FRESNO – FEBRUARY 22, 2024 – The American Red Cross of the Central Valley is pleased to announce the local heroes that will be honored at its Central Valley Heroes Awards on Thursday, March 7, from 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. at the Grand 1401 in Fresno.

The Central Valley Heroes Awards recognizes individuals and organizations that embody the mission and spirit of the Red Cross by saving lives and creating safer, stronger and more resilient communities.

“Our Central Valley Heroes Awards celebrates ordinary people with extraordinary courage,” said Lori Wilson, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Central Valley Chapter. “Each of this year’s honorees has gone above and beyond to help their community, and even to save lives. We are thrilled to recognize them for their courage, compassion and community impact.”

2024 Central Valley Heroes Honorees:

***Click here to download hero photos***

Good Samaritan Hero

Michael Knight (Porterville, Calif.)

When dozens of atmospheric rivers battered the Central Valley, civil servants like Michael Knight went above the call of duty to protect their community. As Public Works Department Director, Michael Knight, and his staff were innovative and resourceful in the successful prevention of hundreds of homes from being flooded.

During the “flood fight,” they worked tirelessly to prepare for the storm, protecting homes and critical infrastructure along the Tule River. Michael Knight and his crew reconstructed a section of the Tule River embankment, a brave and courageous act that saved Porterville homes from being washed away by the raging river.

Youth Hero:

Janae Alvarez (Fresno, Calif.)

Jenae Alvarez is a leader in her community and cheer program. Since 2020. Jenae spearheaded our community service initiative at Garza cheer continues to help maintain it as a priority for all program participants. Service events like: Boo Zoo, Beautify Fresno and most recently our involvement with the Possibilities Center of Fresno were initiated with her drive and heart for others.

Jenae is not only a great community member but a fantastic leader in the classroom and on the mat. She often tutors other cheerleaders/classmates in her free time when they are struggling. Her ability to give to others consistently while maintaining a high standard of performance amazes our coaching staff every single day.

Lifesaving Rescue Hero:

Brody Willette (Visalia, Calif.)

Brody has been in recovery for many years, and experienced homelessness in the past. He now gives back daily working with our neighbors experiencing homelessness at Salt + Light in Visalia. Brody Willette supervises the Food Outreach Truck program "Everyone Eats Today", where he goes out daily and provides food and relief items to people still living on the streets.

While on his route last spring, he noticed a man in a wheelchair beginning to turn blue. He was overdosing, and Brody recognized the symptoms. He performed lifesaving CPR to the individual.

First Responder Heroes:

Tulare Deputy Sheriffs Michael Torres, Hector Negrete, Javier Montoya and Juan Lopez, and Lindsay PD Bruce Fox (Tulare, Calif.)

On October 17th, 2023, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office Porterville Substation Deputies were dispatched to a residential structure fire in the community of Strathmore at 4:10 A.M. The caller advised her husband and 5 children were still inside the residence.

Deputy Javier Montoya and Lindsay Police Officer Bruce Fox were able to pull an unconscious child through a window on the Northwest side of the residence. Sergeant Michael Torres entered the residential fire once, Deputy Montoya twice, and Deputy Hector Negrete entered three times. Deputy Juan Lopez attempted to control flames and provided First Aid and CPR to the victims.

Deputies on scene were faced with extreme danger that demanded immediate action. The environment inside the home had already rendered five family members unconscious, and without help, the situation would certainly guarantee the demise of those left to the mercy of the uncontrolled fire.

Military Hero:

Jessica Montano, Marine (Clovis, Calif.)

For the last 10 years, Jessica Montano has served as Coordinator for the Fresno and Madera Counties U. S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots campaign. She rallied community members to donate, volunteer, organize materials and more for several months leading up to the holidays. In order to accomplish the mission, she worked her day job remotely from the warehouse and camping trailer at River Park. Thanksgiving through Christmas day, she worked tirelessly from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. everyday, most nights sleeping at the warehouse or camping trailer to maximize her time.

Over the years she has faced many challenges, sacrificing her time, her job and the holidays with family to ensure the children in our community continue to benefit from this program. Every year she puts on her Dress Blues and marches forward, knowing the challenges she will face and the blood, sweat and tears it will cost her.

