Be A Hero

Highlighting volunteers who make a difference in their communities in many ways, with the hope of inspiring others to volunteer, and be a hero.

Charlotte's Journey 03/26/2024

Charlotte's Journey Five years following a bone marrow transplant and a lot of blood and platelet transfusiojns, Charlotte Rerko remains cancer free. But it was a challenging journey, made possible only because of generous blood and platelet donors. Charlotte talks about her journey with Red Cross communicators Jim McIntyre and Christy Peters of the Northern Ohio Region. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/30551573

Acts of Courage Award Winner Tim Graichen 02/28/2024

Acts of Courage Award Winner Tim Graichen Tim Graichen witnessed a violent car crash while on his way back to Akron from a work event in Tennessee. He used his Red Cross First Aid and CPR training to help save the life of the driver, who showed no signs of life at the scene of the crash. Tim talks about performing CPR for more than 15 minutes, his worry over being contaminated with the stranger's blood, and what became of the driver he assisted. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/30021958

Acts of Courage Award Winner Terra White 02/21/2024

Acts of Courage Award Winner Terra White She's the Sandra Bullock of the Akron Fire Department. If you're familiar with the movie Speed, Terra's harrowing story of survival will be familiar to you. If not - just wait until you hear this veteran firefighter/paramedic calmly recount the scary seconds that could have meant life or death for her and her partner when the ambulance she was riding in went out of control. "I'm pretty sure that our ambulance is gonna need a new set of brakes, along with some body work," Terra said during the interview. She is a 2024 Acts of Courage Award Winner, sponsored by the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/29975548

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners - KSU Nursing Students 02/06/2024

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners - KSU Nursing Students Three students of the Kent State University School of Nursing helped save a man in distress in downtown Wooster, Ohio. The man was experiencing a violent seizure when students Audrey Jokovich, Keenan Orr, and Marissa Tyger happened to be walking by as they were working on a school assignment. They provided aid and obtained valuable information about the patient before EMS arrived on the scene. All three credit their Red Cross Basic Life Support training for helping them know what to do and how to stay calm in a very stressful situation. Hosted by Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director of the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio (and proud KSU grad - class of '81.) /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/29716848

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners Hannah Stein and Jenna Omar 01/30/2024

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners Hannah Stein and Jenna Omar Hannah Stein saved a woman from drowning in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and Jenna Omar performed abdominal thrusts in her school cafeteria to save a fellow seventh-grader. Both tell their stories to Jim McIntyre and Christy Peters of the Red Cross Communications Department. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/29704353

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners Don Sedlock and Brian Gorham 01/24/2024

2024 Acts of Courage Award Winners Don Sedlock and Brian Gorham Summit County Sherrif's deputy Brian Gorham and Don Sedlock, a bystander who spotted a fire in his neighborhood teamed up to help rescue an elderly man who was trapped in the home, and have been named Acts of Courage award winners for 2024 in the Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley chapter. Red Cross Communicators Christy Peters and Jim McIntyre of the Northern Ohio Region get their story, and talk to Brunswick Fire Chief Greg Glauner about the importance of the partnershipp with the Red Cross to end home fires. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/29626423

2024 Winter Emergency Blood Shortage 01/09/2024

2024 Winter Emergency Blood Shortage Dylan Fink, who underwent treatment for non-hodgkin's lymphoma at age 14, talks about the importance of having an adequate blood supply for patients like him. His treatment included multiple blood transfusions. He's joined by his father, Ed Fink, who with wife Krista started the Fearless Fighters Foundation. Red Cross biomedical expert Christy Peters sheds light on the reasons for the current blood shortage and ways to end it. Hosted by Jim McIntyre, regional communications manager for tghe American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/29408168

2023 Disaster Responses 10/27/2023

2023 Disaster Responses Regional Communications Director Jim McIntyre is joined by Mike Parks, CEO of the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio, Emily Probst, Regional Disaster Officer, and Rebecca Siedler, a Red Cross volunteer as they discuss a number of disaster responses that took place in the region and across the country in 2023. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/28442747

Coast Guard Rescuer - NEO Hero Nathaniel Howard 06/13/2023

Coast Guard Rescuer - NEO Hero Nathaniel Howard Petty Officer Nathaniel Howard, a Boatswain's Mate Second Class based at the United States Coast Guard Station Cleveland Harbor was off-duty and out to dinner with his girlfriend (soon-to-be fiance') when he was unexpectedly pressed into action. He rescued a wife and husband who were floating helplessly in the rushing Cuyahoga River in April, 2022. It's as much a cautionary tale as it is a harrowing story that would likely have had a much different outcome had Petty Officer Hoaward taken his girlfirend somewhere else for dinner that night! /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/27137772

