The event, held at the Oakland Airport Hilton, honored several Bay Area people and organizations for their good deeds and work helping others.

One honoree was James Morman of Oakland. On this past Christmas Day, he saw flames coming from a neighbor's house and called 9-1-1, then climbed a tree, kicked in an upstairs window, crawled into the burning room and saved a young girl.

Albert Ybarra of Dublin received an award for saving a 3-year-old boy last September after an accident on the San Mateo Bridge. In stopped traffic, he saw a woman running hysterically across the lanes, and he got out of his car. A man with a small boy was struggling in the water below, so Ybarra jumped in, followed closely by Salvador Augustin of Menlo Park. They got the man and the 3-year-old boy to the bridge, where people began throwing ropes, straps and found a tow-truck to pull them up.

Quick thinking also earned W. Isaac Simons of Oakland an award. He rushed into smoky hallways when fire broke out in his apartment building last year. He found the fire hose, and with help from fellow tenant Joe McAneny, unwrapped it and turned on the nozzle, pouring water on the flames until firefighters arrived.

Leslie and Daniel Troutner of Oakland were honored for their loving assistance of 9-year-old Saleh Khalaf and his family, helping them adapt to American life and find housing. Saleh is the Iraqi boy who nearly died in a bomb blast in his homeland, and was brought to Children's Hospital Oakland for care. Leslie Troutner was working as a hospital ward clerk and developed a special bond with Saleh.

Also honored were high-school student Victoria Kim, who received an award for her extensive community service; Nina Tanner-Smith, for running the nonprofit Oakland Parent Teacher Children Center; the Hayward-based Emergency Shelter Program, serving victims of domestic violence; Pixar Animation Studios, for its ongoing support of community programs in Emeryville; and Hopalong Animal Rescue.

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