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Hero Spotlight: Serita Lockley of ‘Regular Heroes’

Hero Spotlight: Serita Lockley of ‘Regular Heroes’

Serita Lockley

Amazon Prime Video’s newest show Regular Heroes is an eight-episode docuseries highlighting the contributions and personal sacrifices of today’s most generous individuals who are going above and beyond to help support their communities and work the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week’s episode featured Serita Lockley from Newport News, Virginia. An entrepreneur and owner/operator of a trucking business, she has been working day in and day out utilizing her business to help deliver much-needed goods to people in her region. With a need to keep herself and fiancé Tammy safe while facing financial struggles, Lockley’s work in bringing essential items to retirement homes and construction materials to help pave roads has been instrumental to combating the virus and furthering her area’s much-needed infrastructure. Not only does Lockley have the support from Tammy and her community, but also superstar Nick Jonas who surprises her with a gift that melted the hearts of viewers.

OUT FRONT had the opportunity to talk more with Lockely about her Regular Heroes.

Hi, Serita! Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, and thank you for your contributions in helping combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anytime. Thank you for the opportunity as well.

You and your fiancé Tammy live in Newport News, Virginia. How bad has the pandemic been in your area?
It hasn’t been that bad. Out of 180,000 people in Newport News, we have had roughly about 245 cases. Compared to other cities and states, it’s not that bad.

Why did you decide to use your trucking business to help deliver much-needed items to people in your region?
I started to use my trucking business to do that because I feel that it’s a way of giving back, especially the goods I deliver. They are medical supplies; sometimes it can be medications to different nursing facilities, doctor’s offices, and things of that sort. So, I feel that not only is it a source of income, but it is also me giving back as well with the goods that I deliver.

You also deliver supplies to help your area’s infrastructure?
Yes, I deliver materials to different constructions sites. Not only are we delivering the goods, we are helping the highways to deliver the goods.

When did you start delivering goods with your trucking business? Once the pandemic began, more recent?
Delivering the essential goods to different facilities, like the medications or whatever it may be, I learned that at the beginning of the year before the pandemic actually began. As far as delivering materials to the different job sites, this year will be my 10th year. I have been in the transportation industry for about 10 years on my own, but I have been doing it for about 15.

How did you get involved with Amazon’s Regular Heroes? Who tipped them off about your story?
A young lady by the name of Laurie, she contacted me via Instagram. She found me through a hashtag. I take a lot of pictures, and sometimes I say #trucker or #trucking, and I take it that they were looking for someone in the transportation industry. Out of 1.3 million hashtags of truckers, thankfully she found me and asked if I wanted to be a part of this show, and I said, ‘Hell yeah!’ I want to be a part of this show! One thing led to another, and hey, now I am a cast member of Regular Heroes.

So, it was quite a surprise for you.
A super surprise.

You started helping people out of the goodness of your own heart. Did you ever think that you would be considered a hero to so many?
Not at all. I mean, I definitely work super hard, and I have been doing that for a very long time, but for me to be considered as a hero, not in a million years. I would have never thought that. I never thought that I would be on TV. I told another lady from another interview, it’s almost like I won the lottery. I mean, they picked me. The whole experience was definitely unforeseen. I didn’t see it coming.

I bet Tammy is very proud of you.
Super proud of me. Tammy said that before all of this, if you Googled me, you wouldn’t find me. Now, I am Googleable. She and everyone who is around is me is just super excited. It’s unbelievable because little ol’ me from Newport News, a very small city, was picked to be on Regular Heroes. It was amazing.

What has the community response been like?
It’s been overwhelming. Everybody has had my back and was excited for me. People around me, they know how hard I work and it was just so coincidental that during the time when they found me to be on the show, I thought I was going to go out of business. When they came to film, it was Mother’s Day weekend; my mom passed away in 2008. Then, for Nick Jonas to surprise me with help with my business and help with food and supplies for the homeless, I do that in my spare time, it was like everything was right on time.

The way it happened; it was destined to be for me. Like, it could not have happened any more perfect. I just give thanks to God because everything happened on time. Being here on Mother’s Day weekend to film me, I felt like that was my mom, you know what I mean? Then for them to surprise me and help me out with my business when I thought I was going to go out of business, that was God. For this girl to just find me out of 1.3 million #truckers, it was just a surreal moment, and I am still feeling like I hit the lottery at this point.

I’m glad you mentioned Nick. Can you tell us more about the big surprise you received from him?
First of all, I didn’t know he was going to be on the phone. We were in the middle of talking about something, and one of the producers comes up and is like, ‘Hey Serita, Nick Jonas wants to talk to you.’ I was like, what? It caught me off guard. Then someone rolled up in a pickup truck with food and supplies for us to give to the less fortunate in the community, and that was a blessing.

Immediately the same day, we went out and distributed everything out to the less fortunate people in our city. Then, Nick said he was going to help me with paying down some loans that I got, and that in itself, I really felt like I hit the lottery at that point. I was super surprised. For all of this to happen in a time when I really needed it, I just give thanks to God and the way it worked out. It couldn’t have been more perfect.

What more can people do to help one another during pandemic?
As far as giving back and things like that, people should be volunteering but still social distancing. I just feel like a lot of people should be using their voice at this point and just be an advocate for people who need our help. Practice social distancing, and ride it out. Ride the wave.

And what should people not being doing?
I feel like people should not be congregating or having big gatherings. If a city or state is opening up, phase one or phase two, you see a lot of people traveling to this one area and I feel that’s not good at this moment. People are going to travel because we’re tired of being stuck in the house and not being able to live a regular life, but we shouldn’t travel that much yet.

I’m a traveler. Do I want to do it? Of course. Am I going to do it? Absolutely not. At the end of the day, it is real, and there was someone in my community who passed away from coronavirus, so I definitely know that it’s real. I feel that people should listen to the CDC and do what they say. Take the hit for now, and later we will be back to normal.

Is there anything else you would like to add before we wrap up?
As far as my experience with Regular Heroes, I just want to add that anything is possible, regardless of who you are, where you’re from, what you look like, what your story is, what your background is—anything is possible. If you have the mindset to be optimistic and be positive, anything is possible, and anything is attainable. Just keep going.

I agree, and thank you again for your contributions. It has been a pleasure chatting with you.
Thank you, thank you.

Tune in every Friday through June 26 for a new episode of Regular Heroes on Amazon Prime Video.

This week’s episode will highlight Denver resident Woody Faircloth. After his neighbor, an emergency physician, reached out to him in tears expressing her fear of infecting her family with COVID-19, he realized there was a need to help frontline medical workers with housing during the pandemic. Faircloth connected with the group RV’s for MD’s where he helps match doctors, nurses, and more with people donating RV’s for the cause.

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