What's a hero?

Like art, heroism is in the eye of the beholder.

You know a hero when you see one. At the American Red Cross, we are fortunate to see heroes every day.

They are volunteers who are willing to leave their homes whenever the call comes to make sure a local family who has lost their home to a fire have a place to sleep tonight, and clothes to wear and food to eat tomorrow.

They are people who trained in their free time so they can volunteer to set up shelters here or halfway across the country in the wake of a major disaster.

We think people who learn how to save lives through first aid and CPR are heroes, as are the people who teach them those skills, and our community is a safer place because of them.

A heroic act also takes place each time someone rolls up their sleeve to give blood, or takes out a pen to write a check to support the work of the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross is honoring your Hometown Heroes as part of our annual celebration of Red Cross Month.

Whether you are a blood donor, a financial contributor, a volunteer, or one of the many local organizations with which we partner, we salute you.

In fact, we have set up a special Website with profiles of just a few of our Hometown Heroes.

You can visit it at www.redcross.org/hometownheroes. – The American Red Cross