Carnegie Medals Awarded To 18 For Acts Of Extraordinary Civilian Heroism

PITTSBURGH, June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- In its second award announcement of 2015, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission today named 18 individuals as recipients of the Carnegie Medal.  The medal is given throughout the United States and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.

One of the awardees, S. Alexander Smith of Aloha, Ore., died in the performance of his heroic act.  Alexander, 16, drowned July 1, 2014, attempting to save his younger brother in the Row River at Dorena, Ore.  He and the other heroes announced today bring to 38 the number of awards made to date in 2015 and to 9,775 the total number since the Pittsburgh-based Fund's inception in 1904.  Commission Chair Mark Laskow stated that each of the awardees or their survivors will also receive a financial grant.  Throughout the 111 years since the Fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, $37.2 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits, and continuing assistance.  The awardees are:

Resumes of the acts can be found at http://carnegiehero.org/awardees.  Fuller information on the Carnegie Medal and the history of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission can be found at www.carnegiehero.org.  Find us on Facebook:  facebook.com/carnegiehero.

Contact:  Douglas R. Chambers
Toll free:  1-800-447-8900

SOURCE Carnegie Hero Fund Commission

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http://www.carnegiehero.org