Rocky Bleier is the winner of the 2015 Rare Life Heroism Award

Eagle Rare Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has named Rocky Bleier of Pittsburgh, Pa., as the winner of the 2015 Rare Life Heroism Award.

Eagle Rare will donate $5,000 to Bleier’s charity, Beating the Odds Foundation – whose mission is to serve the needs of students by fostering in them the desire to achieve success in all they do, and to live lives of purpose and meaning as caring human beings and builders of caring communities.

The Rare Life Award is an annual recognition program created to honor individuals who exhibit courage, leadership, survival, devotion, character and heroism. Candidates are nominated by friends, family and colleagues. Their stories and photos are posted online at www.eaglerarelife.com, where visitors vote on these inspirational stories.

Bleier was among the top 20 nominees, selected from 259 stories submitted through the Rare Life website. The Grand Prize 2015 Rare Life Award winner is Alana Miller, founder of Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in St. Pauls, N.C. Miller will receive a $50,000 donation to her charity.

Bleier was one of six runners-up receiving $5,000 to their charities of choice, with each runner-up awarded for embodying a distinct characteristic of a Rare Life: Courage, Leadership, Heroism, Character, Devotion and Survival. Eagle Rare’s prize donations for 2015 total $80,000. This is the fifth year for the Rare Life campaign, and the 2015 awards will bring total grants to date for charities to $240,000.

The other five 2015 runners-up are:
• Ashley Boyd Gann of Lexington, Ky.: Character Award for Sweet Blessings
• Howard Garrett of Freeland, Wash.: Leadership Award for Orca Network
• Karen Good of Trail, Minn.: Courage Award for Red Lake Rosie’s Rescue
• Brooke Pennypacker of Palm Harbor, Fla.: Devotion Award for Operation Migration
• Melissa Phelps of Warsaw, Ky.: Survival Award for Dystonia Medical Research Foundation