The American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois is honoring a local physician, Dr. Kaleem Malik of Burr Ridge, as the 2020 Disaster Services Hero.
When not serving patients in disaster zones, Dr. Malik works as an emergency room physician for the DuPage Medical Group. A physician for 25 years, Dr. Malik is also a volunteer for Humanity First USA, a non-profit organization that provides medical disaster relief to vulnerable global communities. Over the past 17 years, he has responded to countless disasters. Most recently, Dr. Malik led one of the first international teams of medical professionals sent to the Bahamas after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. This response put to the test all of Dr. Malik’s disaster relief skills, as his team worked extremely difficult conditions to restore to working order a badly damaged medical clinic on Abaco island.
“Dr. Malik commitment to provide critical medical services to vulnerable communities and those affected by disaster should be an inspiration to all. We are honor to count with Dr. Malik as one of our Everyday Extraordinary Heroes this year,” said Celena Roldán, chief executive officer of Chicago & Northern Red Cross.
For the past 18 years, the Chicago & Northern Illinois Red Cross has honored each class of heroes at its Heroes Breakfast, typically attended by nearly 1,000 individuals. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Chicago & Northern Illinois Red Cross is unable to host this event in person but will honor this class of heroes via traditional and social media coverage beginning Tuesday, April 14.
Follow us @chicagoredcross on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to watch these heroes tell their stories of determination, resilience and kindness. You can also join the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois on LinkedIn as we tell the beautiful stories of these Everyday Extraordinary individuals. We invite you to help us share these amazing stories with your friends and family across social media.
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 2020 Heroes, visit redcross.org/heroes.
Thank you to all our generous sponsors, including: Better, Edwardson Family Foundation, Kirkland & Ellis, CSX, KPMG, Walgreens and to our media sponsor CBS 2.
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.