The local chapter of the American Red Cross is recognizing three people from the Valley for what they call "Acts of Courage" during a time of emergency.

The American Red Cross held its 25th annual Acts of Courage Awards Thursday to honor people for their bravery and acts of heroism.

Three people from the Mahoning Valley were honored: Richard Santucci, Jim Shepherd and Joanne White.

Last February, Richard and Jim saved the life of a man who lost consciousness while working at Xaloy in Austintown. Jim saw the worker fall and sprang into action.

"I called someone and told them to call 911; that's when he started to change colors," said Shepherd.

"I immediately went to my Red Cross training. We opened the shirt, applied the pads, scanned him and let the AED do its job. Did not advise a shock, so I went ahead and started applying CPR," said Santucci.

The worker survived the heart attack and is now back on the job, thanks to the quick action of his co-workers.

Joanne White knew with the coronavirus that she could help even just from inside her Youngstown home.

She spent thousands of hours hand sewing masks for anyone who wanted one.

"I worry a lot about the essential workers who work at places like Wendy's and McDonald's and grocery stores. They have to be able to breathe," said White.

To date, White has distributed more than 1,500 masks throughout the Valley.