Michael Blevins selected as May 2024 State of Missouri and Department of Natural Resources Team Member of the Month
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MAY 30, 2024 – Michael Blevins, a maintenance worker for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Missouri Geological Survey, has been selected as the State of Missouri and department Team Member of the Month for May 2024. He was selected for his care and compassion in a difficult situation earlier this year.
Blevins, who works at the Missouri Geological Survey in Rolla, went above and beyond for a stranger on a wintry day in February. A team member reported to Blevins that someone who seemed out of place was spotted entering the facility’s lab building. Closed for renovation, the only people in the lab building at the time were contractors working on the site. He asked the team member if the man was with the contractors and was told that he wasn’t.
When Blevins approached the gentleman, he noticed the man was wearing a hospital bracelet and was shaking from the frigid outdoor temperatures. He let the man know that he couldn’t stay in the lab but offered to take him back to the hospital or anywhere else he’d like to go. When the man asked to go to McDonald’s, Blevins got his car, turned on the heat and seat warmer and drove the man to the nearby restaurant. He also stopped at a gas station and purchased the man a hat and gloves.
Blevins told the man he could stay in the car for as long as he needed to keep warm. Once the man warmed up, he thanked Blevins, got out of the car and went on his way.
“Mike showed such care and empathy toward this man,” said Nona Lancaster, the administrative program director who nominated Blevins for the award. “Just like he does in his everyday work, Mike always wants to do his best for everyone and help out as much as he can.”
Mike joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in May 2018 and resides in Newburg.