(DES MOINES, Iowa) Des Moines Police Sergeant Lori Neely is one of seven Iowans honored as a "Hero of the Heartland" by the American Red Cross in Iowa.
Sergeant Neely is a community liaison officer, and started a program at Des Moines East High School called "Fuel Up First." The program involves volunteers handing out a hot breakfast to students as the arrive at school Monday morning. School officials say many of the students come from lower income families, and are often hungry on Monday morning. She says juvenile stats show a higher rate of juvenile problems on Monday mornings. School officials say the program has made a positive impact on student behavior on Mondays. Sergeant Neely says they've noticed a decline in juvenile crime in the area on Mondays since the program began.
Jeff Baatz and Scott and Jaxson Ross, of Sanborn have also been honored as Red Cross "Heroes." Jeff and an intern were working under a truck at Archer Co-Op when the intern’s hair got caught in machinery. She lost a significant part of her scalp in the accident. Jeff pulled the young woman out from under the truck and called for Scott who came running with blankets. The men applied pressure to the young woman’s head and kept her calm until an ambulance arrived. In the weeks that followed, Scott’s son Jaxson stayed in regular contact with the woman to keep her spirits up. He drew her pictures and even organized a Lemonade Stand/Bake Sale and raised $700 to help during her long recovery.
Sergeant Jeff Jones of Cedar Falls has been honored as well. He's a sergeant in Motor Vehicle Enforcement for the Iowa Department of Transportation. He was working a shift at a weigh station near Cedar Rapids when a truck driver had a heart attack. Jeff called for an ambulance and grabbed the AED (automated external defibrillator). Jeff shocked the driver twice and performed CPR on the man for several minutes until an ambulance arrived. The driver survived after a quadruple bypass.
Todd Joslin of Dike has been honored for going into a neighbor's burning home, and waking up three children and their mother, getting them all outside. No smoke alarms were going off in the house. Todd is credited with saving their lives.
Hoss Tompkins of Beaman has been honored as a Red Cross "Hero" for helping a co-worker, who suffered a heart attack. The co-worker was on a forklift at the time, Hoss couldn’t get the man to the ground so he did chest compressions while he was still in the forklift. More co-workers arrived and helped get the man to the floor. Hoss also used an AED device and wound up doing CPR on the man for over 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived. The man survived, and doctors credit Tompkins for saving his life.
The Iowans were recognized today (Wednesday) at the annual American Red Cross Heroes of the Heartland breakfast, in Des Moines.