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2003 Home Town Heroes
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ADULT
GOOD SAMARITAN • MEDICAL •
LAW ENFORCEMENT • YOUTH
GOOD SAMARITAN • FIRE FIGHTER
• COMMUNITY IMPACT • ANIMAL
RESCUE |
ADULT GOOD SAMARITAN HERO
Presented by Dominick's Foundation
Presented to: Terri Simic and Patti Molloy
Patti Molloy
(Terri Simic unavailable for photo)
Two women who helped a little boy in need may not believe
they did anything extraordinary, but in the eyes of the
boy's parents, they define hometown heroes.
Two-year-old Ryan Broshar was walking with his twin brother
and grandmother back from a St. Charles Park District
class on a chilly December morning when Ryan had a febrile
seizure in the parking lot and was unable to breathe.
While picking up her son from a Park District Class, Terri
Simic said she saw an older adult struggling with a toddler
on the ground.
Then Simic saw the frantic look on the older woman's face
and heard her scream for help. With three cars separating
her from the child in need, Simic put her car in park
and ran to help. "His
face was completely blue. It was the color of blueberries.
His lips were purple," Simic said, referring to Ryan.
Ryan's tongue was lodged in his throat and the airway
obstruction prevented him from breathing.
Thinking quickly, Simic laid Ryan on his side and rubbed
his back. She then dis-lodged his tongue out of his throat
and he immediately re-gained color.
By that time, Patty Malloy had also come to Ryan's aid.
While Ms. Simic worked on Ryan, Ms. Malloy was instrumental
in assisting Ryan's grandmother, who had gone into shock
and was unable to communicate via cell phone with Ryan's
mother.
Because of their instinctive response, Ryan is now playing
again like a normal two-year old, and his parents could
not be more grateful.
"It
was the right kind of people at the right timeÖit was
kind of a miracle," said John Broshar, Ryan's father.
"For both of them it was just instinct, they just reacted.
There are a lot of heroes out there that are regular,
everyday people. I hate to think what would have happened
were they not there. We owe quite a bit to these folks." |
MEDICAL
HERO WINNER
Presented by: Delnor-Community Hospital
Presented to: Dr. Stewart Odell, M.D.
Stewart Odell
Dr. Stewart Odell has made a life-long commitment to offering
healthcare to the less fortunate in third world countries.
He has dedicated his entire life to providing medical
and educational assistance to a variety of cultures across
the globe.
In 1980, Dr. Odell made his first trip overseas with World
Relief. He journeyed to Thailand and Cambodia to deliver
babies in a refugee camp. This six-week assignment set
the stage for annual humanitarian tours, and many beautiful
babies made their entrance into the world primarily due
to the skillful medical knowledge of Dr. Odell.
From 1981 to 1990, Dr. Odell continued his service as
a representative of the Christian Medical Society. His
assignments, all of which were self-funded, brought him
to the Dominican Republic, Belize, Haiti and Honduras.
In addition to delivering babies, Dr. Odell was also instrumental
in transporting medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and
equipment from hospital and drug manufacturers to international
communities in need. He also assisted many foreign doctors
who wanted to come to the United States for extended-stay
educational programs.
Even today, Dr. Odell continues his world relief efforts
and currently spends at least one week a year in Honduras
working with a team of medical doctors and dentists who
provide general medicine and pediatrics as part of the
Luke Society. He also travels with his wife to Kenya on
an annual basis to provide medical assistance to the slums
of Nairobi where he spends time educating natives about
AIDS prevention.
