The St. George Heroes Event is next week! Check out our featured Southern Utah Heroes for today..

 

 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | 12:00 p.m.

 

Kenneth Gardner Center

Dixie State College

225 South 700 East

Saint George, UT 84770

 

Lifetime Hero: Richard Leavitt has been described as one of the most generous people you will meet in a lifetime.  He continually gives both time and talent as a volunteer to the Washington County Search and Rescue team, serving as leader of the county's high-angle rescue team.  The often daring rescues in the challenging Red Rock terrain of southern Utah draw national attention, but Richard views the rescue business as just another “day on the job”, and a simple thank you is sufficient attention and acknowledgment of his effort.   We disagree with such modesty and propose that the world is a far better place because of Richard Leavitt.

Youth Good Samaritan: As President of the Dixie Rural Health Scholars Club, Austin Cope, a pre-med student at Dixie State College led the effort to raise more than $6,000 to provide emergency preparedness kits to Washington County School District supplying nearly 1,000 school rooms. The seven-month fundraising effort was highlighted by a benefit concert featuring renowned classical pianist and composer Jon Schmidt. The emergency packs, which are essentially easy-to-grab backpacks or buckets, compliment the First-Aid training teachers receive and as a result can help save lives.  Austin saw a need in the community and fulfilled it.

Law Enforcement Hero: Sergeant Ted Barnard and Detective Rod Willis with Special Recognition to Kane County Sheriff’s Office.  In the ensuing gun battle, shots were fired fatally wounding Deputy Brian Harris. Despite tremendous personal risk, both men remained with their fallen comrade with disregard for their personal safety. As bullets continued flying the officers stayed on scene until they could be air lifted out.  At such close range it is only the bravery of these men that kept fatalities to a minimum, although even one life lost in the line of duty is a terrible tragedy. Sergeant Barnard and Detective Willis, with the Kane County Sheriff’s Office, were on scene backing up fellow officers who were pursuing a burglary suspect.

Royal Wedding Fever

The biggest wedding of the year is set to take place tomorrow! Prince William and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, will wed this Friday, April 29 at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

Royal weddings usually happen around every 13 years. They are extravagant events that capture the attention of the entire world. The wedding could attract a television audience over 2.5 billion people and 1 million people are to said to line the streets to try and get a glimpse of the royal couple.

With the volume of people the British Red Cross will be making sure that onlookers are safe by deploying over 100 volunteers. This will include over 70 first aid volunteers at 3 stations around London.

Mary Gardner, who has been a Red Cross volunteer for 27 years, will be one of those in the abbey.

“Royal weddings don’t come around very often, and there is such excitement and goodwill about this one,” she said. “I love the atmosphere in the abbey and volunteering for the Red Cross gives me the opportunity to be involved in all sorts of events there. I feel very honored and lucky to be on first aid duty for William and Kate’s wedding."

“On first aid duty at events, a lot of the incidents we deal with are thankfully minor – cuts, bruises, blisters, dehydration or emotional upset. There can always be more serious casualties, however, and some of us are trained to use oxygen, nebulisers and certain prescription drugs if necessary.”

The American Red Cross of greater Salt Lake unfortunately will not be setting up first aid stations for the royal wedding, so please everyone stay safe! Happy royal wedding!

The Provo Heroes Event is today!! Here are the featured heroes for today, check out their incredible stories..

Risking His Own Life to Protect Others: Utah High Patrol Trooper Cameron Carter risked his life when he positioned his car in front of a wrong way DUI driver on I-15 and the driver collided head-on with his car. Trooper Cameron Carter risked his own safety to protect the motoring public. He is being recognized as the 2011 Law Enforcement Hero.









Helping the Sick and Needy one Hat at a Time: Hal Farnsworth has been making hats for cancer patients, homeless people, and people in Africa who worry about insects in their hair for 11 years. Hal, 89, has weaved over 4,300 hats since 1999 when he created a wooden loom for one of his grandchildren. As a World War II Navy radar specialist and electronics engineer, Hal has traveled to all 50 U.S. states and 48 foreign countries. He has modified inventions of tools for military radar installations and served in three wars. He has been married to his wife Lena for over 70 years and is being recognized as the 2011 Community Good Samaritan Hero.

