LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2023 — On Thursday, May 18, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region honored fifteen Angelenos for their acts of heroism and humanitarian service at the 18^th Annual Hometown Heroes awards luncheon, held at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. The 300 people in attendance included our Heroes, their families, the people they saved and elected officials, along with Red Cross staff and community supporters.

For 18 years, the Red Cross has celebrated its Hometown Heroes – everyday citizens who through their heroic actions, made a positive difference in their communities through acts in either emergency response, disaster preparedness and prevention or exemplified the Red Cross mission in similar ways.  

While the heroes honored last week range broadly in age and backgrounds, they are all unified by one key factor — decisive action that compelled them to help another person whose life was in danger. Heroes, like John Hawley, who rushed to aid an elderly handyperson bleeding profusely from an electric saw accident. 

“A heroic person is someone who acts voluntarily for the service of others who are in need, performing actions without any external gain and accepts the potential risk by taking heroic actions” shared Dr. Mark Chung, Board President for the American Red Cross Greater Long Beach and South Bay Chapter. “Today, we honor the outstanding hometown heroes who are all just regular citizens, but responded by offering assistance, comfort and life-saving interventions, all of which follow the Red Cross doctrine.”

SEE: Photos of the 2023 Hometown Hero Awards Honorees (Flickr)

The awardees:

Captain Maurice Scott and Anthony Lo Grande

Captain Maurice Scott of the Sause Brothers Tug “Redondo” and deckhand Anthony Lo Grande pulled a woman to safety from the frigid ocean. Disoriented, the woman had been in the water over three hours, since 5:00 a.m. that morning. Thanks to Capt. Scott and Lo Grande’s fast actions, the woman survived her frightening ordeal.

Sergeant Rafael Rodriguez

Whitter resident Sergeant Rafael Rodriguez and his daughter were relaxing at home when a loud crash occurred outside their home. Along with a fellow good Samaritan, Rodriguez extracted the unconscious driver from their burning vehicle. Were it not for the actions of Officer Rodriguez, the driver would likely have perished in the fire.

Elsa Gernandt-Anderson

Burbank brewpub staffer Elsa Gernandt-Anderson used life-saving chest compressions on diner Michael Dodrill who collapsed, continuing care until paramedics arrived. Because Gernandt-Anderson acted so quickly, Dodrill made a full recovery with no indications of any brain damage or further complications.

Tom Horan

During a plane flight, Red Cross Emergency Medical Responder Tom Horan used his training to help save the life of a fellow passenger seized by a diabetic emergency. The Thousand Oaks resident, Horan asserts that he’s worked with dozens of non-profit organizations over the years, and none are as well run as the Red Cross. This was Horan’s fifth medical emergency response at a cruising altitude; his family warns, “Don’t fly with Tom”.

Michael Kassarjian

Pasadena resident Michael Kassarjian was also on a flight when called to apply his Red Cross volunteer Emergency Medical Technician training. When a fellow passenger experienced a medical equipment failure, Kassarjian stepped forward and helped. Kassarjian is now the Red Cross Mass Care Feeding Supervisor for the Southern California Region and the Preparedness Supervisor for the Pacific Division. 

James Burkett

On the same day Lakewood resident James Burkett completed his Red Cross “Stop the Bleed” training at CSULB, fate called him to aid a bicyclist who had been injured by a hit-and-run driver. In a special award ceremony message, the survivor and his wife thanked James, “for being such an awesome human being”.

Gary Jenkins

Gary Jenkins, a former U.S. Army equipment parts specialist and now a Veteran’s Affairs employee, Jenkins gave life-saving chest compressions to a fellow veteran who had collapsed. While it wasn’t in Gary’s job description to provide medical care, he knew how to administer CPR and didn’t hesitate to apply his training.

Natalie Carroll and Taylor Antenucci

When their mother Ofelia went into cardiac arrest, siblings Natalie Carroll and Taylor Antenucci performed CPR, keeping their mother alive until paramedics arrived. After a protracted effort to resuscitate, the paramedics succeeded in reviving Ofelia, who credits her children with saving her life. The La Mirada siblings are grateful to have saved their mother’s life.

Matthew Kitchen

Still in his teens, Monrovia resident Matthew Kitchen’s emergency response skills have been put to the test, not just once but twice. On one occasion Kitchen assisted a woman who fell and cut her head near the UCLA campus, and in a separate instance, Kitchen rescued a drowning toddler who fell into a hotel pool.

John Hawley, Lydia Hoffman, & Amanda Morita

As a team, Red Cross volunteer John Hawley and employees Lydia Hoffman and Amanda Morita helped a man who sustained serious injuries involving a lot of blood, while working with power tools. They used their First Aid training and teamwork to control the bleeding until paramedics arrived on scene.

Veteran Steven CdeBaca

Following high school graduation in 1969, Norwalk resident Steven Cdebaca enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Soon after, he was deployed to Vietnam where Cdebaca served three, six-month tours from 1970 to 1973. During his tours, he patrolled the rivers and narrow tributaries along the Mekong River delta, aboard River Patrol Boats.  After his discharge, Cdebaca was employed by Raytheon as a Materials Program Manager, working on fighter jet radar systems. After 40 years he retired from Raytheon in 2013.

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/la or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA.