Past Recipients

James McCormick of New Haven, WestVirginia for selflessly helping hundreds of homeless veterans find jobs and housing through his non-profit Raising Cane Farms;
Montell Mixon of Saint Paul, Minnesota for valiantly rescuing a woman from her burning home after she had been locked in the bathroom by her boyfriend who had set the house on fire on Aug. 16, 2011; and
Brandon Wemhoff of Lincoln, Nebraska for heroically risking his own life in an attempt to protect the people around him by foiling a robbery on May 29, 2011.

Timothy Brooks of Pennsylvania for valiantly rescuing a woman and her three children who were stranded in the Delaware River after their tour boat collided with a barge and sank on July 7, 2010;
Marie Conley of Massachusetts for sacrificing her life to save a young boy by shielding him with her own body from a car that was barreling towards him on October 21, 2008; and
Dr. Pascal Spino of Pennsylvania for a lifetime’s commitment to treating children, often not charging those who cannot afford healthcare, and saving tens of thousands of lives.

Dylan Nelson of South Dakota, who sacrificed his own life while saving two others in Lake Madison on Aug. 8, 2009;
Jeffrey Michael Ross of California, who rescued a semiconscious woman from her sinking vehicle in the Folsom South Canal on July 12, 2009; and
Dr. Jordy Cox of Arizona, who selflessly volunteered and offered his medical skills to perform surgeries that have saved many lives in Haiti, the Congo, and the Ivory Coast.

Rick Rescorla of New Jersey, who sacrificed his life on September 11, 2001 by courageously rescuing his fellow citizens, by ordering the evacuation of all 2,700 Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co. employees from the building and leading them to safety, and then re-entering the building to search for survivors;
David Bryan of Missouri for going above and beyond by valiantly rescuing a motorist from a burning automobile on Eastbound I-70, one mile from the city of Higginsville, Missouri; and
Jeremy Hernandez of Minnesota, a part-time youth worker, for going above and beyond by saving the lives of 50 children as the school bus they were on was about to plunge into the Mississippi River following the I-35W Bridge Collapse.

Jencie Fagan of Nevada, a school teacher, went above and beyond with her brave stand against a school shooter who had already wounded two students. She courageously put herself in harm’s way by standing in front of the armed student, protecting others as she calmly talked the boy into putting down his weapon;
Matthew Miller of Minnesota, a student and construction worker, went above and beyond for others as he saved the lives of ten people and helped scores of injured in the 35W Bridge Collapse in Minneapolis; and
Don Schoendorfer of California, an engineer, for going above and beyond as an advocate for the disabled, as he created, manufactured and distributed over 250,000 wheelchairs to those in need.