On Saturday, April 2, 2005, the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross held its 3rd Annual Celebration of Heroes. It is truly an honor and a privilege to host an event which recognizes local individuals who show courage, compassion and unselfish character.

The evening began with our Hero Award Winners attending an exclusive gathering at Murphy’s Jewelers on Pinnacle Hills Parkway in Rogers. Exquisite jewels were loaned to our award winners for the evening’s ceremony. From Murphy’s, they were transported via limousine to the Embassy Suites where they made their entrance in style on Red Carpet specially laid out for the occasion.

Four hundred attendees enjoyed an elegant evening, including a keynote address by Colleen Nick of the Morgan Nick Foundation, dinner prepared by Embassy Suites and live music featuring the popular party band Take Cover.

Of course, the highlight of the evening was the retelling of each Hero’s story and the presentation of awards by Mistress of Ceremonies, Neile Jones of KNWA Northwest Arkansas’ News.

The audience gave a standing ovation to our Military Award winners Austin Phillips and Wal-Mart Distribution Center #6008.

At the conclusion of the award ceremony, the crowd was once again on their feet when a special surprise was presented to Dick Trammel for the “Hero of a Lifetime” Award.

Together, we provided a meaningful celebration for our community while sharing our mission to help Americans prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

We hope that you share our sense of pride in honoring local heroes and that you will join us next year for the 4th Annual Celebration of Heroes.

All of this could not be done without our community partners. If you know a hero, nominate them today by contacting the Red Cross or KNWA.