The American Red Cross of Southeastern Michigan currently is accepting nominations for the People’s Choice Hero Awards. Six brave and selfless heroes from around southeast Michigan have been nominated for this year’s award. The deadline for >voting is 5 p.m. on March 14. The winner will be recognized March 27 at the Red Cross’ 12th annual Hero Awards.
Here’s a brief snapshot of the nominees:
- Ronald Mitchell, member of the Detroit Fire Department’s Tactical Mobile Squad. He rescued his partner from a burning building.
- Zach Lazanja, a nine-year-old boy who saved his friend from drowning when he had a seizure in a swimming pool.
- April Fowlkes and Mindy Corby, members of women’s pro football team Detroit Demolition. They caught a thief while he was trying to steal a teammate’s car.
- Cary Thompson, a Royal Oak firefighter and instructor at Safety City USA. One of his students alerted her family that their house was on fire so they could quickly get to safety.
- Anthony Altovilla is devoting a year of his life to doing volunteer work with City Year in Detroit before heading off to college.
It was a really tough decision for me because in my opinion, all these nominees should be awarded for their heroic actions. I won’t say who I voted for to avoid swaying any decisions, but I hope everyone who reads this takes the opportunity to vote for one of these amazing individuals!