Mentor Firefighters Win Andy Nowacki Hero Awards

Two Mentor firefighters/paramedics will receive a prestigious honor Saturday for their efforts following a man driving his car into a Comanche Trail home last year.

Christian Lim and Richard Campola will receive the Andy Nowacki Award, which is named after a U.S. Army Lance Corporal from Painesville Township who was killed on Feb. 26, 2005 while protecting a convoy south of Baghdad, Iraq.

The Heroes for Andy Gala will take place at Saturday at LaMalfa Centre in Mentor. Click here to make reservations for the event.

According to the Andy Nowacki Foundation, the event will support the Andy Nowacki Scholarship, awarded to students who want to be police officers or firefighters "who exemplify (Nowacki's) compassion for people, his passion for doing the right thing, and who, like him, demonstrate a positive attitude towards achieving worthwhile career and life goals."

Campola and Lim were among the firefighters who responded in December to a Comanche Trail home that a drunk man drove into, severely injuring a family of four.

Also on Patch:

• Watch: Mentor Firefighters Meet With Family Whose Lives They Saved