Shedding light on domestic violence
<p>Post Falls' Bryan Cummings earned US Bank's national Heroes Among Us award for intervening in a domestic violence situation. US Bank made a $10,000 donation to the nonprofit North Idaho Violence Prevention Center at Cummings' request. From left are: Scott Tostengard, US Bank; Cummings, US Bank; Katie Coker, NIVPC; Barbara Neely, NIVPC; and Rick Murray; US Bank.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - When Bryan Cummings saw the violence taking place inside the vehicle next to his, his adrenaline took over.
"He had her head pushed into the center console and in the back seat was a toddler who looked terrified," the Post Falls man said of the incident last summer in a Coeur d'Alene parking lot.
When Cummings told the man to stop, he complied. Cummings managed to get the woman and child to safety.
"I'm just happy that things worked out because people react differently in those circumstances," he said. "It was nothing heroic or something anybody else wouldn't have done."
That depends on who you ask.
National leaders of US Bank, where Cummings works as a product specialist for the call center on Seltice Way, thought enough of his intervention to honor him with the company's national Heroes Among Us award.
The bank has about 63,000 employees, and about 60 people were nominated for the award. Cummings shared the honor with a female employee from the East who donated a kidney to a co-worker.
Part of the honor was that US Bank donated $10,000 to a nonprofit of Cummings' choice. He chose the North Idaho Violence Prevention Center, formerly the Women's Center, where Cummings volunteered last year by helping paint a shelter in Coeur d'Alene.
"This story really comes full-circle," said Katie Coker, NIVPC executive director. "We are extremely fortunate to have a true hero like Bryan in our community."
US Bank manager Amy Backman nominated Cummings for the award with the assistance of fellow US Bank employees Rebecca Greer and Marla Hanley.
Cummings and Hanley, Cummings' girlfriend, were recently flown to Minnesota for the company's annual conference to receive the award, presented by bank CEO Richard Davis.
Cummings pointed the spotlight on the NIVPC and US Bank leaders as being the heroes.
"Abuse is an important subject to bring to light," he said. "The best part of this was seeing the check handed over to the people who help, feed and clothe the victims."