- The local American Red Cross chapter is looking for people to nominate local heroes for helping others
- Nominations are open now through November for the Celebration of Heroes event
- The awards recognize community members, first responders and veterans
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — If you know a local hero, the American Red Cross wants to hear about him or her.
The Red Cross is taking nominations through November for the Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter Celebration of Heroes.
“We're at a point right now where we have some categories where we don't have any nominations yet,” said Peter Brown, executive director of the Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter, which covers the Lehigh Valley.
"We've honored firefighters who've pulled children out of burning homes. We've honored firefighters who have done CPR and emergency resuscitation on the scene to bring somebody back who had already left us for a short while."Peter Brown, executive director of the Red Cross Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter
For the second year, the Red Cross at its Heroes breakfast will honor community members, first responders and veterans in the Lehigh Valley who go above and beyond for others.
The breakfast will be on March 14 in the Lehigh Valley at Olympus of the Americas headquarters in Center Valley. The Berks County event will be held on March 8 at the Double Tree Hotel in Reading.
The nomination process is open now through Nov. 10. Brown said the nomination process is a simple online form.
"We have a number of different categories we honor,” Brown said. “First, a fire safety hero, and that award recognizes a professional or volunteer firefighter who does life-saving action above and beyond.
"We've honored firefighters who've pulled children out of burning homes. We've honored firefighters who have done CPR and emergency resuscitation on the scene to bring somebody back who had already left us for a short while."
'Incredible stories over the years’
Brown said the organization also recognizes people who went out of their way to save lives.
“We've had incredible stories over the years," he said.
"Probably two or three years ago, we honored two teenagers in Berks County who walked by a house and realized that there was smoke coming out.
"They knocked on the door and then went in, and the two people in the home had succumbed to carbon monoxide, and they were able to get the house opened up and get them outside before they passed away.”
“They are just people who believe that treating others in that way, and being willing to step up when there are challenges is just who they are.”Peter Brown, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the Red Cross
“None of these heroes are heroes because they went out today and said, ‘I'm going to go find something where I can be a hero,’" Brown said.
"They are just people who believe that treating others in that way, and being willing to step up when there are challenges is just who they are.”
This is the second year for the Lehigh Valley event Celebration of Heroes. It was started following the great success of a similar breakfast in Berks County that has been underway for the past 20 years.
"People need to have things to aspire to, they need to feel hope and feel like there are positives happening out there,” Brown said.