Dr. Odell has been an instrumental player in providing
top-quality medical care in the Fox Valley for nearly
30 years. He's earned a wonderful reputation for being
a skillful physician, as well as a tremendously caring
individual, whose acts of selfless giving truly embody
a hometown hero. |
LAW
ENFORCEMENT HERO
Presented by: SBC
Presented to: Officers of the St. Charles Tactical Response
Unit (TRU)
Back Row: Vaughn Olson, Eric Majewski, Joe Cicci,
Lin Dargis, Andrew Lamela
Front Row: Jerry Schomer, Erik Mahan, Mike Griesbaum,
Chuck Pierce, Mike McCowan |
Officer Thomas Shaw
and K-9, “Buster” |
On
Thursday, October 31, 2002, at 8:38 p.m., St. Charles
police officers were dispatched by Tri-Com to a report
of shots fired at 135 Walnut Drive. The initial report
identified that five gunshots came from the interior of
an apartment on site and narrowly missed several innocent
women and children who knocked on the apartment door as
trick-or-treaters on Halloween evening.
Facing dangerous open fire, members of the St. Charles
TRU team swiftly and successfully roped off the dangerous
area, and apprehended the armed offender while being fired
upon. The arrest, which required a bevy of tactical skills
and a great deal of teamwork, embodied a heroic effort
‚ one where law enforcement officers put their own lives
at risk in a hostile environment to ensure that no innocent
bystanders were injured by the gunfire. |
YOUTH
GOOD SAMARITAN HERO
Presented by: Gordon Flesch Co.
Presented to: Kelly Sharbaugh and Becky Beeh
Kelly Sharbaugh
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Becky Beeh |
As
part of the distinguished "Leaders Class" at St. Charles
East High School, students Kelly Sharbaugh and Becky Beeh
had demonstrated a natural tendency towards leadership.
Yet little did they realize just how important the skills
they learned in this class would be in their real life
just a few months later.
During the summer of 2002, both Kelly and Becky were enjoying
a day trip to Lake Michigan when friend and fellow classmate,
Tyler Caruso, became unconscious in the water and began
to drown. Whereas many individuals in this situation would
have panicked, Kelly and Becky immediately rushed in to
save him. "As
soon as they realized that Tyler was in trouble, both
girls immediately responded. They worked tirelessly to
pull Tyler to the shore and, with the assistance of Becky's
Aunt, performed CPR. They followed all proper protocols
taught through their leadership training class, including
Lifeguarding skills, CPR and First Aid. They did everything
possible to try and save Tyler's life," stated Jean Cabel,
Instructor for the Physical Education Leaders Class.
Cabel went on to comment, "I have been a certified lifeguard
for 27 years, and never in that time have I performed
anything more than an assist from the deck. The fact that
these two ladies were able to apply what they were trained
to do just months before, while at the same time maintaining
composure during a rescue they were performing on a close
friend, just astounds me."
Unfortunately, despite the girls' most valiant efforts,
Tyler could not be resuscitated. But, as Tyler's mother,
Mrs. Caruso, has said, "Had these two 'angels' not been
with Tyler, he would have died alone."
While the road to recovery will be a long one for all
parties involved in this tragedy, the fearless initiative
demonstrated by both women to save Tyler's life epitomizes
every admirable quality of a hometown hero, and we congratulate
them on their selfless efforts to help try and save a
life. |
FIRE
FIGHTER HERO
Presented by: OAS Software
Presented to: Lt. Ed Jankauskas
Ed Jankauskas
Lt. Ed Jancauskas of the Batavia Fire Department is known
around town as not only an exceptional firefighter, but
also an "all-around good guy." In addition to responding
to a number of dangerous callouts, including a large apartment
blaze last summer in Batavia that displaced nearly 30
residents, Lt. Jancauskas has also been instrumental in
developing a number of programs to enhance the training
and skills of local firefighters. "Ed
has been instrumental in developing our Special Rescue
Teams," said Captain Steve Lusted of the Batavia Fire
Department. "He has personally devoted an incredible amount
of effort into obtaining equipment and advanced training
for himself and other members of our department in the
area of Technical Rescue Operations. Sample courses include
Building Collapse, Confined Space, Trench Rescue and High
Angle. Each of these categories requires approximately
80 hours of classroom and hands-on training, he has really
led the charge in this area which can only improve the
performance of our entire team."
