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of Omaha
Nominated by Rachel Mann of Omaha, who wrote:
Romans 5: 3-5, "Knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us." My brother and I have heard these words of wisdom more times than not. Anytime we were struggling, whether it was after a hard fought soccer game, or a confrontation with a friend, these words from our father gave my brother and I a positive outlook on the situation. He is a man of respect, commitment, courage and compassion. He has been an Omaha Firefighter for twenty years and counting, frequently being involved in life or death situations. My father has received the honor of being ranked a captain, representing leadership going into the fires first and making decisions for the entire station under pressure. Being a firefighter entails working twenty-four hour shifts every other day. One may think this would put a strain on his family time and other activities, but this is far from the truth!
He makes sure to make it to every event that my brother or I have when he is not working, and not only is present, but gets involved. My father managed to be the head of our high school soccer snack shack, as well as being a representative for the Positive Coaching Alliance. He volunteered for this role, learning ways to control situations when soccer games may get rowdy and maintains a positive outlook. He accompanied me on a weeklong Church mission trip to Michigan as an Adult leader where we helped in a suffering community, as well as bonding with each other. My younger brother, going through Church confirmation, was lucky to have my dad as his Confirmation guide. As a guide he would meet with my brother and three other boys each week to learn and ready themselves for their Confirmation. He is currently a Sunday school teacher for the little ones, and is an active volunteer in Big Brother Big Sister. One may be asking, Are you sure one man can do all of this?
That's not even the beginning of it all. His firefighting skills took him to elementary schools teaching the young students about fire safety. Respect is something very important to my father. He feels so passionately about it that he decided to create "Cowboy Dave." This all came together after he wrote a poem about learning respect on the farm during his childhood. He decided he wanted to pass the message on. Soon his poem turned into a performance in which his character entertained and taught elementary students all around Omaha. He was then recognized by a filming company and offered to create a DVD. My father went from fire safety presentations to having his own DVD for sale in a year. Now children all over may learn lessons my father taught my brother and I many times before. I do not know another man who may be more deserving of this honor other than David Robert Mann, "My Daddy."
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