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Join us on March 5, 2024
for this Virtual Event!

12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. CST

Now in its 23nd year, Heroes in the Heartland honors individuals who have saved another person's life during the past year or who have positively impacted the quality of life in the Omaha Council Bluffs Metro area or Southeast Nebraska.

This year money raised will support our disaster relief operations. 

We respond to an emergency every 8 minutes.
No one else does this: not the government, not other charities.

From small house fires to multi-state natural disasters, the American Red Cross goes wherever we're needed,

so people can have clean water, safe shelter and hot meals when they need them most.

We respond to an average of more than 60,000 disasters every year
95% of our disaster relief workers are volunteers
The vast majority of disasters we respond to are home fires.

Come back to this page on March 5 to view our event!

Honorary Chairs

We are proud to announce this year's Heroes in the Heartland Honorary Chairs, Todd and Amy Foje

Amy and Todd Foje met as students at Creighton University and the former Iowans have made Omaha home for more than thirty years upon returning from five years in Washington, D.C.  Todd is Chief Executive Officer of Great Plains Communications Holdings LLC.  He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Creighton University, a Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor (JD) from George Washington University.

Amy graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Creighton University and worked as critical care nurse at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. and the University of Nebraska Medical Center before becoming a full-time mom and volunteer.  Amy's charitable service includes over twenty-five years as a counselor and, most recently, as a board member for Essential Pregnancy Services (EPS).  She was awarded the EPS GLOW Spirit of Service honor as volunteer of the year in 2017.  Todd's charitable service has included volunteer and board roles with the American Red Cross, Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Telecommunications Association, USTelecom, Creighton Prep High School, Duchesne Academy, Durham Museum and as a mentor through the Teammates youth mentoring program.  Amy and Todd have been the chairs of Conge' for Duchesne Academy and the Archbishop's Dinner for Education.

We are grateful for Todd's and Amy's commitment to the American Red Cross, the Omaha-Council Bluffs Chapter and the 2024 Heroes in the Heartland.  Thank you for all that you do for the Red Cross and the community!

The 2024 Hero Awardees

• Call to Action - presented to an individual who by circumstances beyond their control found themselves in a challenging situation and demonstrated extraordinary courage.. This year's Call To Action Hero is Jake Miller. Chelsea Walz knew something didn't feel right. Her left arm started to hurt and her heart began racing. Her boyfriend, Jake Miller, listened to her heart race. Then it stopped. Jake immediate jumped into action. He called 911 and, with guidance from the dispatcher, performed CPR to resuscitate Chelsea. He did compressions for six minutes, saving her life. Later it was determined that Chelsea experienced a spontaneous coronary artery dissection. Thankfully, Jake's quick actions mean the couple continues to enjoy their life together. 
• Commitment to Community - presented to an individual, couple, group or organization that has made a tremendous impact on the community through their volunteerism, philanthropy, service to others, or example. The 2024 Commitment to Community award is given to Heart Ministry Center. Throughout the Heart Ministry Center you read the words "Dignity for All". Heart Ministry provides wrap-around services for almost any need one may have. From the grocery store modeled food pantry, laundromat, job placement programs, healthcare (including dental, vision, occupational therapy, physical therapy), legal aid services and mentoring programs their Mission "Providing food, healthcare, and a way forward to people severely affected by poverty in the Omaha area" is far extended with lifting the community to a higher place. 
• Gift of Life - presented to an individual, couple, group or organization that supports the lifesaving mission through personal blood or platelet donations or inspiring others to give blood or platelets. This year The Susan Querry-Brown Family is honored with the Gift of Life Award.. Kind and generous is how many describe Susan Querry-Brown. Susan passed in 2013 after a long battle with liver disease. She was only 35 years old. During her battle, she had several transfusions, receiving many units of blood. The transfusions kept Susan alive. Since her passing, her family has kept her memory alive through blood drives held around her birthday each year. Through the family's passionate efforts, the blood drives have resulted in hundreds of units of blood being donated and provided to patients in need..
• Public Servant Hero - presented to an individual who in the line of duty (police, fire, military, medical, etc.) went above and beyond the call. The 2024 Public Servant Hero award goes to the Omaha Fire Department. When the call came in that two workers were stuck in a sewer in downtown Omaha, the Omaha Fire Department wasn't sure what they would find when the arrived. They used a combination of skills as part of the rescue, pulling the one man out through a manhole using a tagline. However, the other worked has been swept away. OFD stationed a boat at the river and was able to catch the man who had diverted himself toward the rescue team, ensuring a successful outcome.

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors