Ben Lomond Teens Named Heroes of the Year

The Red Cross of Santa Cruz County released its annual list of local heroes Tuesday morning, and the roster includes two teens from Ben Lomond.

Autumn and Simone Bushard, both teenagers, will be honored in the youth category at the 2013 Heroes Breakfast on May 15 at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom in Santa Cruz for helping disadvantaged members of the community.

According to the Red Cross, the Bushard girls "have put a remarkable effort to gather nutritious, organic food to distribute to low income families, seniors, and the disabled by working for Valley Churches United to collect donations from vendors at the Santa Cruz Farmers Market, which has resulted in over $26,000 in fresh organic food."

Other heroes being honored at the breakfast include:

• Lynne Achterberg of Santa Cruz — founder of cat advocacy group Project Purr
• Stephanie Raugust — created the Food Lab lunch program in Davenport
• Kevin Coch of Santa Cruz — saved his neighbor from her burning house
• Sheriff's Sgt. Patrick Dimick of Aptos — saved a 13-year-old girl and her mother from a brutal attack by the husband/father.
• Chuck and Susan Hawley of Santa Cruz — have been foster parents to more than 30 children
• Matt Ryan,  Scott Vahradian and Greg Vandervoort — created the Save a Student program
• Tony Rojas of Watsonville — has played the bugle at veterans' funerals since he was 8-years-old
• Dispatcher Anna Kiff of Santa Cruz — calmed a person threatening to kill two small children
• David Kwan saved the life of a Dominican Hospital employee
• Coast Guard volunteer Milt Entwisle is in his 90s and has been keeping boats safe for more than 45 years.

The awards breakfast is set for May 15 at the Cocoanut Grove Ballroom in Santa Cruz from 7-9 a.m. The event has an 11-year history of recognizing acts of heroism by local residents and honoring those who have saved lives in our community.

Click here to purchase tickets to the event.