Fire Rescue Heroes 06/01/2023

Fire Rescue Heroes Several people were honored with 2023 American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio Hero Awards, after pulling people out of their burning homes. Amazon driver John Davis, Ubert East driver Christopher Baldwin, Euclid police officers Trevor Thomas and George Harper, and several members of the Cleveland Rams semi-pro football team describe the actions that led to their Hero Awards. Host: Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director, American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/27004686

Acts of Courage Award Winners Jim Schulte and Miles Copeland 05/23/2023

Acts of Courage Award Winners Jim Schulte and Miles Copeland Two Toledo firefighters - both athletes - were pressed into service at separate times in 2022 to save a life. Jim Schule is a lieutenant and a hockey player on a 50-and-over league, and helped save the life of a fellow hockey player. Firefighter Miles Copleland plays semi-pro basketball and helped save the life of a referee. Both used their CPR skills, and the stories both athletes share in this episode are testaments to the benefit of knowing how to perform CPR and to use an AED. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26920377

Delta Airline Flight Attendants Save a Life - And Win an Award 04/25/2023

Delta Airline Flight Attendants Save a Life - And Win an Award Johna Rushlow and Kim Murray were not on duty, but were at home, enjoying a mild December evening when their flight attendant training kicked-in, as they rescued a neighbor from his burning home. As a result, the neighbor is alive and well, and Johna and Kim are recipients of Acts of Courage Awards from the American Red Cross of Western Lake Erie. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26649246

First Responder Award Winners - Western Lake Erie Chapter Acts of Courage 04/17/2023

First Responder Award Winners - Western Lake Erie Chapter Acts of Courage Hundreds of responders helped injured and stranded motorists in blizzard-like conditions on the Ohio Turnpike on December 23, 2022. The Red Cross of Western Lake Erie is recognizxing them with the first-ever First Responder award, to be presented at the Acts of Courage Award dinner on April 27, 2023. Three of those responders are featured on this episode - Trooper Andrew Lash of the Ohio Highway Patrol, Captain Ben Quaintence of the Freemont, Ohio Fire Department, and Lora Taylor, Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross of North Central Ohio. The Executive Director of the Red Cross of Western Lake Erie joins Regional Communications Director Jim McIntyre as they learn of the heroic actions of so many firsr responders. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26566533

Helping People Cope with Losses Following Tornadoes 04/05/2023

Helping People Cope with Losses Following Tornadoes Red Cross volunteer Coleen Kulkin provided assistance to people in Mississippi following a rash of tornadoes in the spring of 2023. She describes the heartbreak and the hope she witnessed in this episode. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26453475

Acts of Courage Award Winners Nicole and Lindsey Bechter 03/28/2023

Acts of Courage Award Winners Nicole and Lindsey Bechter Sisters Nicole and Lindsey Bechter performed CPR and used an AED on a fallen volleyball player while they were working as referees at Clutch Lanes in Cuyahoga Falls last summer. They talk about the ordeal, and update the condition of the fallen player. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26316657

Acts of Courage Award Winners Part Two - Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley 03/13/2023

Acts of Courage Award Winners Part Two - Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley An Akron police officer who ran into a burning house, and the Akron firefighter/paramedic who arrived a short time later talk about their harrowing experience trying to save a disabled woman from the home. And two Akron school teachers describe their separate but similar experiences helpingh choking children. Hosts: Jim McIntyre and Christy Peters, American Red Cross regional communicators. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/26016027

Acts of Courage Award Winners Jim Kuhn and Easton Spann 02/28/2023

Acts of Courage Award Winners Jim Kuhn and Easton Spann Part one of our Hero interviews. Bus driver Jim Kuhn explains how he reacted when a passenger passed out at the door of his bus, likely saving the passenger's life. And five-year old Easton Spann talks about helping his grandmother after she suffered a seizure. Both are among the winners of the 2023 Acts of Courage Awards presented by the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/25999311

The Importance of Knowing CPR/AED 02/14/2023

The Importance of Knowing CPR/AED American Red Cross CPR Instructor Erin Hosek explains how to perform the lifesaving skill, how to use an AED, and how to help someone who's choking. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/25924392

Red Cross Responds to Hurricane Ian 01/24/2023

Red Cross Responds to Hurricane Ian Red Cross volunteer Lisa Mize of Huron, Ohio and employee Jill Patterson reflect on their experiences during their first-ever deployment to a disaster response. They both went, at different times, to Florida to help people who had been affected by Hurricane Ian. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/25715070