Compassion in the Midst of War: Layne Pace, Fire Battalion Chief for the City of Orem, is founder of and president of The Afghan Orphan Project (TAO) to bring hope and opportunity to Afghan children. While serving in Afghanistan with the National Guard’s 211th Aviation Regiment, Layne and his fellow soldiers worked to alleviate the suffering of this war devastated country by funding, building and sustaining the largest orphanage in Afghanistan, the “Khalakhan Orphanage”. In Afghanistan, an overwhelming number of children are abandoned, orphaned, abused and living on the streets. The care of orphans and street children is among the primary concerns of the TAO Project. In December 2010, the TAO helped a female orphan obtain a new prosthetic leg donated by Hanger Prosthetics of Murray because the old prosthetic was too short making it painful for her to walk. For his off duty work to help others while actively deployed, Layne is being recognized as the 2011 Military Rescue Hero.

Hard Work Bears Fruit: Bret Van Leeuwen has travelled to Kenya 20 times since 2001. He founded Koins for Kenya an organization which has built 20 schools and educated 5,300 students. Koins for Kenya has no paid staff, no over-head, and no administrative costs. A hundred percent of all Koins for Kenya donations are used for projects which improve the rural communities in Kenya and involve the labor of local villagers to create long-term solutions for everyday problems. Koins works to create self-sustaining programs and educate the workforce. Bret is being recognized as the 2011 International Good Samaritan Hero.

The Provo Heroes Event is this week!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 | 11:30 a.m.

Provo Marriott Hotel

101 West 100 North

Provo, Ut 84601

Here are the featured Heroes for today..

Lifetime of Service: Dr. Moreno Robins is a retired pediatrician who lends a helping hand at the Volunteer Care Clinic in Provo as the medical director. He gives two days per week to the clinic as well as organizing the volunteer physician schedules, and ensuring there is adequate coverage to provide medical care for low-income families without insurance. He has dedicated his life to helping children maintain and improve their health. He will be recognized with the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Pets Helping People: Mouse is a four-year-old golden retriever who volunteers with his master, Rocky Collins at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center for 3 ½ to 4 hours every week. Mouse’s owner is a member of Intermountain Therapy Animals, an organization providing pet-facilitated therapy to enhance the quality of people’s lives in extended care facilities. Mouse was identified as an excellent therapy animal because of his mellow disposition and gentle temperament. He loves to rest his head in the laps of patients in their hospital beds so they can pet him. “No matter how hard things are, life isn’t really so bad,” says Rocky who enjoys bringing a moment of happiness to hospital patients. Rocky even takes Mouse to visit hospitals during his vacations. Mouse and Rocky Collins are being recognized as the 2011 Animal Hero.

Turning Tragedy into Heroism: Kevin Bardsley created the Garrett Bardsley Foundation to conduct wilderness search rescues after he lost his son Garrett during a Boy Scout outing in Utah’s Unita Mountains in August 2004. Garrett was never found. Kevin wanted to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again by training volunteers to be ready at a moment’s notice to conduct wilderness search and rescue expeditions throughout Utah. Kevin assembled a list of resources including horses, pack mules, ATVs, GPS units and experienced search personnel to conduct organized searches, distribute food and water, direct traffic and assist with medical needs to prevent another family from experiencing the tragedy his family experienced when they lost Garrett. Kevin Bardsley is the 2011 Wilderness Rescue Hero.

Devoted Son Acts with Composure and Bravery: Kyle Jones was only 13 years old when he found his mother unconscious in the backyard of his home. He called 911 and told his sister to wait in front of the house to direct them to the back of the house when they arrived. Then he attempted to administer CPR to his mother. The paramedics arrived on the scene six minute later. The paramedics, the 911 dispatch team, and the detectives all said they were impressed with Kyle’s composure and bravery. Kyle, an Eagle Scout, used his lifesaving training to try and save his mother. Kyle will be receiving the 2011 Family Hero Award.

The Ogden Heroes Event is TODAY!! 3 Heroes Events to go; Provo, St. George, and Logan!

Here are the featured Ogden Heroes for today...

Military Heroes: Capt. Ryan Lucero & Major Brian Bragg overcame poor communication & procedural limitations while on a mission in Afghanistan. Their efforts saved the lives of 24 U.S. Army troops and five civilians.

Community Safety: Through his career as an airman at Hill AFB, Shane Busshas been trained as a first responder. In October, while traveling on I-215, a vehicle lost control, struck the median and flipped onto its roof. Shane pulled over to assist the driver. Shane pulled the driver out of the vehicle and away from traffic. Shane assessed the driver for injuries and made sure the driver was safe and away from traffic. He then directed traffic until officers arrived at the scene.

