A Michigan man turned into a hero after saving a toddler from a burning building. Not all heroes wear capes. Earlier in July a former marine named Phillip Blanks, 28, was in Phoenix, Arizona visiting a friend when he saw a building on fire. Blanks, who is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan spotted a woman on a balcony of a three-story burning building with her toddler. Rachel Long who was desperate to save her child was attempting to throw her 3-year-old son, Jameson, in an effort to save his life from the fire.

Blanks, quickly ran towards the building as the woman threw her child from the balcony. Blanks caught the child who was barely dressed and visibly shaken from the devastating incident. The mother, unfortunately, did not survive the fire.

“I always put in in my head that if something happens like this wherever I’m at, I’m gonna be the one to save the day,” Blanks told Live 5 News. “That’s just how I think, that’s just how I am.” Blanks, who is also a former college football player, also operated a security business after leaving the service. Blanks told Live 5 News that since he's left the service, he's been constantly training and working out physically and mentally to stay prepared for anything that may require his assistance.

His hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan has declared him a hero and has established a scholarship for Kalamazoo public schools to have access to. Blanks graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School. The scholarship will be available to help high school graduates after they graduate. The co-founder of Kalamazoo Mortgage Hero Salute,  Brian Methner, stated that Blanks is the ideal person that the local nonprofit wants to uplift and honor. The nonprofit was created in 2015 by the co-founder who is also the owner of Kalamazoo Mortgage.  The nonprofit has a mission to assist and honor people who are first responders and military veterans.

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This year, the nonprofit would have been celebrating their annual fundraiser event, however, they had to cancel it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization stated that their organizers didn't want to miss the opportunity to honor a local hero because his actions are honorable and deserve to be celebrated.

Kalamazoo Central, Loy Norrix and Phoenix high schools' graduating seniors will all have the first opportunity to obtain the scholarship. Currently, the organization is finalizing details to determine what the monetary value of the scholarship will be. Mether also stated that the scholarship will be given to students who are involved and give back to their community. The nonprofit believes that when the youth invests in their own community, it helps local businesses, builds character and also encourages pride in their community. Hero Salute recently received a $10,000 donated from US politician John James. They have stated that some of those funds will go to the scholarship.

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Source: Live 5 News