Nominations are now open for the 22^nd Annual Real Heroes Awards, an event honoring ordinary people with extraordinary courage in San Diego and Imperial Counties

SAN DIEGO (June 18, 2024) – Not all heroes wear capes - some live and work among us every day. Do you know an “ordinary” person with extraordinary courage? Someone who has saved a life, helped a neighbor in need or made a difference in their community? If so, the American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties needs your help! If you know a local hero, the Red Cross wants you to nominate them to be recognized at the organization’s 22nd Annual Real Heroes Awards.

“Each year at our Real Heroes Awards we recognize people and organizations for acts of courage and community impact,” says Sean Mahoney, Regional CEO of the American Red Cross Southern California Region. “As we seek nominations for this year’s event, we need the public’s help to identify hometown heroes we can celebrate for their contributions.”

Nominating a hero is free and can be done easily online. Nominations are due by Friday, July 19, 2024. For more information on nomination guidelines or to submit a nomination, visit redcross.org/sandiego/realheroes.  

“Your hero could be a colleague, family member, neighbor, friend or an organization,” says Mahoney. “If you know a local hero, we encourage you to nominate them to be recognized at our Real Heroes Awards.”

Honorees will be celebrated across eight categories: Animal Welfare Hero, Corporate Hero, Disaster Services Hero, First Responder Hero, Gift of Life Hero, Good Samaritan Hero, Service to the Armed Forces Hero and Youth Hero. For complete category descriptions, visit redcross.org/sandiego/realheroes.

Now celebrating its 22^nd year in the community, the Real Heroes Awards celebrates people and organizations making a positive impact in San Diego and Imperial Counties through their courage, compassion and community leadership. Since the event’s inception, hundreds of local heroes have been recognized. This year’s award recipients will be honored during the event on Friday, September 27, 2024, aboard the USS Midway Museum.

Heroes are nominated by the public and are chosen by an awards selection committee. Honorees are selected based on the degree to which their actions uphold the values of the Red Cross humanitarian mission and leave a lasting and positive impact on the community.

For more information about the American Red Cross of San Diego and Imperial Counties, please visit redcross.org/SoCal.

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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