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PORTLAND – Residents of Auburn and Readfield were among those honored at the Southern Maine Chapter of the American Red Cross Southern Maine Real Heroes Awards Breakfast April 19.
Six individuals and one organization received the awards for going above and beyond in service to others, including Dan Martins of Readfield and Larissa Montminy of Auburn.
“Each one of these Real Heroes has gone above and beyond in service to others. It might have been in the context of their job. They may have recognized a problem that needed to be addressed. Or perhaps they were the right people in the right place at the right time,” said Patricia Murtagh, CEO of the Maine Region of the American Red Cross. “What they have in common is that they are everyday people who performed extraordinary acts of kindness, compassion and selflessness. They embody the spirit at the heart of the American Red Cross.”
Montminy was one of three who shared the Lifesaver Award. She and Stewart Graham and Paige Roberts, both of Portland, helped a stranger, Tom Bradley, who went into cardiac arrest while working out at the YMCA of Southern Maine in Portland. Graham saw Bradley collapse and performed chest compressions on him. When she saw the commotion, Roberts, a lifeguard, shut down the pool and performed rescue breaths on Bradley. Montminy, who was working at the front desk, called 911, controlled the area and kept the other two on task until first responders arrived. While Bradley’s heart had stopped beating for about 12 minutes, he is alive and well today.
“They volunteered without notice and they volunteered without any hesitation – and they gave a full commitment. All those things were required,” Bradley said. “Their sense of volunteering and stepping forward, their lack of hesitation and their commitment is a pure reflection of character – a pure reflection of heroic character.”
Martins was named Services to the Armed Forces award-winner. He is a peer support specialist with the VA Maine Homeless Program at the Portland VA Clinic. A colleague describes Martins this way: “a quiet hero who never hesitates to intervene. He expects no accolades or applause, he just simply serves with pride.”
A Navy veteran, Martins is a tireless advocate for his clients, frequently going above and beyond for them. He has earned his clients’ trust through his honesty and his relentless drive to locate resources for them and to find better solutions.
“Being in the military really changes you. It changes who you are. It changes where you want to go. It’s a huge shift to try to come back into the civilian world. It’s very jarring,” Martins said. “I sought support from the VA, which quite honestly saved my life a number of times. So, it’s very much a privilege for me to be here and to pay it back and pay it forward.”
Other winners included Community Service Award, Andrea Collin Reigosa of Kennebunk; Blood Services Award, Michael Bourque of Portland; Community Impact Award – Operation HOPE | Scarborough Police Department.
PHOTO: Jay S. Cloutier, colonel, USAF (Ret), right, presents Dan Martins of Readfield a Red Cross Real Heroes award on April 19. Martins, a peer support specialist with the VA Maine Homeless Program in Portland and received the Service to the Armed Forces Award from the Southern Maine Chapter of the Red Cross. (Submitted photo)
