Story by Bill Fortune and Photos by R.W. Firth/American Red Cross
The annual tradition of recognizing local heroes in Pueblo, CO was once again a huge success. The evening began with a social hour that included music from the Colorado State University – Pueblo Jazz Combo. They did an excellent job keeping the crowd entertained with a variety of jazz tunes. The Pueblo Ritual Team team presented the colors and the evening was off to a rousing start as Master of Ceremonies Ken White III kept the evening rolling and provided his own brand of humorous commentary.
Additional photos can be found on our Flickr page at Pueblo Hometown Heroes Photos
Heroes were recognized in eight categories and each recipient’s heroic effort was highlighted in a short video. The hero categories and recipients were as follows:
Humanitarian Award – Sponsored by Legacy Bank and presented to Barbara Vidmar for her tireless support and philanthropy in Pueblo.
Adult Hero – Sponsored by Black Hills Energy presented to (L-R) Terrance Cordova, Richelle Cordova, Jacob St. Laurent and William Cordova. 
Community Partner Hero – Sponsored by Pepsi and presented to Pueblo Community College for all of the important contributions they have made to the Pueblo Community.
First Responder Hero – Sponsored by Rampart Supply and presented to Deputy Chief Richard Potter, Captain Steve Dassi and Firefighter Adam Houle. All are members of the Pueblo Fire Department and recognized for their deployments to support hurricane relief in Texas and Florida.
Student Organization Hero – Sponsored by Pueblo Rotary #43 Foundation and presented to Associated Students Government for their support for the Hurricane Harvey relief effort.
Animal Hero – Sponsored by EVRAZ and presented to the Pueblo Go Team and Therapy Dogs for their strong community support provided by their therapy dogs.
Community Service Hero – Sponsored by ICM and presented to Jim and Paulette Stuart for their tireless support of the Medal of Honor conventions held in Pueblo.
First Responder Hero Organization – Sponsored by Parkview Medical Center and presented to the Southern Colorado Emergency Medical Associates for their stalwart efforts to provide exceptional and vital emergency medicine in Pueblo.
The evening ended with a statement from the Thomas Gonzalez, the Executive Director for the American Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado. In his closing statement Mr. Gonzalez thanked everyone for their kind donations but most importantly for the time they give to the Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations.
Special thanks to our Event Title Sponsor, ENT Credit Union.
Additional sponsors we would like to thank:
