Red Cross holds a real breakfast of champions

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Last week's third annual American Red Cross Stanislaus County Heroes Breakfast honored residents who have made a difference in our community. Courageous men, women and youth were recognized in 13 categories: Good Samaritan (senior, adult, team and youth), Law Enforcement, Professional Rescue, Medical, Military, Workplace, Education, Animal, Spirit of the Red Cross and Stanislaus Heroes of the Year. The program, with the theme "Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Compassion," was held Wednesday at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto. Here and on Page G-10 are quick looks at what makes these folks heroes.

STANISLAUS COUNTY HEROES OF THE YEAR

JUAN ROBLES AND JESSE ROBLES

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On April 19, the Robles family was picnicking with friends at Legion Park on the Tuolumne River. The day was hot and 13-year-old Jesse Robles was along the river when he heard screaming for help. He ran, and his father, Juan, followed, though was no match for his son's speed.

When Jesse reached the water's edge, he found two boys, about 11 and 7. The older boy was working his way out of the water, so Jesse dove in toward the younger, who reached out and grabbed his hand. The older boy yelled for Jesse to "get the lady" who was sinking. Struggling to hold the younger boy, who was in a panic, Jesse attempted to grab the woman. He went underwater, began swinging his arm and finally connected, then tried to pull her toward shore.

Juan arrived, saw Jesse struggling and jumped in the water to take the boy. Juan told Jesse to get out of the water and tried to pull the lifeless woman to safety. Bystanders became involved, with one man entering to help Juan and another throwing a rope. Jesse's aunt began CPR until paramedics arrived. The 43-year-old woman was taken to Doctors Medical Center in critical condition.

SPIRIT OF THE RED CROSS

MIKAYLA WONG

At age 7, Mikayla and her 9- and 12-year-old sisters held a garage sale in their hometown of Oakdale, raising $1,100 for the Red Cross to provide Hurricane Katrina aid. After that experience, Mikayla wanted to do more. She began saving money in her piggy bank to buy Christmas presents for someone who might not get anything. She collected change from anyone who would give it to her, and she began to collect bottles and aluminum cans to recycle. At Christmas, she and her family learned of a family with six children that lost their home to a fire. Mikayla opened her piggy bank and counted out $600! With help from her parents, Mikayla went shopping and bought presents for all.

In 2007, Mikayla, saved $800 by collecting and selling recyclables and finding "laundry money." After reading about a Salvation Army coat drive, she went shopping for coats, hats, gloves and warm clothing. This past year, Mikayla raised $1,000 by Christmas. She bought toddler clothes and toys for children at Haven Women's Center.

ANIMAL HERO

NICOLE MONTROY

Nicole, an aerospace engineer in the defense industry, made a dramatic career change when she and her husband moved to Modesto in 2003. Wanting to pursue work with a community-based organization, she volunteered for over a month in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to support the relief efforts of Best Friends Animal Society's animal shelter in Tylertown, Miss. Back in Modesto, in 2006, she began to volunteer with Alley Cat Guardians, a nonprofit organization that works diligently and humanly to reduce the stray and feral cat populations.

Since that time, Nicole has become the board president and volunteered more than 4,700 hours to help Stanislaus County bring the feral cat population under control through a trap/neuter/return program. On average, Stanislaus County's animal services euthanize more than 88 percent of the nearly 9,500 cats that come into the shelter. In 2008, Nicole raised the bar to sterilize 1,000 cats, thus reducing the number of unwanted litters and cats that and up in the county's animal shelter. Working with local veterinarians, Alley Cat Guardians held clinics where cats and kittens were spayed/neutered and vaccinated then marked with a small nip on the ear. They are then returned to their caretaker, adopted or returned to where they were found to live their lives without repopulating.