Salute to WNC Heroes honors the locals who make a difference in the community

The American Red Cross hosted its fifth annual Salute to WNC Heroes on Tuesday, Sept. 10, to honor residents who have dedicated their time and effort to building a better community.

The event, emceed by News 13's Chief Meteorologist Jason Boyer, honored seven people and two groups.

One of those honorees was Operation Gateway Executive Director Philip Cooper. He said the fact that he was once incarcerated and is now receiving a hero award alongside the Asheville Police Department is a testament of the importance of this type of work.

"Over 95 percent of people in prison are going to be getting out. It could be your neighbor. So, it's important for us to make sure that their reentry process is as smooth as possible so that they can reintegrate into society and become law-abiding citizens and participate in the economic mainstream," Cooper said.

"It can happen any day to any of us," Young said. "None of us are promised tomorrow, but CPR training definitely helped us out for sure because I really don't know if we wouldn't have been there, what would have happened."

Full list of categories and winners below:

Blood Services Hero

Mary McCoyle

Community Impact Heroes

Kenny Capps

Philip Cooper

Corporate Impact Hero

Bill Jones

Disaster Services Hero

Jesse Boeckermann

First Responder Hero

Asheville Police Department

Good Samaritan Hero

Phillip West

Good Samaritan Hero

Andrew Young

Health Professional Heroes

Mission Hospital Stroke Team