The Red Cross kicked of its annual Heroes fundraising campaign a little differently this year, honoring actual heroes from around the community.

Receiving awards at a breakfast Thursday were:

Humanitarian Hero: Learwinson Jackson and Mike Meredith, for their work to decrease the crime recidivism rate;

Good Samaritan Hero, Youth: Mary Catherine Wilder, for her work with the local chapter of the American Red Cross;

Good Samaritan Hero, adult: Barbara Booker, for working with children in her neighborhood while battling cancer;

Workplace Hero: Angeline Brooks, a social worker at Twin Fountains Home, and Denise Monteith, an administrative assistant at Milliken Design Center, who raise money for March of Dimes and the United Way of West Georgia;

Military Hero: Dave Lyons, for his work with Disabled American Veterans;

Health and Safety Hero: The Baptist Dental Van, which, through volunteer efforts of dentists and other organization, has helped more than 200 people get dental care since October 2007;

Educational Hero: Renea Willis, chairwoman of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce’s Excellence in Education committee;

Environmental Heroes: Mack Reese, for his development of the Highland Park subdivision in LaGrange, and Dick Timmerberg, executive director of the West Point Lake Coalition;

Emergency Response Hero: Aimee Clark, a member of the Valley, Ala., emergency response team who managed the local response to hurricanes Ivan and Frances in 2004;

Community Partner Hero: Lewis Goode of Ideal Cleaners, who cleans hundreds of coats a year at no charge for the LaGrange Kiwanis Club’s “Coats for Kids” campaign.

Thursday’s ceremony recognized all the nominees as well as the more than 50 heroes who have been charged with raising $1,000 each this year for the Red Cross chapter. The Heroes campaign, in its fourth year, includes 14 local schools this year who are in the middle of, or already completed their fundraising.

Executive Director Connie Hensler said the Hero award program was so popular this year, it likely will be repeated next year with an even bigger response.

n For more information on each hero, the fundraising heroes and the campaign, be sure to check Friday’s Daily News.