Media Contact:
Brianna Kelly, Regional Communications Manager
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Heroes honored from across the region, including San Bernardino, Riverside, Murrieta, Corona, Moreno Valley, Chino, Rancho Cucamonga and Upland

Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, CALIF. — March 8, 2024 — The American Red Cross held its 2024 Inland Empire Heroes Awards on Wednesday, March 6 at the Ontario Convention Center. The event recognized Inland Empire locals for heroism, who hailed from various areas of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

The event, hosted by KTLA’s Inland Empire reporter Shelby Nelson, was attended by more than 200 guests and raised over $98,000 for the American Red Cross.

Click here to watch inspiring videos highlighting each honoree’s story and click here to view photos from the event, including photos of this year’s honorees.

2024 Inland Empire Heroes Awards Honorees

• Animal Welfare Hero Award: San Bernardino County Fire ME231 – San Bernardino, Calif.
  Following inclement weather in January 2023, Seamus, a one-year-old Australian Shepherd, was swept away in a storm drain after running away from his owner on a walk. As the owners searched for their dog, local crews were dispatched to assist. While canvassing the area, San Bernardino County Fire ME231 was flagged down by someone who had heard a dog barking in a nearby channel and witnessed the dog floating away. Firefighters quickly made access to the dog, ultimately bringing him to safety. The crew took Seamus with them in the fire engine, drying and warming him up on the way to his house. Firefighters soon returned Seamus to his worried owners and reunited the family back together.
• Disaster Services Hero Award: Detective R. Espinoza – Riverside, Calif.
  On October 7, 2023, Detective R. Espinoza, several family members, and nearly 30 others from his church group landed in Israel for a vacation. Hours later, Hamas attacked Israel. Espinoza jumped into action to ensure the safety of his group. They sought safety in bomb shelters while he worked tirelessly to find flights back to the United States. He initially secured safe passage for four individuals, as few seats were available on outgoing flights. Espinoza remained behind, shepherding the remainder of his group to safety on a harrowing journey. Many group members were elderly. Espinoza rarely slept, staying up most nights providing medical aid and comfort to fellow group members. Eventually, Espinoza was able to secure ground transportation for the group to Jordan. After the 11-hour drive, he booked two smaller charter aircraft, and his group was flown to Turkey, where he obtained commercial flights for the entire group to Los Angeles, ensuring their safe passage home. They ultimately returned a week after the war began, thanks to Espinoza’s leadership and courage in the face of danger and uncertainty.
• First Responder Hero Award: Cory Wheeler, Murrieta Fire & Rescue – Murrieta, Calif.
  Fire Engineer Cory Wheeler and his team responded to a 911 call in which a nine-year-old girl lost her father. After this heartbreaking call, the young girl - whose father was her sole guardian and who was living in difficult conditions - found a guardian angel in Wheeler. Recognizing the immediate and long-term needs of this young girl, Wheeler initiated a fundraising effort that garnered over $6,000 for her, which was used to provide essential items like clothes and personal necessities. He even orchestrated a trip to Disneyland, creating lasting memories for a child who faced unimaginable hardship. To ensure the young girl had continued support, he placed the remaining funds in a controlled account to help provide necessary resources for the future – making a positive impact for a young girl facing a tragic situation. 
• Gift of Life Hero Award: William Taylor – Riverside, Calif.
  Since 2018, Red Cross platelet donor William Taylor has been traveling from his home in Riverside County to regularly donate platelets at the Red Cross Pomona Blood Donation Center - about 72 miles roundtrip. A dedicated platelet donor, Taylor waits patiently at each appointment as specialized equipment draws whole blood from one arm, separates platelets and returns red blood cells to him. The process takes up to three hours and results in several transfusable platelet units. Taylor has donated over 370 platelet units. Platelets can be used to help organ transplant patients, those undergoing surgery or patients battling cancer. Because platelets have a shelf life of five days they are in constant need, and the Red Cross is thankful for volunteer platelet donors like Taylor who play a critical role in offering hope and healing for patients in Southern California and beyond.
• Gift of Life Hero Award: Tina Vazquez – Corona, Calif.
