Celebrating Grand Rapids kids who saved a life

On November 2, 2018, three young Grand Rapids kids received Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards at a special assembly held in their honour at Grand Rapids School.

The Rescuer Award is given to non-professionals who go out of their way to save a life. Well-deserving of this honour, Eden Walker, 10; Jaylynn Chartier, 8; and Phoenix Chartier, 9; displayed quick thinking and extraordinary bravery when they rescued a young girl from the Saskatchewan River.

In the summer of 2018, the girls discovered a young child floating face down in the river. One girl ran for help while another waded in to the water and returned the child to shore. The two girls at the shoreline then performed CPR until help arrived. CPR they had learned to perform by watching the procedure on television.

The child was successfully resuscitated at the nursing station.


Shawn Feely, Vice-President of the Canadian Red Cross, Manitoba and Nunavut, and Chris Brown, Swimming and Water Safety representative, attended the ceremony to celebrate the girls’ heroism and personally deliver the awards.

Manitoba 2018-2019 Report Back to Communities