Holley’s Leigha Walker honored with ‘Do The Right Thing’ award

On June 9 she performed CPR outside Brockport Subway

Photos by Christopher Martin: Pictured from left include Haley Walker, Leigha Walker’s mother; Monroe County Executive Adam Bello; Leigha Walker; Rochester Mayor Malik Evans; Police Chief David Smith and Jack Brennan.

By Christopher Martin, public information office for Brockport Fire District

ROCHESTER – The Rochester Police Department hosted a “Do The Right Thing” Award ceremony on Thursday, and recognized 18 youths who have been nominated for doing just that in the community.

Leigha Walker holds a “Do The Right Thing” award on Thursday after she was honored in Rochester. Leigha is a student at Morrisville State College and a member of the women’s soccer team.

Leigha Walker, 18, was nominated by the Brockport Fire District after performing CPR and contributing to the saving of the life of another on June 9.

She was working at the Brockport Subway that morning. A man was driving a vehicle when he had a heart attack and became unconscious. He crashed into a pole outside the Brockport Subway where Leigha was working.

She heard the crash and immediately called 911 at about 10 a.m. Leigha grabbed a wooden rod so a bystander could break the passenger window of the pickup truck and then unlock the vehicle.

Leigha and co-worker got the man out of the truck and onto the ground. Leigha checked his vital signs. When the Brockport Fire District ambulance pulled up, a medic urged someone to start CPR.

Leigha did more than 30 compressions to keep Brennan’s blood moving. Then the Brockport ambulance personnel used an AED to get the man’s heart restarted. He was then transported by ambulance to a hospital.

The DTRT program collects nominations from across Monroe County to recognize youth that perform above and beyond that of their peers. They recognize students and youngsters through their high school years.

Leigha was accompanied by Jack Brennan, the man she performed CPR on, her mother and was escorted into the ceremony by a representative from the Brockport Fire District.

The ceremony lasted a little over an hour where 18 youngsters were honored by the DTRT program for their service to others. There were tear-filled moments as each one had their story told by guest host Deanna Dewberry of News 10 NBC as they took to the stage. Each of them was greeted by Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, County Executive Adam Bello, and Police Chief David Smith.

The recipients then had a portrait style photo taken for use on roadside billboards to highlight the program and recognize the recipients in a very personal way. They were then invited to a personal interview with staff from News 10 NBC for broadcast at a later date speaking about how they got here.

The Brockport Fire District offers our congratulations to all 18 recipients and especially to our nominee: Leigha Walker.

Leigha Walker was among 18 youths in the Rochester region honored on Thursday.