Educator: Dale Covington has taken his own addiction recovery and turned it into his life’s work. Dale volunteers his time to educate and counsel addicts and families affected by drug & alcohol addiction through classes he teaches at Farmington Bay Detention Center, Davis County Jail, Hill AFB, Ogden Regional Medical Center, local churches, and schools.

The Ogden Heroes Event is tomorrow! Here are the featured Heroes for Today..

First Responder: Michael Medina was walking past a home on 36th street when he noticed black smoke. He started banging on the door and dowsing the house with a garden hose. Ross Patterson, who lives across the street ran over and told Michael that an elderly, disabled man lives in the home. The two men made a spit second decision to break open the door. They heard the man moaning and ran into the smoke filled home. Through three foot tall flames, they were able to get to the man and pull him to safety.

Fire Rescue: Brothers, Steven & Michael Thornton came upon a duplex that had smoke coming from it. They rushed into the fire and pulled out a woman and her 6 grandchildren that were unaware of the danger they were in. The brothers grabbed a garden hose and broke into the other side of the duplex where an elderly man was lying on the floor. The brothers were unable to get the man out before an explosion forced them out of the duplex

Youth Good Samaritan: While eating lunch in the cafeteria at Weber High School Michael Cevering noticed a student with severe autism was choking. He noticed the boy was not breathing and administered abdominal thrusts. Michael’s quick reaction and training from his summer lifeguard job saved the life of his classmate.

Adult Good Samaritan: When a small plane crashed in a Roy neighborhood critically injuring the pilot, Gary Cox was one of the first people on the scene. Gary found the pilot, Clayton Roop lying in the road. Gary assessed Clayton’s signs and injuries. He noticed that Clayton was badly burned on his hands and face. Gary got him away from the danger of the airplane. Gary stayed with the pilot, asking him questions to kept him from going into shock until responders arrived.

With todays featured Heroes I want to ask everyone a question..

What drives someone to help an individual they don't know?

The next Heroes Event is this week!

Northern Utah Heroes

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | 8:00 a.m.

Ogden Eccles Conference Center

2415 Washington Boulevard

Ogden, Ut 84401


Each day we will be featuring different Northern Utah Heroes! Check out today's featured Hero..

Lifetime Heroes: The Sisters of St. Benedicts Foundation

Sisters Iris Beckwith, Jean Gibson, Luke Hoschette, Danile Knight, Stephanie Mongeon and Mary Zenzen came from St. Joseph, Minnesota to Ogden in the 1944 to build and operate a hospital and establish a school of nursing, at the urging of City and County officials. The Sisters worked to build Ogden Regional Medical Center. Their nursing program became part of Weber State University and they sold the hospital in the 1990s. However, Mount Benedict Monastery continues to be a vital part of this community with the sisters contributing their time and resources to many education, health care, and social justice efforts in the area. St. Benedict's Foundation, a ministry of the Sisters of St. Benedict, supports a variety of programs that directly impact the lives of women, children and families in Northern Utah. Of the original 13 who started with St. Benedict's Hospital, only six Sisters remain.

The Salt Lake City Heroes Event is tomorrow! YAY! We are making last minute preparations and getting ready for tomorrows event. A BIG thank you to everyone who has made this wonderful event possible. Before you run off to get ready for tomorrows event check out the featured Hero Awardees for today . See you tomorrow!


Found this great quote today, thought I would share...


"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
- Mohandas Gandhi













Hiker Rescue in Bells Canyon – Jill Anderson, Suzanne Jansen, Jim Muller, Rod Huck, and Brynn Mudliar witnessed a man fall over 40 feet while hiking in Bells Canyon in June 2010. Working together they hoisted the man on a boulder and held him there while others got help. They stayed with him until life flight was able to fly him safely out of the canyon. They are the 2011 Wilderness Rescue Heroes.



Seconds Count in Tour Van Crash - The horrific
Japanese tour van crash outside of Cedar City made international news back in August 2010. At the forefront of that news coverage was IMC nurse Kristi Christensen who, despite being 8 ½ months pregnant, stopped on the side of the road and stabilized six of the victims until ambulances arrived. She is being recognized as the 2011 Medical Rescue Hero.





Comfort for Troops in Iraq – Amy Galvez lost her son, Adam, in Iraq about 2 years ago. But instead of being overcome by grief, she has dedicated herself to helping her son’s fellow troops overseas. Every month she organizes members of her community to send 65-70 care packages to different troops stationed throughout Iraq. She is being recognized as the 2011 Military Hero sponsored by Rocky Mountain Power.




