The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois is honoring a local pediatrician, Dr. John Kahler of Palos Park, as the Disaster Services Hero at the organization’s 17th Annual Heroes Breakfast. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 1 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave. For more information please call 312.729.6178 or go to website: redcross.org/heroes.
Dr. Kahler, a retired pediatrician, spent more than 40 years as a physician. For most of his career, he worked as a pediatrician at John H. Stroger Hospital. For over 20 years, he has been dedicated to treating children in areas of the world affected by war, natural disasters and disease outbreaks. Dr. Kahler has participated in medical missions in countries in Africa and Central America, as well as in Yemen and Syria. In 2016 after learning about the death of the last pediatrician in Aleppo during an airstrike, Dr. Kahler volunteered to travel to the city to care for Syrian children. Two years ago, he co-founded MedGlobal, an organization committed to providing health care to vulnerable communities and training local healthcare workers, in an effort to build sustainable health solutions. At 72 years of age, Dr. Kahler shows no sign of slowing down and has dedicated his golden years to continuing to care for underserved communities.
“At the American Red Cross, we feel privileged to honor individuals like Dr. Kahler, who travels thousands of miles, putting his life at risk in order to provide medical care to children in vulnerable regions of the world,” said Celena Roldán, chief executive officer of the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois.
Additional honorees were selected in 11 community service categories. Heroes were chosen by an independent committee of leaders in the business and civic community. For the complete list of 2019 Heroes, visit redcross.org/heroes.
The 2019 Heroes Breakfast is made possible thanks to the generosity of our sponsors including: Walgreens, ITW, Kirkland & Ellis, Northern Trust and United Airlines.
About the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois:
The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois serves 9.5 million people in 21 counties, including Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lake, Lee, McHenry, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside, Will and Winnebago. 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 American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at redcross.org/il/chicago or visit us on Twitter @ChicagoRedCross.