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Fresno, CA, March 3, 2010—They are a high school football player, local builder, a father, a county employee, military service member, nurse, educator, and physician.
And they are also considered ordinary people who have done extraordinary things, whether volunteering, rescuing victims from a burning vehicle, or supporting cancer survivors. All ten will be honored as American Red Cross Heroes at a Friday evening event in
Fresno
.
Central Valley
residents nominated community members and a selection committee of business and community volunteers selected the winners. These heroes will be honored at the 8th Annual Real Heroes Event on March 19, 2010 at the
Fresno
Art Museum
.
Dakota Brown will receive the Youth Good Samaritan Award for his volunteer work for the Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) Foothill/Mountain Chapter. Dakota helped more than 25 grieving youth by providing emotional support following a traumatic event in the foothill community last year.
Darius Assemi of Granville Homes will receive the Community Partner Hero Award for his active philanthropic giving in the
Central Valley
. His family created a nonprofit organization called the Waterford Foundation to give time, resources, and guidance to local non-profit agencies supporting families in need in the local community.
Ted Escalante of
Clovis
will receive the Male Good Samaritan Award for his lifesaving efforts last fall when he came upon a burning vehicle that had gone out of control and crashed off Highway 99. He bravely broke the window of the burning vehicle, cut through the seatbelt and pulled the unconscious victim to safety.
Janie Sustaita of
Tulare
will receive the Female Good Samaritan Award for quick lifesaving actions during a funeral service that saved the life of a man in the parking lot. Janie credits the CPR class she took just the day before as the reason she was able to assist him.
MA2 Joshua Alvarado will receive the Military Hero Award for providing emergency aid and comfort to two military members assigned to NAS Lemoore during an automobile accident on California Highway 198.
Judy Shehadey, R.N.,will receive the Health Care Hero Award for devoting her life to providing unconditional love and support to local breast cancer patients at Kaiser Permanente. She quietly takes notes during all oncology appoints, and pops in to chemotherapy sessions to check on her patients. Mostly, she always provides a strong shoulder and positive attitude.
Debby Dailey
will receive the Spirit of the American Red Cross Award for her longtime service to the American Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team volunteer. A former firefighter, current nurse and educator, Debby’s passion for helping others has taken her many places across the county during disasters with the American Red Cross, 10 times in one year alone.
Dr. Simon Paul will receive the Health Care Hero Award for his vision, dedication, and wisdom to HIV / AIDS research, treatment, and patient care and education through the Community Special Services program at the Community Medical Regional Center Campus in
Fresno
.
The event, to be held at the
Fresno
Art Museum
on
First Street in
Fresno
on the evening of March 19, will not be a traditional affair, but an art infused atmosphere with gourmet food, cocktails and live music. There will be a silent auction, and one live art auction piece “Distant Soul” by local artist Frank Arnold. Co-founder of ArtHop, Frank Arnold splits his time between his studio in
Fresno
on “O” street, Studio 8, and his gallery in
San Jose
Del Cabo, Mexico
.
Honorees will be presented at the March 19th event to guests via an “ambassador” to allow for individual conversations and the opportunity to answer questions. Seating will be open and diverse ranging from tall bar tables to conversation tables, allowing for a natural flow of people around the event. All attendees are encouraged to mingle throughout the art museum and its galleries.
Tickets for the event, sponsored by Dowling, Aaron & Keeler, KMJ, KSEE 24, Pelco and State Farm Insurance can be purchased online at http://www.arccentralvalley.org or by calling 559.455.1000.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.fresnomaderaredcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
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