By james art 
Cheyenne – The practice of sharing her blessings and lending a hand for help has been planted in Melissa Mendes from an early age.
As a military child, she also witnessed the victims that her father made while active.
“I was born in the Philippines,” Mendes said. “My father was located abroad and when my mother came here in this country (she) had only my father and still wanted to help others.”
This family trait of kindness followed Mendes in her career as the first sergeant with the 153rd security squadron at the National Guard of Wyoming Air and the Integrated Workplace for Primary Prophylaxis (IPPW).
Mendes’s role as an IPPW specialist is focused on dealing with problems before escalating and creating a positive environment for members of the service throughout the country.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Mendes is one of the three IPPW specialists on a national scale, which will be selected as an integrator of the year to “create a military culture in the cowboy security”.
“Knowing that Wyoming, as a small country, has the ability to stand out and rise above, brings a level of pride for the whole team and motivates all of us to continue to do great things,” said the cowboy’s main prevention manager in the main prevention manager in in a news message. “We will never be the greatest condition in the room, but we can lead the road.”
“I definitely prefer to do things because they are the right things to do,” Mendes told The Wyoming Tribune Eagle. “The recognition is great, don’t get me wrong, but all that I did to try to make these changes.”
As a citizen, an air man Mendes balances the military and the community. In its role in prevention, she uses data to identify what struggles the members of the service can be confronted with.
She has analyzed the challenges of mental health, financial stress and relationships and collaborated with inherited programs such as suicide prevention and prevention and response to sexual attacks. This guarantees that the right resources reach those who need them most, according to a message from the National Guard of Vioming Air.
“When they go through the storm, if someone can help this lighthouse, this is sometimes all they need to help them understand how they can show over the water,” Mendes said.
Following the reported high levels of financial stress, Mendes coordinated with local financial advisers to provide targeted seminars, which were highly evaluated by members of the service, according to the announcement.
“Melissa continues to grow and distinguish in her leadership role,” Malone said. “She is constantly helping others, manages conversations and projects and leads the road. The manual she demonstrates does not stop with IPPW, but extends to her role as a 1st shirt (first sergeant) in Wyang. “
Mendes’s ability to connect with people and turn data into applicable solutions is incomparable, Malone said, although Mendes is more lavish in his achievements.
For Mendes, the biggest thing is hope and stability. She hopes others will see this award and are motivated to see where they can help in their communities.
“Hope and motivation, I guess only to be better people, better for themselves, for everyone around them,” Mendes said. “Support everyone. Sometimes it just takes kindness to change someone’s life. “
Its leadership has led to the spread of over $ 61,000 locks for pistols and locking boxes, expanding efforts to prevent suicide throughout the country.
It “led the Wyoming Military Department with the Governor’s Challenge initiatives by providing a strategic coordination to strengthen the safety and resistance programs of deadly means,” the press said.
“Seeing the risk factors reduce and the protective factors rise, that would be incredible,” Mendes said. “I know it’s a marathon and when they read the award, I was like,” I did all these things? “I just thought I was doing my job. “
Even at the beginning of her career as an air man, she was able to help people when they were the most.
“I made people connect years later and to say, you know, some little luck of information I mentioned to them, glued to them, resonated with them for years,” Mendes said. “I think that makes me go on.”
Knowing how the stigma surrounding being a soldier or an air man can encourage members of the service to “overtake” him instead of striving for help, Mendes did everything possible to be an understanding of the ear.
Mendes’s impact expanded beyond significant interpersonal conversations. She also implemented the first meeting of the Wyoming Ippw Care team, bringing together 15 different stakeholders to improve interagency cooperation.
It has developed an auxiliary matrix from the Resource Agency to help approximately 3,000 members of security navigate the challenges of professional life and prevent crises.
“Wyoming is a large country with a small population,” Mendes said. “This makes it even more important to build strong networks and to ensure that no one falls through the cracks.”