FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2007

Baton Rouge Man Named National Hero

Little Rock, Ark. (Dec. 13) –– A Little Rock man received the national “Heroes In Our Midst” award today for his extraordinary commitment to serving his community.

Heroes In Our Midst, a national recognition program of the Greeting Card Association, named Ronnie Paige, 58, a national hero during a ceremony at the Moments of Magic Luncheon. Paige, a firefighter in the City of Little Rock, devotes himself to his community not only professionally but also in his volunteer work with the city’s youth.

Heroes In Our Midst honors everyday heroes who give of themselves to connect with others to show they care, and encourages Americans to send cards to the heroes in their own lives. Since its launch last year, Heroes In Our Midst has generated thousands of cards for community and personal heroes.

“We give communities an opportunity to express their gratitude to local heroes,” said Chris Bouchard, the national spokesman of Heroes In Our Midst. “Volunteers like Ronnie deserve recognition, and we hope that today’s presentation has inspired people to convey their appreciation to him and to the heroes in their own lives.”

In addition to teaching fire safety courses in schools across the city and working with young burn victims at Camp Sunshine, Paige has spent the past five years as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Arkansas. The recipient of the fire department’s “Community Service Award,” Paige visits a local elementary school each week to mentor his ten-year-old “Little,” Princeton.

“I look and kids are getting involved in gang activity, drugs, you name it,” said Paige of his decision to begin working with BBBS. “They’re getting involved in too much of the wrong things. And, if we can make a difference to just one, we’ve got to do it.”

Though Paige’s weekly visits to Princeton’s school began through the fire department, they soon became an independent commitment. “Ron often goes on his day off just so he doesn’t miss his visit,” said Amanda Guerin, the Bigs-in-School manager for BBBS. “Ron strives to be a positive role model and teach his ‘little brother’ respect and discipline. He goes above and beyond every week.”

At the ceremony, Captain Raymond Gunther joined Guerin and Princeton to honor Paige’s commitment to service. Gunther and his team brought Paige to the Moments of Magic Luncheon in a fire truck and joined an enthusiastic audience in presenting Paige with community greeting cards. “I send greeting cards for all occasions,” said Paige before the ceremony, “so it’s more than OK by me to get them.”

Heroes In Our Midst and Big Brothers Big Sisters are asking the Little Rock community to send cards or notes expressing their thanks to Paige, as well as cards to the heroes in their own lives. Cards for Paige should be addressed to:

Ronnie Paige
c/o Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas
312 West Pershing Boulevard
North Little Rock, Arkansas 72114

“Heroes In Our Midst is all about the rewards of connecting with others and building human ties,” said Bouchard. “Greeting cards are a cherished tradition for connecting and showing that you care about others. People everywhere have a special story of how someone impacted their life or created a shared memory through a greeting card.”

At the ceremony, the Heroes In Our Midst program said a check for $1,000 would be donated in Paige’s name to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas to support the efforts of volunteers like Paige who are reaching out to connect with others in their community and make such significant impacts on the lives of local children.

To learn more about Heroes In Our Midst, visit www.HeroesInOurMidst.org.