Second Annual Real Heroes Breakfast
Thursday, September 7, 2006

Meet Our 2006 Heroes

A Community Tradition

The Willamette Chapter of the American Red Cross is excited to announce the second annual Real Heroes Breakfast, which will be held Thursday, September 7^th at the Salem Conference Center.  The breakfast program will begin at 7:30 AM and end promptly at 8:45 AM.  The event will honor extraordinary individuals from our community who have been selected from a field of nominations submitted earlier this year.  A committee of dignitaries from both Marion and Polk Counties selected recipients in eight categories.

Award Categories:

q      Humanitarian Youth Hero:  (Ages 21 and under)  Presented for the use of life saving training skills to save the life or lives of others.

q      Humanitarian Adult Hero:  Presented for the use of life saving training skills to save the life or lives of others.

q      Professional Rescue Hero:  Presented to a professional or volunteer firefighter or company, or to a law enforcement agent or department whose lifesaving action goes above and beyond the call of duty.

q      Crisis Response Hero:   Presented to a crisis response or 911 dispatcher whose lifesaving action goes above and beyond the call of duty.

q      Medical Hero:  Presented to a medical professional or an organization whose lifesaving action goes above and beyond the call of duty.

q      Community Partner Hero:  Presented to a community group, neighborhood, organization or local company that consistently demonstrates a commitment to making a difference in the community.

q      Animal Rescue Hero:  Presented to an animal that has used trained or innate skills to help save lives.

q      Spirit of the Red Cross Hero: Award presented for outstanding humanitarian contributions in keeping the live-saving mission of the American Red Cross.

Criteria for nominations:

q     Nominee(s) must have saved (or assisted in saving) a life by intervening in a life threatening situation and/or by giving the victim the aid they needed (or would have needed) to survive.

q     The nominee can be a professionally trained life saver or simply a good citizen.

q     The nominee cannot have caused or contributed to the incident itself.

q     The nominee must live or work in the Marion/Polk County community.  The heroic act may  have occurred outside these counties as long as the hero is a resident of either of them.

q     The heroic act must have occurred after January 1, 2005.

We hold the event in September in observance of National Disaster Preparedness Month which coincides with the anniversary of September the 11^th, 2001.  Throughout Marion and Polk Counties and throughout the world, the Red Cross provides relief to victims of disaster and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.

The concept of Heroes Breakfast grew out of a desire to develop an event that is closely related to the mission of the American Red Cross - teaching people to save lives.  The powerful work of the Red Cross is accomplished through the simple yet effective process of one person putting their needs aside to help another. Across the nation, over one million Red Cross volunteers do this each day!

The 2005 event was a heart touching event that honored the life-saving contributions of individuals in our community.  The 2006 Heroes Breakfast promises to be even better!  The stories of heroism we will share demonstrate the potential each of us hold to save lives and create a better community. Sponsorships and donations at the event will support the lifesaving work which happens in our community-everyday. All proceeds from the Heroes Breakfast are for the benefit of the Willamette Chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Here are a few examples of what a donation to your American Red Cross makes possible:

$ 2,500  Helps three families recover from a house fire (lodging, food, clothing and medicine)

$ 1,000  Provides 250 blankets for disaster victims

$    750  Sponsors free Basic Aid Training to over 500 local elementary students

$    500  Provides 5,000 emergency preparedness brochures to our community

$    250  Sponsors lodging for a family of four for one week

$    100  Sponsors food for one week for a family  of three

$      70  Sponsors two people who need first aid and CPR training

Without the support of our sponsors who give so generously, this event would not be possible. 

On behalf of all our anonymous community members who benefit from our services -

THANK YOU!

h  2005 Heroes