The 30th Annual Acts of Courage Awards.
For 30 years The Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley has honored those residents of Summit, Portage, Medina, Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana Counties who have acted courageously and selflessly in a time of emergency. Join us as we recognize everyday citizens who have gone above and beyond when the need arose.
For over 20 years it has been our honor to also recognize one outstanding community leader with the H. Peter Burg Community Leader Award. This award is presented each year to one or more individuals who best exemplify leadership in the community, compassion for its people and dedication to the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross.
To purchase tickets or sponsor this event, Contact Rachel Stine at rachel.stine@redcross.org or 216-905-3215.
If you do, we need your help identifying these local heroes!
Nominations close on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
Each year since 2004, the Red Cross takes an opportunity to present a community member, who has spent a lifetime pursuing good deeds, with the H. Peter Burg Community Leader Award.
Originally from California, Jack and his wife, Renee, and their three adult children have planted roots in Northeast Ohio where they love and appreciate the small-town community feel and the many connections they have made. Jack is Vice President and General Manager for the Utility Vegetation Management division of Davey Resource Group, the environmental consulting and engineering subsidiary of Davey Tree, having worked in the green industry upwards of 35 years. A leader in his field, he has held a variety of leadership positions in his industry, including: director of the Utility Arborist Association; board president of the California Urban Forests Council; board chair of CAL FIRE's State Urban Forestry Advisory Committee; and an advisor and visiting instructor to the Forestry and Environmental Science Department of Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo. He has a deep passion for community and the outdoors and is heavily involved in the City of Hudson where he serves on the Environmental Awareness Committee and is on the Board of the Friends of Hudson Parks.
Jack has a heartfelt passion for the Red Cross and recently completed ten years of board service, including serving on the Executive Committee and as Board Chair. He continues to actively promote blood drives at Davey, as well as being a consistent blood donor himself. Throughout the year, he gathers and organizes groups to install smoke detectors, and attends various fundraising events across the region. At a national level, he has engaged Davey to offer the American Red Cross First Aid and CPR training systems to its thousands of employees around the United States. As a leader of field operations serving the electric utility industry, he and his team can often be seen helping those affected by disasters across the country, and Davey has routinely promoted and made Corporate-level donations to support the Red Cross Disaster Services. Lastly, his abundant enthusiasm for the Red Cross has bled over to his family; Jack proudly recruited his lovely wife, Renee, as a volunteer in the Service to Armed Forces area.
2025 Ron Paydo
2024 Richard W. Burke
2023 Pam Kanfer of Blessed Memory and Joe Kanfer
2022 Bernett L. Williams
2021 Nick and Cindy Browning
2020 Steve Hendricks
2019 Virginia Addicott
2018 Brian Moore
2017 Kevin Thompson
2016 Leonard Foster
2015 William J. Ginter
2014 Pamela Williams
2013 David Lieberth
2012 Mark and Sandy Auburn
2011 Dave Brockman
2010 Theresa Carter
2009 Donna Early
2008 Roger and Judy Read
2007 Bud and Susie Rogers
2006 Bill and Becky Considine
2005 Duane Isham
2004 H. Peter Burg