Fred Meyer to Present 9th Annual Real Heroes Breakfast benefiting the Willamette Chapter of the American Red Cross Wednesday, September 11, 2013 8-9:30am. On a day that has become synonymous with honoring heroes, the American Red Cross of the Willamette Chapter wants you to join them in recognizing local citizens who have performed extraordinary acts of courage at the Real Heroes Breakfast Wednesday, September 11. The award recipients are selected based upon the use of life-saving training skills to save the life or lives of others, life-saving actions that go above and beyond the call of duty, consistent demonstration of a commitment to making a positive difference in the community, or outstanding humanitarian contributions promoting the mission of the Red Cross in our community. The Award Categories for this year's event are: Humanitarian Adult Hero, Humanitarian Youth Hero, Professional Rescue Hero, Community Partner Hero and Spirit of the Red Cross. Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast 2012 Professional Rescue Heroes: Sgt. Andrew Copeland, Officer Rodney Bamford, Paramedic Supervisor Mike Harness. Since its founding in 1917, the Willamette Chapter of the American Red Cross responds to crises and delivers services whenever and wherever they are most needed throughout Lincoln, Marion and Polk Counties. Virtually all of these services have been carried out by volunteers who have trained for the responsibility and privilege of helping their neighbors in times of need. Last year in Oregon, Red Cross assisted 668 families after disasters such as house fires, floods and winter storms. Nearly 2,000 deployed service members were connected with their families through Red Cross emergency communications, 82,000 people were trained in Red Cross health and safety courses, and 19,000 people participated in Red Cross preparedness training. In addition, the Pacific Northwest Blood Services Region collected 182,800 units of blood, of which nearly 90 percent is used for patients treated in Oregon hospitals. photo credit: jcolman via photopin cc