Tim Lyons, a fellow Batavia firefighter, agrees with Captain
Lusted's assessment of Jancauskas' contributions. "This
'fireman's fireman' has been instrumental in securing
tens of thousands of dollars in grant funding to assist
our department and other local departments. His dedication
to his colleagues and to the citizens is unequalled, and
he is absolutely deserving of a hometown hero award." |
COMMUNITY
IMPACT HERO
Presented by: Galyan's
Presented to: Patrick G. Gannon, D.O., and John R. Collins
Patrick G. Gannon
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John R. Collins |
Dr.
Pat Gannon and Mr. John Collins are known throughout the
Fox Valley for a number of accomplishments, most notably
the creation of the Tri-City Health Partnership, a free
medical clinic located in St. Charles.
A prior volunteer at a free clinic in Elgin, Dr. Gannon
is clearly an individual who is passionately committed
to providing free healthcare for those who are without
medical benefits. And, after the clinic closed its doors,
Dr. Gannon decided to continue his calling and look for
another community that had a demonstrated need and could
benefit from free medical services.
After initial consultation with several local agencies,
it was determined that St. Charles was such a community.
Conversations with executives at The Salvation Army and
The Lazarus House reinforced that there were a bevy of
individuals in the St. Charles community who would benefit
from such a clinic, and so the idea of creating The Tri-City
Health Partnership was born.
Enter John Collins. A successful realtor and community
advocate, Mr. Collins quickly joined Dr. Gannon's cause
and worked with him to both identify a suitable facility
and secured necessary funding to transform this dream
into a reality. After a number of meetings and public
presentations, it became obvious that many in the community
would also rally behind these two visionaries, and three
short months later, the doors to the Tri-City Health Partnership
opened at 318 Walnut Street.
Today, one year later, dozens of outstanding physicians,
nurses and clerical staff have donated countless hours
to work at the clinic, responding to more than 800 sick
visits and creating more than 1,500 patient contacts.
Sandy Gullickson, who nominated both men for this award,
had the following to say about the impact of these hometown
heroes on the community, "My grateful thanks to Dr. Gannon
and Mr. Collins for bringing this concept to fruition
for our residents, as well as providing our entire community
with an opportunity to serve." |
ANIMAL
RESCUE HERO
Presented by: Charlestowne Mall
Presented to: Donna Hertel
Donna Hertel
Donna Hertel is a woman dedicated to ending the unnecessary
abuse and suffering of animals everywhere. Co-founder
of a non-profit called SHARK, "Showing Animals Respect
and Kindness," Donna has spent countless hours working
as an animal rights activist.
It was on a road trip for SHARK that Donna's love for
animals grew even more obvious at a time when she least
expected it. "My friend Colleen and I were headed back
to Illinois after an exhausting trip to Baylor University
in Texas. As we were driving along the highway, I looked
over at the side of the road and spotted two puppies who
had been dumped ‚ they were literally 'dump dogs.'"
Fearing for the puppies' lives on such a busy Interstate,
Donna and her companion quickly pulled off the road to
rush to their aid. Starving, flea-ridden, and infested
with ticks and mange, the female puppies were obviously
left to die. "They
were so sick," said Hertel, "and very unresponsive. But,
after some patient efforts, we were finally able to lure
the little ones to us and show them that they could trust
us."
Immediately drawn to the puppies, it took Donna only moments
to name the puppies. "We decided to name them Joy and
Lady, the same names as the two bears at Baylor University
that we were trying to save. We knew that while it would
take us some time to help rescue the Baylor bears, but
these sweet, innocent little girls were examples of animals
that we could help right away.
So, without further hesitation, Donna loaded up the puppies
and began the long drive home. The 1,000 mile trip, which
originally would have taken two days, was now crammed
into just one.
"Due
to the puppies' sick condition and their dire need for
veterinary care, we made the drive home in one long twenty-two
hour shot. Thankfully, with proper medical care and a
lot of TLC, I'm happy to report that the dogs are now
fine and are finally enjoying the happy life they deserve,"
said Hertel. |
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