Health Department Specialist Touches Many Lives: Virginia Hero

KING GEORGE COUNTY, VA — When times are tough, heroes emerge. We all know someone who's making a difference right now as we live through unprecedented times. Here at Patch, we've launched an initiative to help recognize these everyday heroes.

This submission comes from Bridgett Alexander Brown of Fredericksburg who nominated her daughter Debora Brown, a resident of King George County who works on a COVID-19 Incident Management Team with the Fairfax County Health Department.

Brown, who grew up in Vienna where she graduated from James Madison High School at the age of 16, earned a degree in biology from the University of Mary Washington in 2006.

In her job with the Fairfax County Health Department, Brown, 34, is on the front lines of the coronavirus in Fairfax County, where thousands of people have tested positive for the virus. Brown is part of a team that goes out to inspect facilities where someone has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Along with her full-time job with the Fairfax County Health Department, Brown works part-time as Children's Program Coordinator for SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) of Northern Virginia in Alexandria. She develops programming and activities for at-risk children who are having problems at home or school.

"Reaching people, serving families and touching lives is what keeps me grounded and gratifies me the most," Brown said in a 2018 interview for SCAN's in-house magazine. "I have learned that judgment has no place in true service and that compassion can overcome bias."

Bridgett Alexander Brown is amazed that her daughter finds the time to work two jobs, especially positions that can be both fulfilling and stressful on a daily basis. During the coronavirus, Brown has been organizing activities with the children via video chat. One of the virtual projects is teaching the children how to cook. Since she can't meet with the children in person, Brown must make sure the food gets delivered to their homes so Brown and the children can cook at the same time.

Brown has always wanted to give back to the community. When she was an early teen, Brown told her parents she didn't want gifts for Christmas. Instead, Brown started her own organization called Operation Angels where she would solicit donations of toys from the community and then — dressed up as an angel and playing an old violin — distribute them to children of families in need. After several years of distributing toys, the children started calling Brown "The Angel."

A local church in Vienna, impressed with Brown's generosity over the years, wanted to do something special for Brown. One day, Brown went to the church expecting to pick up toys to donate to children. Instead, the church presented her with a new violin, a special gift she would end up playing through college.

Years later, many of these children who Brown had helped attended her graduation from the University of Mary Washington. Brown's mother recalled one particular set of twins who Brown had mentored when they were young and who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2019.

"My daughter helped them when they were young. And they were able to see her graduate from college. And they knew they could do the same," Brown's mother said.

Bridgett Alexander Brown, who also has two older sons, said she wasn't sure how she would do raising a daughter when Deborah was born. But Debora Brown's courage, generosity and dedication to helping others offers proof of her success as a mother. "If I was an artist, she would be my masterpiece," said Brown's mother, gushing with pride.

Name of the nominee:
Debora Brown

Where the nominee lives:
King George County

Name of the person who nominated the hero:
Bridgett Alexander Brown

Is the nominee considered an "essential worker"?
Yes

What does the nominee do for work?
Environmental Health Specialist with the Fairfax County Health Department

Why do you believe the nominee should be recognized or honored?
My daughter, a University of Mary Washington graduate with a degree in Biology, works on the COVID-19 Incident Management Team with the Fairfax County Health Department. She was activated from being an Environmental Health Specialist in her normal job duties, to working 12-hour days protecting the public from COVID-19 as a first responder.

She assists with the facility logistics of setting up call centers, maintaining designated quarantine spaces for those in need, to now transitioning to a high-risk task force in congregate facilities. She has been working with a smile and focusing on the positive, in spite of the inevitable feelings of exhaustion, anxiety and fear. She loves what she does and strives to be a team player in every role that she is placed in. Even though I worry about her safety, she reassures me with positivity and humor. We as a family want to acknowledge her and are proud of her fortitude.

What's one thing you want everyone to know about your hero?
I want people to know about the selfless sacrifices that she makes and the way that she steps up without complaint.