HEROES DAY Celebrates FIRST RESPONDERS
 The UMC Foundation has joined with M&I BANK for a "HEROES DAY" recognition and celebration of the Tucson area's FIRST RESPONDERS. First responders include law enforcement personnel, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Forest Service and other emergency professionals who put themselves on the line every day to help keep us safe.
In this celebration, the UMC Foundation is representing the UMC Trauma Center, the only "LEVEL I" Trauma Center in Southern Arizona, which means that it must be able to provide a complete array of specialty-medicine capabilities 24/7-365. It is therefore where our honored first responders bring the overwhelming majority of the injury victims to whom they respond.
 From AUGUST 16 through SEPTEMBER 14, the public is invited to stop by any Southern Arizona M&I Bank branch and sign a giant "Thank You" card expressing gratitude to all those invaluable first responders. While signing, the public is also encouraged to support the UMC Trauma Center with gifts payable to the UMC Foundation. Those gifts can be made at the M&I branches or by calling the UMC Foundation at (520) 694-6088. Here are the Tucson area's M&I bank locations:
- 1200 N. Wilmot Rd., Tucson
- 4380 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson
- 35 N. Houghton Rd., Tucson
- 7820 N. Cortaro Rd., Marana
- 10655 N. Oracle Rd., Oro Valley
- 270 W. Continental Rd., Green Valley
The zenith of the celebration will occur on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, from 7 am to 2 pm, when M&I Bank will serve  breakfast and lunch at each of its branches to ALL first responders who wish to take part. Also, M&I Bank will donate $50 to the UMC Foundation — for the UMC Trauma Center — for every qualifying deposit account that is opened on September 14.
"M&I Bank has always believed strongly in giving back to the communities we serve," said STEPHEN JOHNSON, President of M&I Bank Arizona. "First responders save lives every day, and we're honored to have the opportunity to express our gratitude to them. And of course we're delighted to support the Level I Trauma Center at UMC, which is a service to everyone in southern Arizona."
This year's Heroes Day celebration will honor four individual first responders, nominated by their organizations' public affairs departments, local health care professionals, or other interested parties, who are being recognized as special "heroes" for their extraordinary responses to traumatic crises or their selfless dedication to public service above and beyond the call of duty. This year's "heroes" are:
- NICK ROMINE and KAREN "K.D." CORCORAN - In June of 2009, these two paramedics from Healthcare Innovations in Benson responded to a horrific rollover of a van carrying 17 people, four of whom were killed and the rest injured, some critically. For three hours, in 100+ degree heat, Romine and Corcoran tended to the wreck's victims until the survivors could be transported by helicopter to UMC.
- CAPTAIN TONY GONZALES - For more than 14 years, often over the Holidays, this Tucson Fire Department officer has dedicated himself to the emotional well-being of children hospitalized at UMC. By himself or with his fellow firefighters from Station 20, Gonzales has regularly delivered presents and cheer to countless critical UMC pediatric patients.
 SERGEANT STEVE HAMMONS - Late on a night in March of 2010, Sergeant Hammons, of the Oro Valley Police Department, responded to an automobile accident where the driver's head was pinned beneath her overturned vehicle. Sergeant Hammons lifted the vehicle from the driver just enough that she was able to breathe; other officers arrived and assisted Sergeant Hammons in lifting the vehicle upright so that the victim could be extracted and transported to UMC.
Donate to UMC Trauma Services Funds
Media partners for Heroes Day are KOLD News 13, NewsTalk 790 KNST, Good News Radio, Family Life Radio, and KGVY Radio-Green Valley. Other community supporters are Texas Roadhouse, Chick-Fil-A, F&S Distributors and Clear Channel Outdoor.
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