Meet the First Responders Honored in Our Hometown Heroes Program

Each month from April through October, we're partnering with Partners Bank to honor one Hometown Hero — a veteran, firefighter, paramedic or police officer who has made our community a better place through their service.

Meet the heroes we've honored so far:

1) Jill Tsiplakis developed and implemented a radio literacy program for the local populace while she was deployed with the Army in Afghanistan in 2010-11. More recently, after she returned stateside, she launched Stepping Stones Family Services, a nonprofit that provides free diapers, wipes, child care items, groups, and classes to mothers in need across the Greater Merrimack Valley, North Shore, and southern New Hampshire region.

2) Chris McLaughlin is the Topsham fire chief with a can't-stop-won't-stop attitude and gives back and helps his local communities. He started as a volunteer firefighter at age 18, at some point in his career serving as volunteer fire chief for West Gardiner and working full time as a firefighter in Augusta.

3) Tiffany Pearce is an EMT, firefighter and dispatcher. She's someone who you can always count on, is always picking up extra shifts to help people out, and will work when she's sick (even one time losing her voice and running a fever).

4) Asa Johnson has served at the North Hampton Police Department for over eight years, being promoted to sergeant in August 2018. He is always willing to help out his fellow staff members, whether it be with working extra hours so another officer can take time away with his/her family, or helping another officer outside of the police department with a home improvement project.

We know there are several other police officers, firefighters, EMTs and veterans who go above and beyond to serve their communities — and we need your help to nominate them!

Each month through October, we will select and highlight one veteran or first responder from Maine, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire to recognize them as our Hometown Hero of the Month. If they are selected, the Hometown Hero of the Month will also win a $100 gift card to Amazon and a $50 gift card to Aroma Joe's.

That's not the only way Partners Bank is honoring veterans and first responders. Partners Bank offers a Heroes banking bundle, including:

• Heroes Savings Account: Receive higher interest rates as your balances increase with no minimum balance needed to earn interest.
• Heroes Checking: Includes free checks forever, no monthly service charge, free ATM use (Partners Bank covers ATM fees at other banks' machines) and free LifeStages identity protection services
• Discounts to local attractions
• Free LifeStages Identity Theft protection
• Free financial seminars and webinars

Ready to learn more about how Partners Bank can help you? Click here to view their website or call (207) 324-2285.