Plymouth City Employee Honored by Red Cross for Lifesaving Rescue
Emergencies can happen at any time, and last year at a restaurant in Plymouth, Megan Scheffe happened to be present during one of those occasions.
“While I was out with my friend, the kid started choking nearby, and I ran over to help him,” Scheffe said. “I performed life-saving movements and motions to help save his life, and I got the object out and saved him from choking.”
She said that nonchalantly. However, her actions were anything but.
Tuesday afternoon at the Red Cross headquarters in Minneapolis, Scheffe’s lifesaving measures earned her an award that’s only been given to 2,650 people around the world since 2018: the American Red Cross National Certificate of Merit.
It’s signed by the chairman of the Red Cross and President Joe Biden.
“I think it’s extremely special,” Scheffe said. “They mentioned that it was probably one of the highest awards within the Red Cross and it’s phenomenal.”
Megan Scheffe is a lifeguard instructor, a water safety instructor and a site supervisor for the city of Plymouth.
Lifeguard background
The recognition is possible, in large part, because Scheffe is an experienced Red Cross lifeguard who’s spent the last seven years working for the city of Plymouth.
“She’s infinitely important to us,” said Katie Yandell, Plymouth’s recreation supervisor.
Yandell said she felt almost like a proud parent during Tuesday’s ceremony when Scheffe received the award.
“A lot of our staff do wonderful things, and sometimes they don’t get some of that recognition,” Yandell said. “So that the American Red Cross, the President of the United States signing that certificate for her, it’s a huge deal and we’re very, very thrilled to have her on staff.”
Meanwhile, as summer approaches, Scheffe’s message would be for others to consider becoming a lifeguard as well.
“You can go tons of paths with it, career-wise,” she said. “But also being a lifeguard and having a lifeguard just at the pool decreases the risk of drowning in and of itself, so it is a very important job.”
Scheffe is currently a senior at Southwest Minnesota State majoring in exercise science. Meanwhile, the Red Cross offers a variety of classes on how to save someone’s life in emergency situations. For more information, you can go to redcross.org/takeaclass.
Related: Lifeguards in Demand as People Flock to Public Swimming Pools
