Derrick Alger, a resident of Mount Vernon, Iowa is a veteran of the healthcare industry. Currently, he is a student at UMHS in St. Kitts. Derrick’s desire to enter the healthcare industry was first spurred by the appreciation for his community and the commitment of its residents to help each other out in times of need. Derrick is a proud graduate of Mount Vernon High School and earned a B.S., Nursing from Coe College in Cedar Rapids.
Derrick feels that growing up in the community of Mount Vernon had a marked impact on the man he is today. Growing up in a such tight knit community was a great experience for Derrick as he appreciated the feeling of comfort and closeness that existed in the town. Derrick fondly remembers how you know seemingly everyone in town. People tend to look out for one another in a smaller community, and band together to help someone in need. In a small community such as Mount Vernon, people are genuinely interested in how your day is going, a far cry from the reality of many modern American cities. Derrick notes how you connect with your fellow citizens on a deeply personal level even when you are conducting business. This connection to not just the people, but the culture of community is one of the biggest benefits of living in a close-knit community such as Mount Vernon.
When in Mount Vernon, Derrick greatly enjoys spending time outside and working on the family farm. One of Derrick’s favorite characteristic’s about his home state of Iowa is how the landscape differs with each season. As spring is his favorite time of the year, he enjoys watching as the fields transform into a vivid green canvas brimming with new plant and animal life. The blossoming of the trees and flowers are truly special as well. Derrick considers himself a complete outdoorsmen as he enjoys gardening, fishing, hunting, camping and more.
Derrick Alger is also committed to spending time with his wonderful family. Family is the single most important thing in his life, and he feels incredibly blessed to be a member of such a wonderful group of people which includes his lovely wife, Kylie, her family, and his immediate family. He initially met his wife on New Years Eve of 2009, and were married on the same day four years later.
In the past Derrick has served on the board for the American Cancer Society with his wife where they helped plan fundraising and educational events. He also served as the president of the JNF Hospital Fund where he organized a number of fundraising efforts to purchase new equipment. From 2005 to 2013, Derrick Alger served as a participant in the Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program in which he donated deer meat to the local food bank to help feed homeless.