You don't have to look far to see what shaped Nicole Slusser's life.
With a father, uncle and brother who have served in the military, her family has always had an appreciation for veterans and active-duty service members.
Close to a decade ago, after being laid off ABB and after a motorcycle wreck that nearly took her life, her mother told her: "You lived. Now you have to figure out why."
The motorcycle wreck follows her youth as a daredevil.
"My childhood was filled with love, laughter and stitches," she quipped.
It wasn't long before she found her passion: Slusser took a job with the Department of Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars, where she serves as office manager and event coordinator.
"It's not just a job and a paycheck, it's a passion," she said. "Being here, you have to want to help veterans. We're all about helping veterans; that's why I love to come into work each day."
In her job, she does everything from writing grants to coordinating statewide conventions for 600-plus attendees. The VFW has 189 posts in the state, and the organization has the motto: "No one does more for veterans."
"We cover so many different aspects," Slusser said. "So many people are fighting in D.C. or here for veterans' rights. VFW posts are doing outreach and helping veterans and their families. We do so many different things, from scholarships for kids to Buddy Poppy drives."
When she's not working, she's sometimes volunteering her talents as a singer. She's been singing all her life. When a teacher told her she would never be able to sing well, she practiced even harder.
"It was my way to get away from being bullied at school, my way of escape," she said.
She sings at veterans' events, including singing the National Anthem for veterans returning from Honor Flights. She's sung at a Springfield Cardinals game, and she regularly sings at area nursing homes.
"We joke at home that I'm really hot on the nursing home circuit right now," she said with a laugh.
It was after her motorcycle wreck that she also joined the Jefferson City Breakfast Rotary Club. It's that service organization that led her to get onto an airplane for the first time in her life two years ago. She flew to Panama, where she helped with a clean water project in remote villages.
Villagers were overjoyed when she brought Polaroid cameras so they could keep photos of themselves. She also brought deflated soccer balls and a pump.
Her belief that everyone should give of their talents was instilled in her by her mother, who led her and her four siblings to serve meals at The Salvation Army and volunteer for the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service.
When she thinks of strength, she thinks of her mother.
"My goal, when it's all said and done - I hope I'm at least half the woman she is," Slusser said.
"Everyone can serve in some kind of capacity," she said. "You just have to find your niche and where you fit."