American Red Cross Community Heroes Awards

Traci Hanger-Hoffman nominated me for a Community Leader award. I WON! Hereos come in all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life, under entirely different circumstances. Hereos are all around us. They are usually people who don't draw much attention to themselves other than to help others when in need. I was among 26 individuals who were nominated as Wayne County Heroes who lended a hand to the down and out, helped out when called upon or made Wayne County a better and safer place to live. May 17, 2007. Here is the story Traci wrote:
Imagine a family in extreme need – we all know them: A single parent who lost his/her job and is struggling to provide food for the family; A parent with a sudden illness that has wiped out the family’s financial reserves…We all know the many different stories. Christmas is coming and there is nothing left to spend on gifts for the kids or even a special meal on the big day. Disappointment is looming large in the faces of the children. Despair haunts the parents. That is where Kathi gets involved. Seven years ago, and every year since, Kathi has organized a shopping trip with her mother and her sisters, to provide Christmas for one of these less fortunate families. She gets information from a local church, or from a community agency, or from someone who knows someone. She collects the names, ages, sizes and wishes of each child in the family and of the parent(s) too, and she and her cohorts go shopping. And they shop and shop and shop. And they cook. By the time they are done, they deliver Christmas, complete with a meal and gifts for everyone, to one desperate family. Every Christmas for the last seven years, and for the foreseeable future, Kathi organizes her family to donate their time and resources to this endeavor. No fanfare. No publicity. No formal organization. Just the goodness of her heart reaching out to a family in need. Very heroic indeed.