Media Contact:
Martin Gagliano
Telephone: (510)368-8320
martin.gagliano@redcross.org
SAN JOSE, Calif. June 17 — In June 2021, Glenn Delgado and Erica Lundmark called on their American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED training to save a coworker’s life after he was found nonresponsive on the floor. For this heroic and lifesaving action, Lundmark and Delgado received the Red Cross Certificate of Merit in a ceremony in San Jose on June 16, 2022.
The Certificate of Merit is the highest award given by the Red Cross to individuals who save or sustain a life using skills learned in a Red Cross Training Services course.
“We’re extremely proud to present a Certificate of Merit to Glenn and Erica”, said Ken Toren, CEO for the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Their actions exemplify the highest degree of concern of one human being for another who is in distress. You both embody the spirit of the Red Cross, and it is our hope that your actions inspire others to get trained in skills that save lives”
About a year ago, Lundmark and Delgado were working together at their office when someone called their attention to a coworker who was lying on the floor in his workspace. They rushed to the scene and tried to talk with the man, but he wasn’t responding. Someone immediately called 911 and in a team effort to keep him alive until the first responders arrived, Erika performed CPR on the individual in distress and Glenn reach for the AED. The training they both received two months prior to this incident was the key to saving their coworker’s life.
The Certificate of Merit, the oldest of the Lifesaving Awards, was established in 1911 and evolved in 1928 to provide a more fitting and lasting recognition to a larger circle of nominees. This award is bestowed upon Red Cross trained individuals who have no obligation to respond to an emergency but do so anyway.
The award recipients in its 100+ year span have been lifeguards, police, firefighters, and everyday citizens. The Certificate of Merit has borne the signatures of 17 Presidents of the United States, including the current President, Joseph R. Biden Jr. Since the Lifesaving Awards revival in 2018, the Red Cross is proud to announce we have awarded, 1,844 individuals worldwide and as a result, they have helped to save 924 lives.
Red Cross training gives people the knowledge and skills to act in an emergency and save a life. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills sessions), and classroom courses are available at redcross.org/takeaclass.
If you or someone you know has used skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course to help save or sustain the life of another individual, visit LifesavingAwards.org to nominate, recognize, or be inspired.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters feed and provide emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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