Deadline Nears for Hometown Heroes Nominations

SPRINGFIELD — The American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter’s 2009 Hometown Heroes Breakfast will take place on Wednesday, March 18 at the MassMutual Center. This annual event honors local individuals (or groups of individuals) who have shown courage, kindness, and unselfish character when a friend, family member, or stranger faced a life-threatening situation, or who have had an extraordinary impact on his or her community.

Members of the community are invited to nominate a local hero for consideration. Honorees will be selected by a committee of individuals from our community, including former American Red Cross Hometown Heroes. All the heroes will be recognized at the March 18 breakfast. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

For further information, contact Paige Thayer at thayerpa@usa.redcross.org or at (413) 233-1003. Award criteria and downloadable nomination forms can be found at www.redcrosspioneervalley.org. Nom-inations must be postmarked no later than Jan. 2.