Angels Among Us – Diane Bates is the founder of Angels in Action (501 c3), which is a community service organization with the goal to inspire the community to be in service to each other and be Human Angels. In the past three years she has inspired thousands of volunteers to assist with refugees, homeless youth, Native Americans, Veterans, and an orphanage in Africa. She is being recognized as the 2011 Community Good Samaritan.

The Salt Lake City Heroes Event is fast approaching, we only have a couple more Heroes to feature. The theme for today's featured Heroes is international service, check out their stories!



Funds for Haiti – Only a few days after the massive earthquakes rocked Haiti, the KUTV Channel 2 News Team led by Stephen Carlson and Stephanie Avis made an incredible impact for Haiti by raising over $424,720 during an all-day telethon. Dozens of volunteers started answering phones at 6:00 am and continued through 11:00 pm. This telethon raised awareness and spurred numerous 3rd party fundraisers to give aid to Haiti. They are being recognized with a specialty Haiti Hero Award for their efforts.



Modern Medical Miracle – Dr. Catherine deVries, a pediatric surgeon at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, is the founder of International Volunteers in Urology. Dr. deVries recruits volunteers and fellow doctors to travel the world taking modern medicine to countries who otherwise would not have help. She is being recognized as the 2011 International Hero sponsored by Mona Vie.

The countdown continues.. 7 days, 168 hours and 10,134 minutes till our Annual Salt Lake City Heroes Event. Today we are featuring 4 of our Heroes Award recipients, check out their stories..


Explosive Rescue – Theodore Killinger risked his life when he witnessed the horrific crash between a driver going the wrong way on I-215 and a semi-truck. Theodore ran from his car across several lanes of traffic and pulled the semi-driver from the truck just moments before it exploded into flames. He is being recognized as the 2011 Adult Good Samaritan sponsored by Kern River.

Advocate for Public Safety Officers - Sandra Lucas has created a highly praised program to assist public safety officers who have been exposed to meth labs and suffering medically from those exposures. The detox program is offered free of charge to the officers and has become a model for programs Sandra is also helping to create for veterans exposed to chemical warfare. Sandra is the 2011 Community Safety Hero sponsored by Tesoro.

Santa's Helper – For the past 5 years, Sara Clayson coordinates her own Sub for Santa project each Christmas where she gathers monetary donations and items to help a needy family in her community. This year she was able to collect a significant amount of contributions for a family who is struggling with cancer and financial problems. Sara is only 17 years old. She is being recognized as the 2011 Youth Good Samaritan sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Foundation.





Community in Action– The wildfire in Herriman City in September 2010 spurred numerous community members to step up and help their fellow neighbors. Two individuals are being recognized for their heroic efforts during the Herriman fire: Coralee Moser is the Emergency Volunteer Coordinator for the CERT Program in Herriman City who was responsible for organizing and training the local CERT Team who was instrumental during the response efforts. Kevin Williams responded to a call while for help while at work at the landfill, asking if someone could bring a bulldozer to help fight the fire in Herriman. For four and a half hours he plowed a trench that turned into a fire line saving the homes of people he didn’t even know. They will both be receiving the 2011 Community in Action Award sponsored by Utah Disaster Kleenup.

Our Annual Heroes Event is just around the corner! The Salt Lake City Heroes Event will be held on April 13th, at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown SLC. Visit our website for more information and to purchase tickets, www.utahredcross.org. Every couple of days we will be featuring different Salt Lake City Heroes on our blog. Today we have featured Thora Hutchinson and Wyatt Shosted, our oldest and youngest Hero awardees. Just goes to show no matter what generation you come from you can make a difference in our community. Check out their stories...

A Lifetime of Service - For over 20 years Thora Hutchinson has selflessly and tirelessly volunteered at the Red Cross and other organizations that she has served throughout the years. Each year Thora has averaged 750 volunteer hours, serving over 5,000 people at the Red Cross and Huntsman Cancer Institute. She will be recognized with the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Regence BlueCross BlueShield.

Bond Between Brothers – Wyatt Shosted’s quick actions at school helped to save his brother’s life during a diabetic seizure. He used the skills and knowledge he had learned from his brother’s hospital about what do to in an emergency situation. Wyatt is being recognized as the 2011 Family Hero sponsored by United Healthcare.