Jess Morse was nominated for an Eagle Award from the Minot Area Chamber EDC by a community member he served as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service. His nominator shared that Morse goes out of his way to get to know the people on his route and that he goes above and beyond to serve the community, even helping to return the nominator’s dog home when it got out.

Morse was raised on a cattle ranch in Montana and landed in Minot when he joined the U.S. Air Force. He served four years in the Air Force and 26 years at USPS for a combined total of 30 years of service, which he was recognized for in June of this year.

Morse has also been notified that he has earned the Million Mile Award, an award from USPS and the National Safety Council to recognize postal carriers who have driven 1 million miles without having a preventable accident, which he will likely be receiving this month.

Through rain and snow, Morse does his best to make sure the mail on his route gets delivered. He said that the 10 to 12-hour days go quickly when it’s busy, but that he’s worked 14-hour days in the past. He stays out until the job gets done.

“You’re basically married to your job. You got to be dedicated, you got to come to work because if I don’t come to work it’s highly likely my route won’t get delivered and then I got 700 homes out here that doesn’t get their mail,” he said.

Morse’s community service doesn’t end with work. He has also been the president of the New Horizon Motorcycle Club for two years but has spent five years with the organization. Morse shared that every August the organization puts on a fundraising event called Throttles and Gears, which raises funds for individuals and their families in the area who are battling cancer. He believes this event is the biggest run in the state. He estimates the organization has donated between$50,000-60,000 in the last four years.

“Our main goal is we’re family together and we raise money.” He went on to say that fundraising is important to any motorcycle club and that it isn’t a facade to cover-up the stereotype that bikers are mean and get into trouble. “We like to ride motorcycles and we like to be involved in the community,” he said.