Why Neighborhood Heroes are so important

While visiting my family in Northeastern Ohio for the July 4th holiday in 2003, we all attended a church festival. The festival is in a small town just under 10,000 where my father grew up and everyone knows everyone.

The festival is a fun family event in the church parking lot with great food, music, games and a few carnival rides. My husband, son (2 ½), nephew and a family friend are making the rounds of rides and games while I sit and catch up with friends and other family members.

Suddenly a friend of my sister’s runs up to me and says, “Come quick Simon got hurt!” Immediately I think he fell and scraped his knee and is bleeding. Anyone with a toddler knows they go threw many bumps and bruises and we were no stranger to this.

The girl grabs my arm and starts running - this scares me. I see a crowd of people around a game booth. What I see is something no parent ever imagines. My son is laying on a counter unconscious, lips are slightly blue and the church priest is administering CPR. Another woman is assisting; I later learned she is a pediatric emergency room nurse at the local hospital.

The woman tells me to talk to him and let him know it will be okay. I start yelling, “Has someone called 911!! Call 911!!” It seemed like everyone was watching and not calling an ambulance.

I go over and start talking to him. I keep telling him everything will be okay, everything will be okay. All I wanted to do was pick him up, but they said I couldn’t move him he may have a head injury.

Suddenly, he starts to vomit. The nurse tells me this is good he is conscious. The ambulance arrives.

A city police officer, at the festival with his family, had called 911.

He helped me into the ambulance as a paramedic was working on Simon. He was in and out of consciousness and I sang the ABC’s over and over on the way to the hospital.

Once we arrived, Simon was taken for a CAT scan and admitted for observation.

The next morning, Simon wakes up and says, “Mommy, do you want to play cars?” Like nothing had happened. He was discharged later that day. We learned he suffered a concussion. This from simply falling in a moon bounce. The key point is he received CPR within seconds of his injury.

I learned at church the next week that there were five other nurses at the festival that night and another police officer. This is why the idea of having a HERO in every neighborhood is such a mission for me. If it weren’t for the EMT trained priest, nurse and police officer our son may not be here.

— Christine Harper, Founder

Mission: To share the availability of homeownership in the neighborhoods in which these everyday heroes serve.

Vision: To have a HERO in every neighborhood locally, then nationally.

This is the only program of its kind in the State of Georgia.

The purpose of this program is a small solution to a large issue. Our healthcare workers, educators, police officers, fire personnel and military (active duty, retired and veteran) are not adequately compensated for being such an integral part of the community.

In honor of these Neighborhood Heroes, we have teamed with local businesses to provide free products and services, special loan programs, plus deep discounts for those buying or selling a home.

Savings for a $200,000 home can average around $10,000.

Who Can Qualify

• Police and Sheriff’s Department and other
  law enforcement agencies
  
  
• Fire Department and/or Emergency Medical
  Response Team
  
  
• Educators
  
  
• Health Care Providers
  
  
• Military (active duty, retired and veteran)
  
  

For more information: