Media Contact:
855-559-033
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Nominations are due Friday, February 15, 2019.

SANTA ROSA, CA (November 13, 2018) - The American Red Cross of the California Northwest is currently seeking nominations for our 2019 Heroes Breakfast, which recognizes members of the communities in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties, who have shown courage, dedication, and character through acts of heroism and kindness. These people could be your neighbors, co-workers, friends, or family. Extraordinary acts of heroism occur in our community every day. Help us identify our local community heroes by completing our online nomination form below and spread the word.

The community is encouraged to nominate a hero at redcross.org/CalNWHeroes for one of the following categories:

• Animal Hero: This award honors an animal that has protected a human in a time of need or a human who has rescued an animal from a traumatic situation.
  
• Disaster Services Hero: This award is given to an individual who has shown extraordinary courage in the face of a disaster or emergency, or made a significant contribution to their community’s disaster preparedness, resilience, or recovery.
  
• Environment Hero: This award is given to an individual who has had a significant impact on the protection and caring for the environment and is vital in changing the way their community interacts with the environment.
  
• 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 life-saving action or service to the community goes above and beyond the call of duty.
  
• Healthcare Hero: This award is given to a healthcare professional, such as a physician, paramedic, or nurse 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 to a person 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 to a person whose actions have made a significant contribution toward the betterment of his or her community.
  
• 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 life-saving actions or service to the community went above and beyond the call of duty.
  

The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, February 15, 2019. Any of these categories can be awarded as a posthumous award. The 2019 California Northwest Heroes Award recipients will be selected by a committee of local community leaders based on the degree to which their acts of heroism uphold the values of the American Red Cross and leave a lasting and positive impact on the residents of the Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties.

Criteria for Nominations:

• All nominees must work or reside in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties. The heroic acts may have occurred elsewhere.
  
• The heroic event must be either an ongoing commitment to the community for more than one year or have occurred between January 1, 2018 – January 15, 2019.
  
• Nominations must be received by Friday, February 15, 2019.

Selected heroes will be honored at the 2019 Heroes Breakfast on Friday, May 17, 2019, at Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. The annual Red Cross California Northwest Heroes Breakfast recognizes acts of heroism by local residents and pays tribute to those who have performed lifesaving deeds while supporting the lifesaving programs and emergency services provided by your local Red Cross Chapter.

Visit redcross.org/CalNWHeroes for more details on each of the 2019 Heroes Award categories as well as the online nomination form, how to purchase tickets, and how to become a sponsor.

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About American Red Cross of the California Northwest

With office locations in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma counties, the American Red Cross is a non-profit, humanitarian organization that depends on the generous contributions of time and money from residents and companies to provide services and programs that help our community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. For more information, visit our website at redcross.org/calnw or call us at 707-577-7600. You may also find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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