BREWER — Ten individuals and three organizations in Greater Bangor will be honored as “real heroes” by the American Red Cross for going above and beyond in service to others. They will be recognized for their good works at a Red Cross Heroes Breakfast on Wednesday, April 15, at Jeff’s Catering and Convention Center in Brewer.
To obtain tickets for the American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast, contact John Thomas at jr.thomas@redcross.org or 941-2903.
The 2015 recipients in Greater Bangor are:
- Disaster Hero Award, Leo Moody, Kingman, and Wade Shorey, Greenbush. Moody is credited with saving a 3-month-old infant from drowning by pulling her from a car that was upside-down in 2½ feet of water. Driving home from work, Moody saw that an SUV had slid down an embankment. He called 911 and ran to the vehicle, where he found the 3-month old baby submerged in the water. Using his knife and working in finger-numbing cold, Moody cut the straps that held the unresponsive girl. Shorey, a bystander, joined the rescue effort. He performed CPR, reviving the baby.
- Disaster Hero Award, Chief Craig Bowden, Bucksport Fire Department; Lt. Rod Charette, Maine State Police; Officer Dan Harlan, Bucksport Police Department; Roland LaRue (posthumous). The four men will be honored for their attempts to save the life of a 5-year-old boy who had fallen into the Penobscot River while fishing with his grandfather last August. Bowden, Charette and Harlan dove into the water and pulled the boy out, but he died at the hospital. LaRue, the boy’s grandfather, jumped into the water to save him, but perished in the effort.
- Disaster Hero Award, Craig and Kristen Russell, Eddington. While working as the fire safety team at the 2014 Eastern Maine Sportsman Show, the couple learned of a medical issue and rushed to the scene, where they found an unconscious man with no pulse. Springing into action, Craig ran for an AED while Kirsten, a CPR instructor and firefighter, began CPR. The shock from the AED jolted the man back to life as first responders arrived.
- Dispatcher Award, Christopher Lavoie, Penobscot County Dispatch. Dispatcher Lavoie fielded a call from a frantic female reporting a home invasion. A male suspect, known by the residents, reportedly entered the home, assaulted and murdered a female victim. Lavoie gave instructions to the caller in an attempt to save the victim’s life. Dispatcher Lavoie also provided valuable instructions to the people at the residence in order to preserve the scene for investigators, and his techniques on obtaining suspect information proved to be valuable in capturing the suspect.
- Volunteer Award, Randy Eldridge, East Orland. Eldridge volunteers in multiple capacities, from helping victims of fires to teaching health and safety classes. He has responded to more than 20 fires in Maine during the past two years. Eldridge also has deployed to help at national disaster responses in Mississippi and the state of Washington.
- American Red Cross Blood Service Award, Lisa Morin, University of Maine volunteer. Morin, the University of Maine coordinator of the Bodwell Center for Service and Volunteerism, has been the champion of the University of Maine blood drive program for five years. In addition to her hard work and time commitment, she recruits and trains a new student assistant every three years. Typically the assistant is a graduate student Lisa mentors to assist with the program. Since beginning her work with the Red Cross, Lisa has organized more than 30 blood drives, which have recruited more than 3,000 donors and collected 2,852 units of blood.
- Service to Armed Forces Award, Bangor Troop Greeters. This group of veterans and civilians support U.S. armed forces by greeting troops who arrive at Bangor International Airport. Day or night, rain or shine, Bangor Troop Greeters welcome each soldier home and give a proper send off to those heading overseas. They offer free cell phones to call a loved one, a snack to keep them going and handshakes to let them know we care. Since 2003, the Maine Troop Greeters have greeted more than 7,300 flights carrying 1,480,033 service members and 396 military dogs. Their pledge: as long as there are U.S. armed forces serving overseas, the Greeters will be there to greet them.
- Extra Mile Award, Brookings-Smith Funeral Home. Brookings-Smith has been a dedicated and integral member of the Greater Bangor and Northern Maine communities since 1874. The organization has provided financial support to the Red Cross for more than a decade, and General Manager Jim Fernald served on the Red Cross board of directors. The support of companies like Brookings-Smith Funeral Home make it possible for the American Red Cross to fulfill its mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies.
- Honorable Service Certificate, Bangor Region Leadership Institute, Class of 2015. The Bangor Region Leadership Institute will be honored for its efforts to give potential and emerging leaders the skills, knowledge and on-going support they need to succeed in the greater Bangor community.
For information, go to MaineRedCross.org.