Joe Maus honored eight people throughout the community Wednesday afternoon at his two Albemarle car dealerships as part of an inaugural “Hometown Heroes” event.

Each month two veterans, teachers, law enforcement officers and firefighters will be honored at both Joe Maus Chrysler Jeep Dodge and Joe Maus Ford. In December, one person from each category will also win an award for the year and be honored at Maus’ holiday party in Charlotte.

For October, Maus honored South Stanly teacher Michael Curlee, Albemarle police officer Lance Fallen, Marine Corps veteran Paul Hummel and Albemarle firefighter Tony Russell at Joe Maus Ford.

At the Jeep Dodge location, Maus honored Albemarle High teacher Mariah Wright, Stanly County Sgt. Joe Harwood, Army veteran Bobby Williams and Aquadale Volunteer firefighter Nathan Smith. Smith was out of town so his father, Phillip Smith, was in attendance.

Each recipient received a Joe Maus hat, shirt and a plaque and will receive a free oil change.

“We love to give back to our community,” Maus said. “We love to recognize people who matter.”

“It’s nice to be recognized for what you give back to the community,” Fallen said.

His police chief David Dulin informed him last week he would receive the award.

“I’m very honored,” said Hummel, who spent six years in the Marines, including time in Vietnam.

“I feel like all teachers work really hard,” said Wright, who teaches world history and journalism. “It was really nice to have other people acknowledge that, ‘Hey, your job’s kind of hard and we want to thank you for it,’ so it felt really, really nice.”