In the words of St. Peter’s Elementary student Ian Chambers, to be a hometown hero is to have courage, concern, and other kind and good qualities. As he read his winning essay from the 2014 Red Cross Youth Writing contest, Chambers explained a hometown hero is dedicated to helping others, and is always devoted to his or her work. Hometown heroes, he said, are a great part of our society.
The traits described by Chambers were overwhelmingly present on Thursday morning at the 2014 Hero Awards of Richland County, hosted by the Richland County chapter of the American Red Cross. The Hero Awards celebrate heroic and selfless individuals whose acts of courage exemplify the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross.
Tina Buckingham, Chapter Executive for the Richland County Chapter, said it was difficult for the Hero Awards committee to choose the winners among so many nominations.
“It’s hard because there are some wonderful, wonderful people in this area,” she said. “This is really the Red Cross mission; we are here to help people and to alleviate suffering, and this is what our mission is all about.”
The Hero Awards also honored those heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice, firefighters Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman of the Toledo Fire and Rescue Department who lost their lives in the line of duty on Jan. 26, 2014. A dry eye was hard to find as the melody of Amazing Grace played on the bagpipes echoed around the room and tribute was paid to Machcinski and Dickman.
Buckingham explained the Awards committee honors hometown heroes in 14 different categories: Spirit of the Red Cross, Fire Rescue Heroes, Empowerment Educator, Community Educators, Workplace Heroes, Emergency Medical Hero, Military Inspiration, Medical Professional, Animal Advocate, Presence to Remember, Community Commitment, and Call to Action Heroes.
Judy Tridico and Reverend Joe Ashby were honored with the Sprit of the Red Cross award. After her son, Sam, passed away from a blood disease, Tridico started a blood drive to honor his memory. Despite her fear of needles, Tridico continues to give blood in memory of her son. Reverend Ashby and his congregation joined forces with the Red Cross to open the doors of their church as a warming shelter for the community in the midst of bitter January temperatures.
Mansfield firefighters Capt. Dan Krizan, Bill Bayes, Tim Tingley and Jared Durstine were honored with the Fire Rescue Heroes award for responding above and beyond their call of duty to rescue the victim of a structure fire in March 2014. The team crawled on their hands and knees through the blaze to pull the 62-year-old resident from the apartment to a waiting ambulance.
General education development (GED) educator Garland Gates was honored with the Empowerment Educator award, an award he said he was surprised to receive. Gates opens up his classroom and allows life experience to lead in the teaching processes. A retired educator, Gates now teaches the GED classes on a volunteer basis.
“I get as much out of the class as my students do,” he said. “There’s a need out in the community for people who need that second chance, and I’m happy to be able to provide that for people.”
Newhope Dance Troupe members Jessica Reinhart, Maggie Smith, Yvonne Anderson, Sade Smith, Stacy Hively, Angel Davis, Ronnie Eatmon and Anthony Holbrook were honored with the Community Educators award.
Through their passion for dance, the troupe members have helped change the way individuals with disabilities are viewed. Instructor and choreographer Aurelio Diaz encouraged the dancers to perform for area schools as part of anti-bullying presentations, allowing the troupe members to practice public speaking by sharing their personal stories about the hurtfulness of bullying.
Phillips Manufacturing employees Carrie Rabquer and Chris Vogt were honored with the Workplace Heroes award after saving the life of their coworker Tim Conley. When Conley collapsed on the job on Nov. 14, 2012, Rabquer immediately started CPR and Vogt brought the company’s Automated External Defibrillator (AED), and the two of them attempted to restart Conley’s heart. When the rescue squad arrived, they took over the life-saving efforts from Rabquer and Vogt and rushed him to the hospital. Conley eventually made a full recovery and was in attendance at the Hero Awards breakfast on Thursday.
Crystal Lybarger, who nominated Rabquer and Vogt for the award, said the two of them deserve the award because they didn’t have to respond, but they did.
“It’s really incredible, you always wonder if you would respond or how you would react, and they did, their training came through and they saved his life,” she said.
Tim Durbin received the Emergency Medical Hero award for his quick response to save a life during the Big Air competition at Snow Trails in February. Durbin was called upon to administer CPR to a man who had collapsed at the competition. Traveling in a rescue toboggan pulled by the team, Durbin began applying chest compressions until they reached the emergency vehicle and the man’s life was saved.
The Military Inspiration award went to Lt. Nicholas Vogt, whose award was accepted by his father Steve. Two months into his deployment in Afghanistan, Lt. Vogt made contact with an IED, which resulted in the immediate loss of his left leg. His injuries were life threatening and surgeons fought to save his right leg, without success. The event program noted that Vogt is eternally grateful for the love and support he received from his companions in the military who helped save his life. His bravery, positive attitude and distinctive determination keep him moving forward.
Dr. David Brown, M.D., received the Medical Professional award for performing critical heart surgery on the father of his nominator, sixth grader Zoe Blank from St. Peter’s Elementary. Brown’s heroism is in his ability to save lives through both his medical knowledge and honest lifestyle evaluation. He asserts surgery can only mend the physical heart, not improve the lifestyle of the patient that may have led to the problem in the first place.
The Animal Advocate award went to Tammi Rex, who believes in the importance of maintaining a Humane Society in which animals can be rescued, reconditioned and re-homed. Rex has been a board member for the Humane Society for more than eight years and a Humane Agent for seven years.
The late director of the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra Mr. C., Ettore “Eddie” Chiudioni was honored with the Presence to Remember award. Chiudioni directed the orchestra for 24 years until his passing. His life’s work was his music and the foundations he had created, and his musical contributions will live on in the community of Mansfield.
Carolyn Armstrong received the Community Commitment award for her work in restructuring United Fund, increasing employee participation with bank matching. The event program credited Armstrong for her innovative approach to fundraising helped spur a number of events to help raise awareness and funds for United Way. She has been serving on the United Fund Board of Directors and Allocation Chairman for 20 years.
On a stormy June night when lightening struck the historic Voegele Apartment complex, residents Don Todd and Valerie Harper were able to evacuate everyone from the burning building. In the aftermath, Todd created the Voegele Benefit Fund and partnered with local restaurants, artists and businesses to raise money to help his community reconstruct. The actions of Todd and Harper earned them the Call to Action Heroes award.
Sarah Close also earned the Call to Action Hero award for saving the life of her neighbor Walter White. When White’s home caught fire in February 2014, Close ran to his home and found White trapped on the home’s second level balcony. Close located a ladder and helped White descend from the balcony. Even through an explosion rocking the home, Close was able to guide White to safety.
“You don’t think about it, you just know what you have to do and you just go,” said Close. “You don’t think about it until after.”
