The American Red Cross of the Mohawk Valley held its 17th annual Real Heroes Breakfast for the Mohawk Valley area Thursday, June 2, at Utica College. The Real Heroes Breakfast is an annual event that invites the community to support everyday people that make a difference in the Mohawk Valley region.
This year, The City of Utica was honored with the Real Heroes Humanitarian of the Year Award for its partnership with the Red Cross on the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign. As a direct result of this partnership, more than 500 smoke alarms were installed in homes and over one thousand people received potentially lifesaving education. These efforts paid off in December 2015 when a Red Cross smoke alarm alerted neighbors to a fire at Humphrey Gardens Apartments in Utica and they were able to safely evacuate the building preventing loss of life and extensive property damage.
Along with the City of Utica, the Heroes Breakfast honored 10 local heroes with awards who have demonstrated life-saving acts of heroism, courage, kindness and unselfish character in their community.
Miles Robertson, Aaron Fiorini, and Rick Leos was honored with The Adult Good Samaritan Award for saving the life of a man who went into cardiac arrest at Camden High School in January 2015.
Wayne Inglis Sr. was honored with The Fire Rescue Award for his retirement as Chief of the Clayville Fire Department after an impressive 47 years in the fire service.
Sgt. Scott Nell was honored with The Kurt B. Wyman Law Enforcement Award for his career with the NYS Police and the Vernon Fire Department.
Ryan Arce was honored with The Military Award for his service in the U.S. Air Force and for his work with veterans to help them navigate the transition from active duty to veteran status.
Ken Boone was honored with The Mary Haggerty Education Award for his work as an instructor of CPR, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support. He is also a mentor/preceptor for paramedic students in the MidState EMS region and a member of the Waterville Fire Department, full-time paramedic at AmCare Ambulance in Rome, and also works part time at numerous other EMS organizations in the area.
Amy Stedman was honored with The Blood Donor Award for her work in helping to organize Red Cross blood drives for over five years.
Dawn Kahler, with the Oneida County Department of Corrections, was honored The Medical Award for saving a man from choking while on vacation in New York City.
Owen Jassak was honored with The Youth Good Samaritan Award. Owen is a second-grade student at E.R. Hughes Elementary School in New Hartford and is dedicated to helping veterans. Last year he set a goal to raise $1,000 and he raised $3,529 to benefit the Sitrin Health Care Center’s Stars and Stripes Run-Walk, an event that supports Sitrin’s Military Rehabilitation program.
And finally, The Candido Family was presented with a Legacy Award for four generations and a combined 70 years of volunteer service with the American Red Cross.
Major sponsors of the event include Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, GPO Federal Credit Union, New York Central Mutual, and The Kinney Drugs Foundation. The Media Sponsor of the event is Roser Communications.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org.