Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and genders. In TV and the movies, these heroes most often have a weapon --usually a lightsaber, phaser, magical sword, a gun, or some superhero skill. 

The hero I am discussing in this article doesn't pack a weapon, or have superhero skills like Spider Man, but she still brings the heat.

Heat, as in a passion for helping others. 

Courtney Johns is a Training Manager and Human Resources Coordinator for a Fort Myers-based upscale hotel. It's a hospitality business with success and profitability contingent on having highly skilled employees who understand customers, their needs, and anticipate their requests.

The first person these day-one employees see and hear is Courtney Johns as she takes them through a rigorous training class that is one part masterclass on service, one part stand-up comedy routine, and one part motivational session.

"I don't just teach class for new employees and never see them again," says Courtney. "These employees can always rely on me to help them adjust to their new position, answer any questions, and mentor them."

Courtney continues: "After all, training is a process, not an event. I'm there for them as long as they work here."

 Courtney believes that you train people well enough, so they can leave, and treat them well enough so that they don't want to.

A hotel relies on its customer service as well as its amenities. The employees, who feel cared for, will care for their customers. 

In late September 2022, Hurricane Ian was a powerful Category 5 Atlantic hurricane which was the third-costliest weather disaster on record, and the deadliest hurricane to strike the state of Florida since the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. Ian caused widespread damage across western Cuba and catastrophic damage in Florida; it also caused damage in the Carolinas.

Large swaths of the Fort Myers area were devastated. Homes were destroyed. Too many lost everything, and too few in the area escaped damage.

After the wind diminished and the rain stopped, Courtney and others at her job leaped into action. Courtney began contacting all the company's employees to ensure they were safe and to assess their need for assistance. 

As employees relayed stories of horrible loss to her, Courtney was an integral part of her company's effort to provide assistance to the entire Fort Myers area and to its employees specifically. Since homelessness was an immediate and all-too-common situation, Courtney set up employees with housing at her company's Fort Myers property.

As rescue efforts ramped up from federal, state, county and local governments, Courtney joined a massive effort to host a downtown rally in Fort Myers. At that rally, Courtney helped to coordinate the distribution of tarps, food kits, hot meals, clothing, and organized sessions with FEMA. 

Even though Fort Myers has returned to some sense of normalcy, there are still thousands of people trying to rebuild their homes and their lives.

 To be fair, there were -- and are -- thousands who stepped forward to assist with the rescue effort in Fort Myers after the hurricane. 

Courtney Johns recalls a quote about giving back that summarizes how she, and many others, feel: "If you want to touch the past, touch a rock.  If you want to touch the present, touch a flower.  If you want to touch the future, touch a life."

Courtney will shake her head and insist she is not a hero. But Courtney Johns touches lives every day in her training classes, helping people be successful at their jobs. And when her community and fellow employees needed her, Courtney picked up the only weapons she knows how to use -- the ability to empathize and the power to help others.