SANTA ROSA, Calif. – Two teenagers saved a man’s life while traveling overseas; a doctor traveled to Nepal to perform life-changing cataract surgeries; a man saved a woman from a burning car; several men rushed to save two young men from a house fire.

These are just a few of the 11 powerful stories that will be presented at the ninth annual Real Heroes Breakfast and Fundraiser.

The American Red Cross, serving Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties, is presenting the invitation-only event on Thursday, April 19, at 7:15 a.m., at the Doubletree Hotel in Rohnert Park.

More than 50 individuals from the three counties were nominated as heroes this year.

The Real Heroes Breakfast honors the extraordinary compassion and commitment of community members, while also raising funds to support essential local Red Cross services.

Among those who will be honored in the “rescue professional” category are Lake County heroes Gabe Lopez, a firefighter, and California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye, Security Operations Manager Steve Atkinson and Security Officer Byron Atkins who saved the lives of Jordan Armstrong and Kevin Hart, who were victims of a house fire in Hidden Valley Lake in December.

While off duty, Lopez spotted the fire and immediately went to help.

Without any fire gear, Lopez went into the home to rescue one of the victims who was still in the house.

Lopez was assisted by the other rescue professionals in treating the victims, getting the rescue helicopter to the site of the fire, calming the community.

Both young men survived, although one had burns over 80 percent of his body.

The honorees at the April 19 event also include the following exceptional men and women.

Good Samaritan, Youth

Caitlyn Hallman and Phil Coren of Ukiah put their CPR and first aid training to use while they were on a study-abroad program.

While visiting the cliffs of Portugal, Hallman and Coren went into rescue mode when heavy winds swept Canadian Mark Jefferies over the cliff.

Hallman's and Coren's actions helped save Jefferies’ life.  

Good Samaritan, Adult

Chris Cox of Petaluma was driving down Stony Point Road when he spotted a car on fire.

Cox cut the seat belt of Ricki Ann Thiele, who was unconscious, and freed her dog, who was trapped in the car as well.

Then, with the help of another bystander, he pulled the woman to safety.

Cox, who lost his 19-year-old-son Danny in a car crash just three months earlier, was inspired by his son’s dreams of being a firefighter and helping others.

Good Samaritan, Senior

Louis Hopfer of Sebastopol is a volunteer at The Tamayo House, a home run by Social Advocates for Youth for 18- to 25-year-olds.

The Tamayo House helps young adults transition from foster care or homelessness to becoming functioning, self-sufficient adults.

Hopfer shares his life experience with those who need it most, guiding grateful youth in the right direction.

Law enforcement

Santa Rosa Sgt. Clay VanArtsdalen is dedicated to public service and his profession as well as to improving the Police Department and his community.

Sgt. VanArtsdalen helped organize the “Shop with a Cop” program.

This event gives residents from children’s homes and shelters gift cards to purchase gifts during the holidays.

Education

Dr. Glenn Langer of Little River in Mendocino County, a retired professor of medicine at UCLA, and his wife Marianne, founded the mentoring program Partnership Scholar in 1996.

This program gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to succeed in school and attend college.

In the last three years, almost 100 percent of the programs participants have been accepted into colleges.

Medical

Ophthalmologist Dr. Gary Barth of Santa Rosa traveled to Nepal to assist renowned Nepal cataract surgeon, Dr. Bidya Pant with advance eye care surgeries for poor residents.

In this farming community, blindness can mean severe hardship, and the surgery team does hundreds of surgeries per day.

Dr. Barth has helped cure blindness in India, Cambodia and elsewhere.

Animal

Dr. Grant Patrick of Santa Rosa is a veterinarian who volunteers his time caring for injured wildlife.

He has treated as many as 100 fawns a year since 1987.

He has also treated countless other animals, both domestic and wild, including foxes, jack rabbits, coyotes, mountain lions, squirrels, cats and dogs.

Military

Lee Gooding of Forestville, executive director of Helping American Veterans Endure (HAVE), works with veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

A Vietnam veteran, Gooding has created programs to help vets alleviate stress and live healthier.

HAVE workshops include such activities as writing, humor, art classes and even pet therapy.

Through HAVE, Gooding has created a place of healing for military veterans.   

Environment

Thomas Furrer, a retired wildlife biology instructor from Santa Rosa, was teaching about the irretrievable loss of fish species, when one student asked: “What can we do?”

That question, and Furrer’s dedication to the environment, led him to spend 30 years reviving our waters and fish.

He founded the United Anglers Conservation Fish Hatchery in 1983.

With the help of his students, Furrer’s hatchery is the only high school-based, fully licensed fish hatchery in the U.S., and is dedicated to protecting of the steelhead salmon from extinction.

Furrer also founded the Adobe Creek Restoration Project, which, again with his hundreds of students over the years, turned a formerly dead stream into a vital, living creek.

At the breakfast, videos projected onto 10-foot screens will show each hero telling his or her story in compelling, brief vignettes.

More than 350 business and community members are expected to be in attendance to honor the heroes.

Those wishing to attend the fundraiser may call the Red Cross at 707-577-7627.

There is no set ticket price, but guests are encouraged to contribute the suggested minimum donation of $131, which represents $1 for every year the American Red Cross has been serving the American people.

For more information visit www.arcsm.org or www.redcross.org .