Meet our 2025 Unions Power America Winners!

AFT member, Melissa Banner, has won $20,000 cash + a well-deserved, 5-night stay at a gorgeous Hawaiian Hilton as a First Prize winner of our Hometown Heroes Contest.

Melissa is a Hometown Hero for her twenty+ years of dedicated service, compassionate leadership, and unwavering commitment to her community. In her work at Broward County Public Schools, Melissa has primarily focused on supporting homeless students and children who have experienced child abuse. Her heartfelt dedication has positioned her as a pillar of hope, support and optimism for vulnerable children and families in her community.

IAFF member, firefighter, Kyle Joy, has won $20,000 cash + a well-deserved, 5-night stay at a gorgeous Hawaiian Hilton as a First Prize winner of our Hometown Heroes Contest.

After Kyle's sister, Kalee Joy-Barton, tragically passed away the very night she brought her newborn son home, Kyle turned his grief into transformative action. Kyle founded Third Strand, a charitable organization that provides safe donor breast milk to nursing babies who have lost a mother; babies whose mothers are unable to breastfeed due to cancer; and to adopted newborns. Kalee Joy-Barton's legacy is that her tragedy has become the saving grace of others. Third Strand has distributed over $2,000,000 of safe donor milk to hundreds of babies across the country — at no cost to families.

OPEIU member, Elijah Saleem, has won $10,000 as the Second Prize winner of our Hometown Heroes Contest.

Elijah is a selfless hero who didn't hesitate to help strangers in a moment of crisis. His act of heroism saved an entire family from tragedy and in turn, gave them back their future.

IATSE member, Peter Villani has won $10,000 as the Second Prize winner of our Hometown Heroes Contest.

Peter lives in Los Angeles, and during the recent wildfires, at a time when he could have been thinking only of his home and family, Peter went out of his way to help others, bravely staying in the path of danger and destruction to save his neighbor’s homes. Peter is the epitome of a hero.