When 8-year-old Harry Hausser and his 11-year-old cousin rescued a 63-year-old man who had fallen out of his boat into DeRuyter Lake in August, they were not trying to be heroes, they just saw a man who needed help and they helped him.
On Dec. 3, however, the boys will be honored as heroes when they receive the Youth Good Samaritan Award at the 16th Annual Real Heroes Breakfast Event of Central New York at the OnCenter.
The event, sponsored by the American Red Cross, honors Central New Yorkers who have performed heroic acts to help others in need.
Hausser, who lives in New Woodstock and attends Cazenovia schools, said he feels “shocked, impressed, special” at the recognition.
“I kind of got a little excited and bounced off the walls [when the notification letter came],” he said. “I’m excited I get to miss day of school and all of that [for the event].”
The letter Hausser received on Oct. 10 stated, “Your courage, kindness and unselfish character through your heroic acts resulted in your selection from a group of remarkable nominees from throughout our Central New York Chapter area comprised of residents from across Cayuga, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties.”
The heroic act occurred on Aug. 14 when Hausser and his cousin, Matthew Williams, of Sykesville, Md., were out on DeRuyter Lake in a small jon-boat with an electric motor to do some fishing and swimming just off the south end of the lake by the DeRuyter Lake General Store. They noticed a man a little farther out in the water in a small aluminum fishing boat who was there one minute, and gone the next.
“We noticed the boat had someone in it, and then it was empty,” Matthew said at the time.
“Then we saw two hands by the engine,” Harry said.
The boys motored over and found Kevin McAvoy, of Cortland, clinging to the hull of his boat. He had been out fishing when he leaned back to cast his rod the seat slipped, he fell over and flipped over the side into the water and could not climb back into the boat. His life vest was not tied and he was wearing a heavy sweater. He said he was about 100 yards out in about 8 to 10 feet of water.
The boys knew they could not pull McAvoy into their boat, so they quickly motored back to shore, where they got help from adult family members who jumped into the family’s pontoon boat and motored out to help.
“I was lucky those kids were out in the jon-boat,” McAvoy said at the time. “People on shore couldn’t see my head and were not sure where I was.”
McAvoy and his wife that night wrote the boys a card thanking them, writing, “You are our heroes.”
At the time of the incident, Shelley Hausser, Harry’s mother, said she was very proud of the boys, who “acted in the way we always hoped they would in a situation like this — responsible and calm.”
Last week, Shelley said when they heard the boys were to receive the Youth Good Samaritan Award at the Real Heroes breakfast, she was “shocked, surprised and bursting with pride — just elated for the boys to be recognized at this level.”
Honorees for the Red Cross Real Heroes breakfast are typically chosen after being nominated for an award by someone. In this case, the award committee saw the news story of the boys’ actions in the Cazenovia Republican and based their decision to honor Hausser and Williams on that story, Shelley said.
Harry and his parents plan to attend the Dec. 3 award event at the OnCenter, Shelley said, although Matthew will not be attending because he does not want to miss school. Matthew will receive his award in Maryland and has been interviewed by a Baltimore television station for video interview that plays for every honoree at the breakfast, she said.
Held annually on the first Wednesday of December, the Real Heroes Breakfast regularly attracts 1,000 people to the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse. Proceeds from the Real Heroes Breakfast benefit the American Red Cross of Central New York, which provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies in Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Oswego counties.
The 16th Annual Real Heroes Breakfast Event of Central New York will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the OnCenter, 800 South State St., Syracuse. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at americanredcross.org.
Jason Emerson is editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached [email protected].