Lifesaving Award Winner - Estes Express Lines 10/04/2022

Lifesaving Award Winner - Estes Express Lines Jamell Fetter, an employee of the Estes Express Lines terminal in Toledo was recently honored by the American Red Cross with a Lifesaving Award for Extraordinary Personal Action. This episode features Jamell explaining how he was able to perform lifesaving CPR on a coworker, despite having no formal training. Also featured, the coworker whose life was saved, and the Director of Corporate Training and Development for Estes Express Lines, who explains how this episode inspired a corporate-wide initiative to have the Red Cross teach FIrst Aid/CPR/AED skills to employees. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/24580113

Acts of Courage Award Winners from Giant Eagle in Boardman 09/20/2022

Acts of Courage Award Winners from Giant Eagle in Boardman Four employees of the Giant Eagle supermarket in Boardman, Ohio are being honored with an Acts of Courage award for using CPR and an AED to save the life of a five-year old girl. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/24429402

Acts of Courage Winner Baron Reynolds 09/06/2022

Acts of Courage Winner Baron Reynolds As a freshman at Hubbard High School, Baron Reynolds recognized a classmate in trouble and stepped up, performing abdominal thrusts to clear his choking friend's airway. This enthusiastic young man equates his act of courage to that of a superhero. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/24132864

Acts of Courage Winners - Classic Optical 08/23/2022

Acts of Courage Winners - Classic Optical The first-responder team at Classic Optical in Liberty Township, Trumbull County responded when a coworker collapsed in April of 2022. Thanks to their First Aid/CPR/AED training, Bill Mikesell, Chris Hartzell and superviror Frank Zagotti helped save a life that day. They tell their story in this episode. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/24007866

How to Save a Choking Baby's Life 06/14/2022

How to Save a Choking Baby's Life High School student Alexis Starnes is the winner of a Certificate of Merit, the highest honor bestowed by the American Red Cross on someone who used their Red Cross training to save or sustain a life. On this episode, Alexis is joined by Erin Hosek, the Red Cross instructor who taught Alexis the lifesaving skills she used to help save the life of an infant. Hosted by Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director, American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/23390414

2022 Acts of Courage Award Winners - Northwest Ohio 05/31/2022

2022 Acts of Courage Award Winners - Northwest Ohio The winners of the 2022 Acts of Courage Awards hosted by the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio describe the events that made them award winners. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/23279339

Sound the Alarm - Roots in Cleveland 05/17/2022

Sound the Alarm - Roots in Cleveland Mike Thome, Division Vice President of the American Red Cross Central Atlantic Division and Emily Fortman, Division Disaster Executive discuss Sound the Alarm, the nationwide effort to install 50,000 smoke alarms across the country this spring, and how the program is modeled in part after a smoke alarm program begun in Cleveland in 1992. Mike and Emily also discuss volunteering to help with upcoming disasters and maintaining an adequate blood supply for the nation's hospitals. Hosted by Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director, Red Cross of Northern Ohio. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/23140187

Acts of Courage Award Winners LaDonya Williams, John Doyle, Lenny Kunka and Kyle Auckland 02/22/2022

Acts of Courage Award Winners LaDonya Williams, John Doyle, Lenny Kunka and Kyle Auckland The final three winners of the 2022 Acts of Courage Awards, hosted by the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley tell their stories of heroism. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/22215632

Acts of Courage Award Winner Anthony Hermann 02/15/2022

Acts of Courage Award Winner Anthony Hermann Barberton Middle School assistant principal Anthony Hermann explains how his training helped him save a choking student in the school cafeteria. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/22130705

Acts of Courage Award Winner Tim Haas 02/08/2022

Acts of Courage Award Winner Tim Haas Tim Haas, the assistant chief of the Brunswick Hills Fire Department and full-time firefighter and EMT with the Shaker Heights Fire Department was on vacation with his family in Mexico when he needed his knowledge of pediatric CPR to save a child's life. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/22060436

Acts of Courage Award Winner Travis Shrout 02/01/2022

Acts of Courage Award Winner Travis Shrout Travis Shrout, a college student from Stow, Ohio explains how he was able to save a mother and her child from a rip current in the Atlantic Ocean be using the lifeguard training he receivedfrom the American Red Cross. He is a recipient of the 2022 Acts of Courage Awards presented by the Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley. /episode/index/show/neoredcross/id/21981824

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