Friday, November 6, 2026
For over a century, the Long Island chapter of the American Red Cross has served Nassau and Suffolk counties with disaster aid and emergency support, enlisting hundreds of volunteers throughout the region. And each year the organization acknowledges community members who exemplify its spirit and mission while supporting their neighbors.
On Oct. 22, the Red Cross honored six area residents at its annual Long Island Heroes Celebration, at the Heritage Club at Bethpage, in Farmingdale. Recipients were chosen from nominees suggested by members of their communities. This year’s winner of the First Responder Hero was New York City Police Officer Freddy Cerpa, of Elmont, was named, for saving two children in separate incidents barely a month apart — first while off-duty last December and then, while on duty, in January.
Growing up, Cerpa looked up to his uncle, a 20-year detective on the force. Later, inspired to follow in his footsteps, he joined the NYPD. His quick thinking and repeated interventions saved the lives of two young people, earning him a congressional certificate of recognition and demonstrating his extraordinary commitment to protecting others.
“I just want to thank you guys for the award,” Cerpa said during an award acceptance speech. “It’s a great honor to be here representing the greatest police organization in the world. Let’s go, NYPD.”
In addition to Cerpa, the Red Cross recognized five other Long Island honorees. Tom Von Essen, of Rockville Centre, was presented with the Community Impact Legacy Hero Award for more than 40 years as a firefighter. Von Essen was the commissioner of the New York City Fire Department at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. From 2017 to 2020 he was a region administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane Maria and coordinating operations in New York during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic and longtime Long Beach philanthropist Harvey Weisenberg, a former city councilman and state assemblyman for Red Cross Humanitarian Award.
Sea Cliff resident Susanne Deegan, who donated a kidney to local restaurant manager David Geliashvili, won the Help Can’t Wait Hero Award. Deegan and her family were longtime patrons of La Bussola of Glen Cove and, when she learned about the severity of Geliashvili’s polycystic kidney disease, she was tested to find out whether she was compatible and decided to become a living donor.
Brandi M. Carney, of Huntington, was honored as the Military Hero. Carney has focused nearly 30 years of her work as a licensed clinical social worker on helping veterans, military families, first responders and trauma survivors.
And the Youth Hero Award was presented to Bay Shore’s Finn Shiavone. After a wrestling accident in 2022 left him unable to walk or talk, Schiavone, now 18, endured intensive rehabilitation to make a nearly complete recovery, and now works to inspire others.
After the award ceremony and a silent auction fundraiser to support the Red Cross’s mission and services, Ryan Attard, a co-chair of the event, concluded the celebration with words of appreciation and a call to action. “Let’s continue to celebrate heroes, build resilience and uplift one another,” Attard said. “We hope you leave here inspired today and ready to be our next community hero.”
