our department, his father is in our department, his other brother is an associate member, his other brother is a lieutenant in Saratoga Springs, but he started out in our department. His mother used to be the head of the auxiliary," Yourdon said.

The volunteer fire department has been such a crucial part of Maeve and Kevin's relationship that they even had their wedding ceremony at the firehouse.

"I mean it's what drew us to each other. I'm pretty sure," said Maeve Yourdon.

Although the bride and groom tend to be the focal point at every wedding, the Yourdon's chose to highlight an organization the fire department has contributed to for years by including a donation as their wedding favor to Believe 271.

BELIEVE 271

Yourdon also runs the fundraising for charity by hosting Halloween parties, fish fries, and other fun community events. All the proceeds that are made go to charities like Believe 271, a charity that donates funds to help local firefighters fighting terminal illnesses.

"We give it to the charity and then the charity usually picks somebody and then they give a check to that fire fighter and that firefighter does with it what they will. It usually helps with bills, expenses, driving to and from, meals, whatever the case may be. It's usually a fire fighter who has cancer and who may be undergoing treatments."

The last one they did, as it turns out, was to Yourdon's brother-in-law, who has heart disease and is in congestive heart failure.

"My father-in-law is driving him back and forth, and due to COVID he can't stay with him – so he is renting a hotel," said Yourdon. "So, the expenses are going towards the hotel, and a little bit to the driving. So, that's a different situation sometimes it's cancer treatments that are paid for – it's whatever the case may be," Yourdon said.

If you want to get more information about how you can help with the donations to Believe 271, please visit www.believe271.com.

IF YOU'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT VOLUNTEERING – DO IT!

Yourdon said that one of the most rewarding things about volunteering is being there for someone in their worst hour. Of course, it's helpful to those who need it, but it gives the person who is volunteering a slice of humble pie.

"It's so humbling to volunteer, and that's why it's rewarding. Being a part of something, bigger than yourself, and helping somebody that can't thank you, that will never know. That doesn't even realize that you're helping them – that's one of the things that I love about firefighting."

She went on to say one of the reasons she loves volunteer firefighting is the anonymity of it all.

"That's one of the things that I love about firefighting is that you go to somebody's house that might not even remember you being there. I've been punched, I've been hit, I've literally put out somebodies fire… Or I have taken them out of their house that has been on fire, and they don't even realize that I've been inside their house. They have no way of thanking me, they have no idea that I exist, they don't even realize that I live in their town."

Yourdon says to remember that volunteering is bigger than yourself.

"No matter what it is that you volunteer for, just remember that the fact that you are thinking of [volunteering] is what's important."

If you would like to join the estimated 77.9 million Americans who volunteer each year, please visit www.unitedway.org to find out how you can help your community.

• Date Taken: 05.04.2022
• Date Posted: 05.06.2022 10:13
• Story ID: 420119
• Location: ROME, NY, US