By David Dillon
Larry Wiedenhoft of Manzanita received a President’s Club Award in August from the American Red Cross in Washington, DC. The award is presented to the top performers in the organization’s Preparedness and Health and Safety Services. Wiedenhoft has been a medical trainer for the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay for several years.
“Receiving this award was a great honor and a privilege. The Red Cross has enabled me to find and pursue my passion of responding to emergencies and training others to do so,” said Wiedenhoft. “It has allowed me to have a hand in training tens of thousands of people in lifesaving skills, either directly, or by training their trainer, or even training the person who trained their trainer.”
“We selected Larry because he embodies all of the characteristics of a top performer and he does this as a volunteer,” said Melissa Carrera, Service Delivery Manager for the Pacific Northwest Territory. “Larry is also very willing to travel, not only in our geography but in other parts of the country to teach our Instructor Trainer Academies. He is a role model instructor and we are so excited to celebrate him and his contributions.”
“I’m especially grateful that I’ve been able to train over 200 local folks in our Nehalem Bay area,” said Wiedenhoft. “And I know that some of those people are going to use their training to make a difference during an emergency. That is the real reward — the reason that I volunteer.”
