David Spade Honored at Annual American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast

Los Angeles, CA, November 18, 2011 --(PR.com)-- PeakPRgroup are proud to announce The Red Cross Los Angeles Region 2nd Annual Heroes Breakfast took place today at the luxurious California Club, in downtown Los Angeles. The fundraising event honored local businesses and individuals who have demonstrated outstanding community leadership by taking an active role in disaster preparedness. These “heroes” have helped make the Los Angeles area safer and better prepared in the event of disaster.

Actor, comedian and television personality David Spade was proudly honored as the outstanding 2011 Community Hero. Spade is a well known and respected entertainer whose career spans two decades. A member of the American Red Cross “Celebrity Cabinet,” Spade is a generous supporter of the humanitarian organization. He once again stepped to the plate to help the Red Cross serve those affected by the tornadoes that ripped across the Midwest and Southeast a few months ago. Additional honorees included Los Angeles City (District 9) Councilwoman Jan Perry, Forever 21, Panda Restaurant Group and The Walt Disney Company for their continuing support of Red Cross disaster relief efforts.

KTTV Fox 11 News Anchor Christine Devine kindly emceed the event. Devine is a good friend and loyal supporter of the Red Cross and has been instrumental in the charity's fundraising efforts over the years.

The theme for this year’s event was, “PrepareLA+”, which focused attention on the launch of their three-year campaign to engage Los Angeles in preparing for a catastrophic disaster by mobilizing support from individuals, organizations, businesses and government agencies to create more disaster resilient communities. “PrepareLA+” helps the American Red Cross to confront the need by strengthening their capacity to meet their federal mandate of feeding, sheltering, and caring for citizens of Los Angeles following a catastrophic event.

By supporting the “PrepareLA+” initiative, this allows the American Red Cross to expand their cadre of skilled disaster volunteers, create new partnerships with communities to ensure they have the resources to support effective and immediate disaster relief and by empowering ordinary people with the lifesaving skills and preparedness education to do extraordinary things in the face of emergencies.

Gunnar J. Kuepper, president of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Region Nine and chief of operations for the Los Angeles-based Emergency & Disaster Management, Inc. was the guest speaker at today's Heroes Breakfast. This independent agency advises private, industrial and governmental organizations worldwide on state-of-the-art emergency and disaster handling.

2011 Sponsor companies included The Walt Disney Company, Southern California Edison, Panda Restaurant Group, Herbalife, Credit Suisse, The Rand Corporation, BP British Petroleum, Los Angeles Business Journal, Grant Thornton, Wells Fargo Bank, Acacia Wealth Advisors Zumbox and Hyde Family Foundation.

Attendance by all at the breakfast demonstrated the commitment to and support of the ongoing efforts by the Red Cross and other preparedness organizations for “PrepareLA+”, an initiative to help build a stronger, better prepared and more disaster resilient community. “PrepareLA+” will ensure that the Red Cross will have the resources to prepare for and more fully respond to disasters locally.

To see how you can support the American Red Cross go to:
www.redcrossla.org.

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