  Tina Vazquez, a Red Cross Blood Program Leader, has been instrumental in the resurgence of in-person blood drives sponsored by Circle K West Coast after the COVID-19 pandemic. Vazquez personally recruits Circle K staff and community members to give blood at local Circle K West blood drives, printing and posting flyers at stores and neighboring businesses, community centers and places of worship. “Tina is a wonderful advocate for Red Cross within Circle K and beyond. She has such a huge heart and is committed to serving her community,” said Lois Beckman, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Riverside County. “Her work and efforts have undoubtedly led to many lives saved through the blood drives she has coordinated. She is fierce when it comes to recruiting blood donors. She is a true hero who goes above and beyond to serve others.”
• Good Samaritan Hero Award: Cesar Morales – Moreno Valley, Calif.
  In April 2023, while driving a K-Frog station vehicle back from an event at the Norco Rodeo, the K-Frog Street Team was involved in an auto accident. After being rear-ended, then hit again on the side of the van, K-Frog team member Cesar Morales pulled the station vehicle over and exited the van, preparing to exchange information with the other driver. Instead, he realized the driver was having a medical emergency, which likely caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. A nursing student and former Marine, Morales immediately sprang into action, administering CPR and reviving the driver, ultimately helping to save the man's life.
• Service to the Armed Forces Hero Award: Robert J. Ethridge – Chino, Calif.
  At the age of 17, Robert J. Ethridge enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1987 to 2002. His time in the Army included multiple combat deployments. During Operation Enduring Freedom he was severely wounded and medically discharged. After taking time to heal from his wounds he joined the U.S. Forest Service, and over the course of his 20-year career, he has worked tirelessly to protect and serve others. His efforts include helping to protect Californians during the Rim Fire, Station Fire, Ranch Fire, August Fire and others. He has also deployed to support search, rescue, and recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina and helped fight the devastating Australia wildfires from December 2019 to January 2020. Ethridge spends his evenings and weekends helping local veterans with the Valued Veterans Program, going above and beyond to ensure veterans in the community feel seen and valued – a hero helping heroes.
• Youth Hero Award: Emma Gray – Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
  Emma Gray was walking into her high school with friends when she noticed a student on the floor experiencing a seizure. As an American Red Cross certified lifeguard, she assessed the situation and realized he had a laceration on his neck and was still seizing. Gray used the hoodie she was wearing to put pressure on the wound, while using the larger portion of the hoodie to cushion the student’s head. She remained with him and kept the pressure on his wound while waiting for help to arrive. When medics arrived, they informed her that his laceration to the neck was his Carotid Artery, and that if pressure was not held on the wound, the student could have died in minutes. Thanks to Gray’s training in First Aid and CPR through the American Red Cross Lifeguard training program, she was able to jump into action and help save her fellow schoolmate’s life. 
• Corporate Hero Award: Ontario Community Foundation – Upland, Calif.
  The Ontario Community Foundation has been a generous partner of the American Red Cross since 1981, supporting Red Cross disaster relief efforts, the organization’s Home Fire Campaign, blood collection efforts and more. Over the last five years, the Ontario Community Foundation has narrowed its focus on supporting the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which aims to prevent home fire deaths and injuries and helps those affected by home fires in San Bernardino and beyond.

Nominations for the Inland Empire Heroes Awards are accepted year-round. For more information about the Inland Empire Heroes Awards or to nominate a hero to be recognized at next year’s event, visit redcross.org/IEHeroes.

The Inland Empire Heroes Awards is made possible thanks to the generosity of Regional Sponsor U.S. Bank; Presenting Sponsor Sysco Riverside; Community Sponsors Altura Credit Union, Double Tree by Hilton Claremont, Bernard and Joan Herman, IAPMO, Inland Empire Business Journal, Inland Empire Health Plan, JJ Roofing, Ed Monie, Ontario Convention Center, Prime Healthcare Inland Empire Region and other local sponsors.

About the American Red Cross Southern California Region   
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 public to perform its mission. The Red Cross Southern California Region proudly serves San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties. In addition to carrying out disaster preparedness and response programs, blood collection, health and safety training, international services programs and supporting the military community, the Southern California Region provides nutritional counseling through its Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in San Diego and helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters through its Prepare SoCal and Prepare San Diego initiatives. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SoCal or cruzrojaamericana.org, or connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.  

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