Mazda Heroes contest’s 50 winners announced, will receive free Miatas

The Mazda Heroes program is finally announcing its winners. If you recall our original story in October this year, Mazda said hello was giving away 50 MX-5 Miata 100th Anniversary Special Edition models. Each car is destined for those who “tirelessly dedicated themselves to their communities throughout 2021” through “selfless acts, creative thinking and contributions to community.” The battle against Covid-19 has been long, and it is not over, but Mazda is attempting to bring a little convertible happiness into a normally bleak year.

One of the winners, Jason Erdreich, is featured in the video towards the top of this informative article. He used his skills as a shop teacher and access to 3-D printers to print a large number of pieces of PPE for medical workers who have been in dire necessity of it. He also appears to own an NA Miata, so he's no stranger to Mazda's roadster.

Five other winners were announced today: Triana Davis, Christie Purviance, Jennifer Williams, Leandro De Arauja Pessoa and Michael Star Thompson.

Davis is really a teacher who went above and beyond to keep her kids engaged and inspired during at-home school. She personally delivered custom work packets to student's doors and crafted a large numbers of things like medals and commemorative T-shirts.

Purviance is definitely an ICU nurse in Texas. She's worked 15-hour shifts through the pandemic. Her coworkers say she goes beyond the normal standard of care, treating her patients like family throughout her grueling days on the frontlines.

Williams is really a school teacher in West Virginia. Throughout the pandemic she's come up with and personally delivered packets of schoolwork and college supplies to her students to lessen the quantity of travel parents should do for their kids. She’s even adjusted her curriculum to show students about cooking and other home-related necessities. In addition, Williams has attempted to keep children’s spirits up by delivering foods and prizes to doorsteps.

Araujo Pessoa lost his job following the lockdown hit in March, but he wound up using all his additional time to become the leader of a food pantry run by a local church in Lansing, MI. He has devoted his some time and a lot of his unemployment checks to the food pantry to keep it stocked with the items necessary.

Thompson resides in Georgetown, Kentucky. He volunteers often at a local homeless shelter where he runs a Bible study and cleans bathrooms. He’s additionally a football coach who started a youth football camp at his alma mater. All proceeds of the camp go to benefit a learning center for children. Throughout the pandemic, he’s been coaching kids in one-on-one settings free of charge to keep the chance of exposure down.

Mazda says it heard countless stories of people putting others first, and there are plenty of winners not yet been announced. We'll update this informative article as Mazda highlights even more stories of selfless and giving acts everyone has done throughout the pandemic.