Miami Herald, The (FL)
2004-11-27
Section: Tropical Life
Edition: Final
Page: 1E

As a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, Melissa Bert has been stationed ``everywhere - all over the place.'' But since being posted here two years ago, she's made Miami a home for herself and a better home for others.

``It's important wherever I go to be part of the community,'' says Bert, one of 10 public servants who earlier this month received the annual United Way Green Family Foundation American Values Award. The Seventh Coast Guard District's lead attorney and a military judge, Bert serves as legal advisor to more than 100 Coast Guard units in the southeastern United States and Caribbean. ``It's a 24/7 thing,'' says Bert, who nevertheless finds free time and spends it as a volunteer with Guardian ad Litem, the state's advocacy program for children in need.

Read more: On Call 24/7, She Still Finds Time for Others