Written by Melissa Simmonds

Whether you’re putting out fires, keeping families safe or shaping the minds of the future, you hold a special stake in our community.

Our everyday heroes protect and preserve the precious things we know and love. While they’re busy making our towns stronger, they still have a family at home or dreams they’re pursuing. It’s important to recognize our neighbors who have made it their mission to keep communities healthy and safe, and those encouraging children to ignite their true potential, because we are all touched by them in some powerful way.

My dad was a Beverly Hills police officer before I was born until he retired when I was 11, in 2001. He was also a D.A.R.E. officer, and part of that job meant he went into schools and talked to classrooms about the effects of drugs and alcohol. I have so many fond memories of having a dad who was a policeman; one of them was attending these D.A.R.E. classes with him. It was awesome being an elementary kid on a high school campus, and even more exciting seeing my personal hero teach and care for these students.

Even though my father has retired from the force, I will always see him as an officer and a hero in my eyes.

For those like my father, who are on staff full-time and taking care of our communities, we want to return the favor in unique and beneficial ways. In an effort to give back, we created a program to help our local heroes achieve homeownership. If you’re on staff in a police department, fire department, school,or emergency medical service, you have the opportunity to be compensated for your valiant work through our Community Champions program.

Its benefits include:

Lender credit up to $900
Loans between $30,000 - $149,999 free appraisal (up to $500)
Loans $150,000+ free appraisal and processing fee waived
Can be used in conjunction with VA, USDA, FHA and conventional loans

Our enthusiasm to pay it back doesn’t stop when you leave our office, though. There are Flat Branchers all over Missouri who put on BBQs for first responders, bring baskets of snacks to classrooms and build bikes to be gifted to local fire stations.

Our community champions provide us with peace of mind and open up doors to our future. Giving back in whatever way we can is the least we can do for our heroes!

To Our Community Champions: Thank You For Your Service