By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
At a time when many people drive past strangers in crisis, or videotape a crime on their phones, there are still people who stop and help.
Four of those heroes will be honored next week at the annual Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards.
“It’s important to reward people who do the right thing to help strangers – sometimes at their own risk,” said Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn, a member of the humanitarian awards committee.
“We hear so much bad news. It’s great to showcase the positive things people do for each other,” Wasylyshyn said.
Since its inception in 1989, the Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards have recognized nearly 500 people for their heroic acts.
The awards have been given to people who performed extraordinary acts – many times for people they didn’t even know. In many cases, the ceremony provides an opportunity for the people saved to meet with the person who rescued them.
Being recognized this year are four people who responded to crises:
- Jeremy Culp, of Bowling Green, performed CPR on a stranger not breathing in a boat at the docks in Perrysburg. Along with a police officer, Culp continued CPR until paramedics arrived and took over.
- Steve Queen, of Grand Rapids, came upon a man in the middle of Euler Road. Queen called 911, and was instructed how to perform CPR, which he did until a sheriff’s deputy arrived on the scene.
- Jeff Ward, of Bowling Green, stopped for a car on its side submerged in water and sludge in a ditch along Dunbridge Road. Ward helped one person out of the car, then climbed into the vehicle to help another person unable to get out.
- Dr. Christina Ellis, of Perrysburg, was on her way home from her shift in an ER, when she came upon a two-vehicle crash at Ohio 199 and Dowling Road. She crawled through a broken windshield to keep one person’s airway open, and worked with EMS until an air ambulance arrived.
This year’s awards ceremony, on Nov. 8, will recognize heroic efforts that took place over the past year. The program, which is open to the public, will be held in the atrium at the Wood County Courthouse Complex in Bowling Green. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the program to follow at 6:30 p.m.
The criteria for Black Swamp Humanitarian Awards are as follows:
Good Samaritan: For outstanding service to an unknown person, at no risk to their own life.
Life Risk: For risking one’s life to help another.
Beyond the Call of Duty: For a firefighter, law enforcement officer or emergency medical technician who goes beyond the call of duty in helping a person.
Service to Others: For outstanding service to another human being by providing out-of-the-ordinary assistance.
