American Red Cross honors Long Island heroes
Six individuals were chosen by the nonprofit for courage, resilience, and service that made a lasting impact on their communities.
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The American Red Cross on Long Island honored several local heroes at a ceremony in Farmingdale Thursday morning.
The nonprofit’s 2026 Long Island Heroes Celebration breakfast, hosted by News 12’s Thema Ponton, was held at The Heritage Club at Bethpage.
Six individuals were chosen by the organization for courage, resilience, and service that made a lasting impact on their communities.
Among those recognized, was Red Cross Youth Hero of the Year, Finn Schiavone, a high school junior from Bay Shore, who was paralyzed in a wrestling accident was he was 13 years old.
The teen was told he would never walk, read or write again, but never gave up, crediting the bravery he saw at the LT Michael P. Murphy Navy SEAL Museum as his inspiration to defy the odds.
"I put everything on the table, I made one last attempt two years after I was paralyzed to walk again and I was able to pull it off," Schiavone told News 12.
The five Long Islanders receiving awards at the event included Brandi M. Carney, LCSW of Huntington, NYPD Officer Freddy Cerpa, of Elmont, Susanne Deegan, of Sea Cliff, Tom Von Essen, of Rockville Centre, and Hon. Harvey Weisenberg, of Long Beach.
