Media Contact:
Brianna Kelly, Regional Communications Manager
brianna.kelly@redcross.org
SAN DIEGO – Wednesday October 1, 2025 – Last week, the American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties honored ordinary people with extraordinary courage at its 23rd Annual Real Heroes Awards aboard the USS Midway Museum. Nearly 300 attendees were present on Friday, September 26 to celebrate local lifesavers and difference makers at the Real Heroes Awards.
The event serves as the largest fundraising event for the Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties and raised over $175,000 for the organization.
To see videos highlighting each winner, click here. To view and download photos from the event, including hero headshots click here.
2025 Real Heroes Honorees:
- Animal Welfare Hero: Bobbi Brink, Lions Tigers & Bears (Alpine, Calif.) Bobbi Brink has dedicated over 22 years to wildlife rescue and advocacy. Her journey has taken her abroad as well as personally having driven over 300,000 miles, rescuing more than 1,000 animals from dire situations and providing them with a safe and nurturing environment. Brink is the driving force behind Lions Tigers & Bears, a 142-acre state-of-the-art accredited sanctuary in San Diego, Calif. Bobbi’s influence extends beyond the sanctuary – she was a key player in the passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act in Congress, a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits the private ownership of big cats in the United States. Brink provides a range of educational programs designed to inspire and inform the next generation and educates communities about the horrors of wildlife trafficking and the importance of conservation. Brink’s dedication to animal welfare, education and advocacy continues to make a profound impact on both animals and humans alike.
- Youth Hero: Dash Menolascino (San Diego, Calif.) 13-year-old Dash Menolascino’s bravery saved three of his brothers and their family puppy from a devastating house fire in Poway, San Diego. With his parents at a neighbor’s house and his older brother at soccer practice, Menolascino smelled smoke before the family’s smoke alarm sounded. He ran downstairs and saw flames climbing the garage walls. Without hesitation he sprang into action, ensuring every sibling throughout the house and their beloved dog made it out safely before calling 911. Moments later, the entire house was engulfed in flames. Menolascino’s brothers and family pet survived the fire thanks to his heroism and courage.
- Gift of Life Hero: Michael Baum (San Diego, Calif.) When it comes to giving platelets, Michael Baum’s dedication is unmatched. After he learned his platelets could be used to help infants and expectant mothers, he has not missed a single opportunity to donate. In fact, Baum is fast approaching his 100th donation in just four years. Beyond his own donations, Baum consistently inspires others to give. Because of his encouragement and enthusiasm, his family, friends, and co-workers all donate blood regularly in San Diego and beyond. Baum’s willingness to encourage others has inspired both individuals who have never donated before and reignited donations from those who haven’t given in decades. Every 15 seconds, someone in the U.S. needs platelets, and it’s thanks to donors like Baum and others that platelets are available to help patients in need.
- Good Samaritan Hero: Guy Baxter (Encinitas, Calif.) On April 17, 2024, Blake Baxter suffered cardiac arrest while surfing and was found floating in the water. He was pulled out of the water and CPR compressions were started by two passersby and then by his brother, Guy Baxter. Eventually lifeguards and other responders arrived, and Blake was miraculously revived after 20 minutes without a pulse. Later, doctors said that the compressions are what saved Blake's brain. He made a full recovery both physically and mentally thanks to the heroic actions of his brother Guy and others who jumped into action to help save his life.
- Disaster Services Hero: Gilbert Gonzalez (San Diego, Calif.) Navy Chief Damage Controlman Gilbert Gonzalez demonstrated unwavering courage when he jumped into action in the aftermath of a plane crash in the Murphy Canyon military housing community in May 2025. After a Cessna crashed into his neighborhood, smoke and fire filled the air and chaos unfolded. Gonzalez immediately began helping his neighbors escape their homes. He used a ladder to help families – including children and pets – climb over fences to safety when fire blocked their escape routes, ensuring that no one was left behind. In the face of danger, Chief Gonzalez embodied the ideals of bravery and heroism and demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the safety of his fellow community members.
- First Responder Hero: Resource Access Program (San Diego, Calif.) The Resource Access Program (RAP), a strategic social initiative of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and Falck Mobile Health Corp, is making a profound impact on the lives of the city's most vulnerable. They identify frequent 911 callers experiencing complex medical or social challenges and try to redirect them to more appropriate and effective care. They collaborate extensively with a wide network of partners, including patients, hospitals, law enforcement, courts, and social service providers to address the underlying issues contributing to repeated emergency calls. Last year they engaged with 132 patients, facilitating over 1,200 patient contacts. The San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and Falck Mobile Health Corp are committed to innovative programs like RAP that exemplify a proactive and compassionate approach to public safety and community health.
- Service to the Armed Forces Hero: Austin Cooke, U.S. Coast Guard (San Diego, Calif.) While deployed as part of Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) 104’s adaptive force package embarked on USCGC MUNRO (WMSL 755), ME2 Austin Cooke served as LEDET 104’s Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), where he demonstrated remarkable leadership and rendered heroic lifesaving medical interventions following a distress call from the Peruvian-flagged fishing vessel Tiburon 9 off the coast of Peru. The Tiburon 9 reported one of its crew members had sustained acute cranial trauma and a suspected major spinal injury after a significant accident on their boat. Upon boarding, ME2 Cooke performed lifesaving interventions on the gravely injured crewmember. Despite austere seas, he rendered immediate continuous aid an played an essential role in safely transporting the Tiburon 9 crewmember to an ambulance waiting at the pier, further volunteering his medical expertise during the 2-hour transit to the closest Level I trauma center capable of handling the seriousness of crewmember’s injuries. Thanks to ME2 Cooke’s great courage and heroism the Tiburon 9 crewmember is now continuing to make progress in their long-term recovery.
- Corporate Hero: Qualcomm (San Diego, Calif.) Qualcomm is a longtime supporter of the American Red Cross. After Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Qualcomm donated to support the local chapter and shortly thereafter donated an additional $150,000 to help California Wildfire relief efforts. Qualcomm's support spans 30 years and over $3.5 million in donations to the Red Cross. The company has invited their employees to further support the Red Cross mission through employee donations and matching gifts, employee giving committees and grant programs, promoting employee volunteerism and by hosting Red Cross blood drives on their San Diego campus. Qualcomm has also supported many other local organizations, helping to make our communities safer and more resilient through their philanthropic efforts.
This year’s Real Heroes Awards was made possible thanks to generous sponsors, including Hometown Hero Sponsor Sycuan Casino Resort; Regional Sponsor U.S. Bank; and Presenting Sponsors Marither Chuidian, Paula and Michael Downey, Falck, Kaiser Permanente, Mission Fed Credit Union and San Diego City Firefighters Local 145.
Real Heroes Awards nominations are submitted by the public and are chosen by a selection committee based on the extent to which nominees embody the spirit and mission of the Red Cross. Real Heroes nominations are accepted year-round at redcross.org/SanDiego/RealHeroes.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SoCal or cruzrojaamericana.org, or connect with the Southern California Region on X, Instagram, YouTube or Facebook.
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