Local heroes honored at Red Cross Breakfast

  FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — The selfless, compassionate, persistent and quick actions of 22 life-altering individuals were recognized by the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Read Cross during their 16th annual Real Heroes Breakfast at the Fort Fairfield Community Center.
Each Real Hero was nominated by a community member for different types of actions, from tireless fundraising to restarting a man’s heart and even stopping a knife attack.
Event emcee Rene Cloukey described in detail each person’s recognition-deserving actions during the May 10 breakfast, with each hero being awarded a plaque and a medal.
Young Hero Award recipients were:
• Carson Scott of Mars Hill, sponsored by C.S. Management, Inc. Scott’s older brother was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder and needed a bone marrow transplant. Carson, now 6, was a match and bravely donated the badly needed marrow.
• Shae and Ian Michaud of Presque Isle, sponsored by TAMC. When the children discovered their mother had gone into hypoglycemic shock and didn’t respond to verbal prompts, they immediately took action.
• Amanda Winslow of Chapman, sponsored by TD Bank. Eleven-year-old Winslow saw an unconscious man on a nearby roof and insisted that she and her grandmother check on him. The satellite installer, a diabetic, had passed out while working.
• Darby Clark and McKenna Condon of Ashland and Abigail Cote of Mapleton, sponsored by B&R Insurance Company. When a teacher collapsed in a school restroom, the three 9-year-olds jumped into action. Clark and McKenna went in different directions to find help, while Cote stayed with the teacher until help arrived.
Real Hero Award recipients included:
• Timothy M. Tweedie of Houlton, sponsored by Sargent Trucking Company and F.A. Peabody Company. Tweedie, a teacher at Houlton High School, intervened in an altercation that began when a student threatened another with a knife. When a female student charged a male student with a tactical-type knife that had a six-inch blade. According to reports, Tweedie stepped between the two students and wrestled the female student for control of the knife as she bit his hand and tried to stab him; she was finally subdued with the help of another teacher and principal. Tweedie’s quick reaction and selfless act of intervening saved his student, and possibly other students, from being attacked with a deadly weapon.
• Leda Walker of Presque Isle, sponsored by Huber Engineered Woods, LLC. Manager of Homeless Services of Aroostook, Walker works tirelessly to create a home-like environment where clients feel valued and cared for.
• Lorraine and Joe Chamberlain of Caribou, sponsored by Aroostook Centre Mall and Hampton Inn. Lorraine Chamberlain, LCSW, director of integration and emergency services at AMHC and her husband, Joe, work tirelessly to coordinate the Andy Santerre Snowmobile Run, the major source of funding for the Sexual Assault Services program.
• Eldon Jandreau of Portage Lake, sponsored by WAGM-TV. Jandreau took action when he found a man who had collapsed on his porch. The victim had fallen through some nearby ice, walked a quarter mile to Jandreau’s home and was in danger of hypothermia.
• Graves Institute of Self Defense of Presque Isle, sponsored by Machias Savings Bank. When an elderly man went into cardiac arrest, five instructors from the school quickly responded, using CPR and theAED machine to restart the man’s heart after finding no pulse.
• Tami Kilcollins of Fort Fairfield and Steve Mazerolle of Caribou, sponsored by Pines Health Services. Kilcollins and Mazerolle work tirelessly to purchase, prepare, and serve meals to those less fortunate. They make sure the local soup kitchen is stocked and people have meals.
• Jenna Bradstreet of Presque Isle, sponsored by MMG Insurance. Bradstreet used her first aid skills when a coworker suffered a reaction to an injection.
• Robert James McKenzie of Caribou, sponsored by Duncan Graves/Lancaster Morgan Funeral Homes and Katahdin Trust Company. McKenzie came to the aid of his grandmother who fell on an icy driveway and slid under a parked vehicle.
• John Wallace of Limestone, sponsored by Cary Medical Center. An advocate for veterans for more than two decades, Wallace has logged countless miles throughout the state and to Washington D.C. He volunteers his time at the VA clinic to assist veterans in registering for health care.
In addition to volunteers and board members, local businesses also received recognition during the Real Heroes Breakfast. Receiving the Extra Mile Award were:
• TAMC of Presque Isle, sponsored by Emera Maine. TAMC is honored for helping the Red Cross with community activities and fund-raising efforts throughout the year, and especially for hosting this year’s Real Heroes Breakfast.
• Transformations Ministries of Presque Isle, sponsored by Gateway Title of Maine. Transformations Ministries is recognized for helping recruit new disaster responders and board members for the Aroostook Branch of the American Red Cross, as well as for assembling and storing numerous comfort kits and providing a meeting/training facility at no cost whenever needed.
• Hampton Inn of Presque Isle, sponsored by McCain Foods, Inc. and Office Max. Hampton Inn is honored for assisting the Red Cross in its fund-raising efforts by donating special overnight packages toward its summer raffles, which helped raise nearly $15,000 over the past three years. Also for providing meeting space for the organization’s board committees, special rates for disaster responses, and support towards assisting Red Cross staff which has also saved hundreds of dollars.
Also honored during that day was event emcee Rene Cloukey; American Red Cross Pine Tree Chapter Advisory Board Chair Kate Quin-Easter presented him with the surprise Shining Star Award for his outstanding service and dedication.
“Thank you for continuing to support our real hero tradition in Aroostook County; you are our shining star,” Erica Quin-Easter said.