Maui teenager Emma-lee McCord is poised to officially accept a National Lifesaving Award from the American Red Cross, following her heroic efforts to provide first aid to the victim of a shark attack last October. The Maui Hero Project in coordination with the Red Cross will conduct a formal award ceremony to honor Emma on April 30, 2023. Along with the award ceremony, the half-day event will also serve as a reunion for program graduates from the last five years of the Maui Hero Project, founding director Loren Lapow said.
The Maui Hero Project was originally founded in 2000 as an adventure- and culture-based rites of passage program, to help empower every young person to follow their passion and become a hero or heroine in their own journey. As a former graduate of the Maui Hero Project, Emma along with fellow program participants learned lifesaving skills such as first aid, CPR, and search & rescue. However, there is much more to the program than the practical application of those skills.
“I tell kids, you’re most likely not going to have to administer CPR in your life, but if someone tells you they’re feeling really sad or lonely, what do you do?” Loren said. “What we need to support in our kids is how they can show up and be present in someone else’s life on a heartfelt level. And then to make sure they have safe, healthy adults and professionals they can go to for help.”
Through the event, each of the last 25 pledge classes who completed the program will have the opportunity to not only reconnect with peers from their specific class, but also meet 150 Heroes from the other graduating classes. Long-time alumni will also be present, some of whom graduated the program more than 20 years ago, as well as the adult community Volunteer Heroes who have supported the program, such as firefighters, lifeguards, cultural practitioners and others.
The gathering will be a social-emotional learning style event, where students will bond and connect through a series of team-building games and activities. They will return to that heartfelt place that cannot be found on a map, which they learned is the experience of unity and of togetherness, as they once again embrace that, “Together, everybody can overcome their fears and traumas and become heroes to others, even in just simple ways like offering a smile or listening from the heart,” Loren explained.
For Emma, while her heroic moment at Paia Bay came as a surprise, her training through the Maui Hero Project had fortunately prepared her to act quickly and provide the necessary life-saving first aid – something she said is good for everyone to know, just in case.
“I was kind of scared and my stomach like turned upside down,” Emma, who was only 12 years old at the time, recalled of the incident. But, she added, it was easy for her to remember the skills she learned from the Maui Hero Project.
Emma is proud and excited for the opportunity to receive her award and connect with other grads from the program. For others who might find themselves in a similar situation, “I would tell them to just stay calm and not freak out, and just do anything that helps,” she said. “Don’t just stand there and watch, do something to help them.”
Emma’s “everyday heroism” will serve as a shining example for others to follow, Loren said. Representatives from the American Red Cross of Hawaii as well as Maui County will be at the event to present Emma with her award. The Red Cross gives three different types of national Lifesaving Awards – a Certificate of Merit for Red Cross trained and off-duty professional responders; a Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders, for Red Cross trained professional responders and healthcare professionals acting on duty; and a Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action for individuals and teams who are not Red Cross trained. Individuals must be at least 13 to be eligible to receive an award. For more information, visit www.redcross.org/take-a-class/lifesaving.
The award ceremony and reunion will be held at the Eddie Tam Memorial Center. The event is only open to Maui Hero Project graduates and representatives from the American Red Cross of Hawaii and Maui County.
HOW TO HELP
Donations can be directed to the Kimokeo Foundation for ongoing cultural activities in collaboration with the Maui Hero Project –https://kimokeofoundation.org/donate.
