43
Herbert Road rescuers are ‘Heroes of the Valley’
Photo
Neighbors | Grace Wyler .Canfield heroes are honored with the Good Neighbor awards at the Mahoning Valley Red Cross' annual "Heroes of the Mahoning Valley" banquet. From left, Ron Knarr, Joel Imler and Sandy Ulicney. The fourth honoree, Jon Ulicney, is not pictured here.
By GRACE WYLER
gwler@vindy.com
Gerald DeCamp, Ron Knarr and Jon and Sandy Ulicney are the kind of neighbors everyone wishes they had.
During heavy rainstorms this past June, the four neighbors went to check on an area off Herbert Road that was prone to flooding. When they got there, they saw two young men attempting to float down the flood water on pool rafts.
Fearing that the men would be trapped under the Herbert Road bridge, the neighbors rushed to the rescue. One of the men had been sucked in by the current and was left clinging to the side of the bridge.
The neighbors jumped the guardrail in an effort to rescue the man and the three men grabbed him.
With the help of Sandy Ulicney, who pulled on her husband, the neighbors managed to save the stranger from the raging waters after 15 minutes.
The man, who only gave them his first name, walked away from the accident with only cuts and bruises.
The four neighbors were honored for their heroic act at the Mahoning Valley Red Cross’ annual “Heroes of the Mahoning Valley” banquet Feb. 20.
The group was nominated for the award by Knarr’s wife, Carol.
The neighbors were humble and spoke only briefly as they were given the Red Cross’ “Good Neighbor” award for their bravery.
“We are not the heroes, the Red Cross are the real heroes,” Jon Ulicney said. “We just did what were supposed to do, we were just neighbors.”
Knarr added that the four neighbors are active in their community.
“We are a group of people that always volunteers at church and school,” Knarr said. “Just doing things when people need them.”
The Mahoning Valley chapter of the Red Cross hosts the annual “Heroes of the Mahoning Valley” event to honor people in the community who have shown extraordinary courage and commitment to service.
“The award goes to someone who has performed an act of heroism, put in countless hours of service,” Lou Joseph, the chairman of the Mahoning Red Cross’ board, said. “Our heroes make our community.”
The organization honored nine groups and individuals as heroes of the Mahoning Valley. Other inductees included the Core Six, a group of Boardman businessmen who built a house for a gunshot victim to make it handicap accessible, and the management team at Shepherd of the Valley.
The event, which took place at Antone’s Banquet Center, was sponsored by several community businesses and foundations including V & M Star and the Frank and Pearl Gelbman Foundation.