Hometown Hero Nominations Open for 2019

Each year, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region presents awards to local heroes. These individuals have saved lives, made significant positive differences in their community in the areas of emergency response, disaster preparedness, and prevention, or exemplified the Red Cross mission in some other way.

Heroes Categories

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. We actively seek nominees who align with one or more of the following categories:

Blood Services Hero: This award is given to someone who has played a significant role in an effort to promote and build the community’s lifesaving blood supply or has been a part of scientific advancements to the biomedical community.

Community Hero: This award is given to an individual who has had a significant impact on their community whose efforts have been vital in improving the lives and well-being of their neighbors and made their community a happier, cleaner, and/or safer place to live.

Disaster Services Hero: This award is presented to an individual who has shown extraordinary courage in the face of a disaster or emergency, or made a significant contribution to his or her community's disaster preparedness, resilience, or recovery.

Education Hero: This award is given to a professional or volunteer educator (in elementary school, middle school, high school, college or adult education) whose actions have had a profound influence on his or her student(s) or members of their community.

First Responder Hero: This award is given to a professional first responder, such as a police officer, deputy sheriff, firefighter, search & rescue team member, or 911 dispatcher whose lifesaving action or service to the community has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Healthcare Hero: This award is given to a healthcare professional, such as a physician, nurse, or paramedic, whose life-saving actions or service to the community went above and beyond the call of duty. This award honors an extraordinary commitment to saving/ improving lives or treating illnesses.

Humanitarian Hero - Adult: This award is given to an ordinary citizen (adult) who used life-saving skills (such as CPR, water rescue, or first aid) to assist or save the life of another or whose actions have made a significant contribution toward the betterment of his or her community.

Humanitarian Hero - Youth: This award is given to an ordinary citizen (youth) who used life-saving skills (such as CPR, water rescue or first aid) to assist or save the life of another or whose actions have made a significant contribution toward the betterment of his or her community.

International Services Hero: This award is presented to someone who has provided outstanding service to the community in the field of international services, including but not limited to international humanitarian aid, refugee support, and restoring displaced families.

Service to the Armed Forces Hero: This award is given to someone who has provided exceptional support to service members, veterans, or their families. This award may also be given to a member of our armed forces (active, reserve, National Guard, retired, commissioned or non-commissioned) whose lifesaving actions or service to the community went above and beyond the call of duty.

*Note: Awards in all categories may be awarded posthumously. A hero may not be selected in all categories.

Nomination Guidelines

The deadline to nominate a Hero is February 15, 2019.

• The Heroes award recipients will be selected by a committee of local community leaders based on the degree to which the recipients' actions uphold the values of the Red Cross and leave a lasting and positive impact on the residents of their community. Award decisions are based on the information provided by the nominator, so supporting material should be as detailed and thorough as possible.
• All nominees must work or reside in Los Angeles County, Mono County, or Inyo County. The heroic acts may have occurred elsewhere.
• The heroic acts must be either an ongoing commitment to the community for more than one year or have taken place between January 2018 and February 15, 2019. 
• All nominees must be able to attend the Hometown Heroes event on May 9, 2019 at the Carson Civic Center and be willing to participate in video interviews and photographs for media and promotional reasons unless being honored with a posthumous award.