Red Cross Seeks Nominees for 

Lifesaving Heroes Ceremony

Submission Deadline: Friday, Feb. 1, 2024

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 29, 2023 — Send us your heroes! Every year, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region hosts the Hometown Heroes Awards luncheon to honor individuals and groups who showed courage when a friend, family member or total stranger faced a life-threatening situation. 

Angelenos are invited to nominate local heroes for the 19^th annual event being held May 16, 2024, at the Carson Community Center in Carson, CA. If you know an "ordinary” person who showed extraordinary courage and saved a life, helped a neighbor in need or made a profound difference in their community, please submit their nomination via the Red Cross website (redcross.org/la-heroes) no later than February 1, 2024. The link to nominate heroes is: https://forms.office.com/r/khuXD1gR9y

“A heroic person is someone who acts voluntarily for the service of others who are in need, performing actions without any external gain and accepts the potential risk by taking heroic actions” said Dr. Mark Chung, Board President of the Red Cross Long Beach, and South Bay Chapter. “The Red Cross aims to honor outstanding heroes who as regular citizens offered assistance, comfort and life-saving interventions.”

Stories where CPR saved someone’s life, or someone was rescued from drowning are encouraged; the humanitarian act must have occurred outside of the normal course and scope of the hero’s usual and customary work responsibilities. Additionally, the Red Cross asks that all nominated heroes work or reside in LA County; though the act of heroism may have occurred elsewhere and have taken place in the last year.

Honorees from the May 2023 award ceremony included Sergeant Rafael Rodriguez, an off-duty policeman who extracted an unconscious driver from their burning vehicle; Brewpub staffer Elsa Gernandt-Anderson who applied CPR to a collapsed patron until paramedics arrived; Airline passenger Tom Horan who sustained a passenger experiencing a diabetic crisis and as a team, John Hawley, Lydia Hoffman and Amanda Morita aided a man who sustained grave injuries while working with power tools.

SEE: Photos from the 18th Annual Hometown Heroes Luncheon

Ticket and sponsorship information available here: https://e.givesmart.com/events/y5e/