Carnegie Hero Fund Commission commits to honor COVID-19 heroes

PITTSBURGH, June 23, 2020 — The Hero Fund announced today that it will create a special committee to look at ways to recognize and honor those who have willingly placed themselves in harm’s way to care for those afflicted with COVID-19. Citing industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s intention with the Hero Fund – “recognizing the exhibition of selfless heroism” – and a specific reference in the organization’s Deed of Trust – “No action [is] more heroic than that of doctors and nurses volunteering their services in the case of epidemics,” the Commission unanimously passed a resolution today stating their commitment to aid in the monumental task of recognizing and honoring the countless people who have risked exposure to the novel Coronavirus to care for others. “With Andrew Carnegie specifically mentioning doctors and nurses during epidemics in the Deed of Trust, it’s clear that the type of selflessness shown by not only medical professionals but all front-line workers during this pandemic is exactly what Carnegie wanted to reward and encourage,” Commission Chair Mark Laskow said. “These rescuers represent whom Andrew Carnegie called the ‘heroes of civilization,’” Laskow added. “We are honored to recognize their contribution to our society in this crucial moment.” The resolution states that some options for the recognition include a monetary donation and/or a permanent monument. The last time the Hero Fund donated to a disaster was in 2002, when it donated $50,000 each to the Todd M. Beamer Foundation and the September 11, 2001 Children’s Fund, Inc., in honor of those countless people who gave of themselves to secure the safety of others, at the site of the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93 in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established in 1904 by Carnegie to recognize those throughout the United States and Canada who risks their lives saving or attempting to save the lives of others. The full resolution can be found here. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.