Healthcare Hero:

Dr. John Bilello and Eliana Troncale, RN (Fresno, Calif.)

Community Regional Medical Center’s Dr. John Bilello serves as the Director of Pediatric Trauma and is also on faculty of the UCSF Fresno Department of Surgery, where he has helped train hundreds of surgeons who now practice across the country.

He is heavily involved in CRMC's trauma prevention program, in joint effort with Eliana Troncale, Injury Prevention Outreach Nurse. Together, they are working to help prevent tragedies they often see in Trauma Center before they happen through CRMC’s trauma prevention program. That includes education and outreach on gun lock safety, distracted driving, car seat safety and pedestrian and bicyclist safety.

Education Hero:

Garbralle Conroe (Fresno, Calif.)

Garbralle Conroe is driven and motivated to bridge the gap between the have and have nots by giving back to her community. As an educator, she mentors underserved youth from lower socioeconomic communities by providing them with mentorship, and access to educational resources. To increase the number of minorities attending college, she created a mentorship program which she allows youth to attend her graduate courses, in hopes of increasing more individuals from communities to apply for college.

Garbralle understands the important role environmental factors play and how challenging it can be to families who don’t have access to educational resources. She is empowering, authentic, genuine and continues to strive on the model, “Each one, teach one.”

Community Impact Hero:

Jeff Detlefsen (Hanford, Calif.)

When Jeff Detlefsen’s daughter Hannah was born with a rare condition called Gould Syndrome, his eyes were opened to the realities of the world of raising a child with severe disabilities. A task as simple as using a public restroom became a major hurdle. Spending holidays in bleak hospital rooms, stretching pennies to seek out the best care, and constantly searching out accessible children’s activities is the daily reality for many families like the Detlefsens.

Jeff saw an opportunity to share this generosity and love with other local families who could benefit from this kindness. It started with a plate of enchiladas; the simple act of providing a warm meal to families spending Christmas Eve at Community Regional Medical Center, where Hannah had spent so many weeks herself. Jeff and his wife Mary rallied their friends and family to assemble donated plates of hearty Mexican food and delivered them to families and healthcare workers in the PICU and NICU. Hannah’s Helpers was born.

Global Citizenship Hero:

Richard Burrell (Fresno, Calif.)

Richard Burrell is the founder and Executive Director of Live Again Fresno, a non-profit he started out of the trunk of his family’s vehicle in 2012, with a mission to empower individuals and families to break the cycles of poverty and reach their full potential.

Today, eleven years later, Richard and the LAF team continue the good work in the Jane Adams Community. He strategically chose his team and created multiple additions to his non-profit such as, Parent Partners, Mobil Food Service, and After School Programing. Parent partners are parents (mostly mothers) who have utilized Live Again Fresno and are now giving back to their communities in various ways.

Clara Barton Humanitarian Hero:

Patricia Amparano-Rivera (Fresno, Calif.)

Patricia Amparano-Rivera served as long time cook for Fresno Unified School District for over 40 years where she serviced and fed her staff and students at Carver Elementary School in West Fresno. Her passion and dedication to ensuring no one went to bed on an empty stomach was her motivation.

With a heart of gold and a passion for food, she prepares a hot home cooked meal for anyone in need of something to eat every Wednesday for the last 35 years. Her dining room is the eucalyptus picnic area within historic Roeding Park were everyone knows and loves Mama Pat’s cooking. She tirelessly works with Fresno leaders, community members, donors and volunteers to not only serve Southeast Fresno, but the city of Fresno a better community as a whole.

This year’s Central Valley Heroes Awards is made possible thanks to generous sponsors, including: Lifesaver sponsors Bank of the Sierra, Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino, D’Ambrosio Trading Inc. and The Sence Foundation; Resiliency Sponsor Noble Credit Union; Advocacy sponsors Clawson Honda and Clawson Motorsports, Hedricks Chevrolet, Kaiser Permanente, Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, our media sponsor KSEE24 & CBS47 and others.

For more information about the Central Valley Heroes Awards, visit redcross.org/cvheroes.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.