To learn more about the Heroes Breakfast or get involved, contact us at Illinois.Heroes@RedCross.org.
For the past 24 years, at our annual Heroes Breakfast, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago has honored individuals and groups for acts of immense bravery, dedication and service to the community. Incredible heroes walk among us delivering kindness and making a difference every day.
In addition to the exemplary 2026 Class of Heroes, the Red Cross of Illinois presents the prestigious Heritage Award, annually as part of its Heroes Breakfast event.
The Heritage Award recognizes the consummate spirit of heroism and humanitarianism at a distinguished level. It acknowledges the demonstration of long-term commitment to improvement of the lives of others through actions, deeds, and philanthropic works in the corporate and civic communities.
Darrel Hackett is Chief Executive Officer of BMO U.S., a top 10 U.S. bank by assets. He serves on BMO Financial Group’s Executive Committee and chairs the U.S. Management Committee, overseeing all U.S. operations. Since joining BMO in 2004, Darrel has held leadership roles including President of BMO Wealth Management U.S., Senior Vice President & Head of North American Integrated Channels, U.S. Business Banking, and Regional President for Chicago Metro. Earlier, he worked at McKinsey & Company and began his career at General Electric. Darrel serves on the boards of the Art Institute of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center, Kids First Chicago, and United Way of Metro Chicago, and is a member of the Federal Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board. He earned an MBA from Stanford University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Cum Laude) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Selected Heroes will be honored at our Heroes Breakfast in 2027.
Candidates are honored in multiple categories. See descriptions here.
Candidates must live or work in the following Illinois counties:
Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Lake, McHenry, or Will.
Heroic act must have occurred within the 2026 calendar year or be ongoing.
