A new website, MyFrontLineHero.org honors the people who are at work every day in the battle against coronavirus, as well as those supporting them and those that inspire us all during the pandemic.
The site is a collaboration between Milwauke-based digital marketing and software development agency Northwoods and CelticMKE, which stages Irish Fest every year (except this one, sadly).
MyFrontLineHero.org allows visitors to submit stories and photos of heroes they know. They can be medical professionals, but also grocery store employees, law enforcement, volunteers, delivery drivers, teachers, retail and restaurant staff, and others.
The heroes will be recognized in a ceremony with a special concert next summer when Irish Fest returns.
Those who have been submitted to the site – as well as the submitters – will be recognized at the event.
"Myfrontlinehero.org is just one small way that our organizations could join forces to create an avenue to honor real-life heroes – our frontline workers risking their own health during COVID- 19 to keep the rest of us safe," said Mike Mitchell, executive director of Milwaukee Irish Fest.
"The beauty of this website is that anyone can submit a frontline hero – whether they work or live in the Milwaukee area, Wisconsin or elsewhere in the country. All of our frontline heroes deserve our deepest appreciation and thanks."
Visit myfrontlinehero.org for more information and follow the project on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
"It was important to both of our organizations to contribute something valuable to the COVID-19 effort," said Patrick Bieser, president and founder of Northwoods.
"Because Northwoods provides website design and development, and Milwaukee Irish Fest has a venue by which we can give additional recognition to our heroes, it seemed like a perfect way to come together to celebrate those who are working so hard to keep us safe, healthy, positive and inspired."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
