Community Leaders Fundraising Breakfast

Junior Air Force ROTC students at my table.

I was honored to be invited to the annual Community Leaders Fundraising Breakfast held by the Phoenix Chapter of the Red Cross at the Omni Scottsdale Resort in Paradise Valley, Arizona, I sat with an official from Grand Canyon University and four Junior Air Force ROTC students who presented the colors and their commander, an Air Force Reserve major.

Guest speaker was Dave Sanderson, an inspirational survivor, speaker and author who was the last passenger to depart US Airways Flight 1549, or “The Miracle on the Hudson,” when it ditched into the Hudson River in 2009. He talked about the important role the Red Cross played in the recovery of the passengers after they were rescued from the freezing water. He still carries the Red Cross blanket a volunteer gave him when he reached the shore !