Judy Cox, a personal fitness trainer and Cherokee County resident, is scheduled Wednesday morning to receive the American Red Cross organization’s highest honor.

Cox will receive the national certificate of merit for using her Red Cross training in CPR/AED to help save the life of Steve Walker, a Georgia state patrolman.

Walker had a heart attack while exercising at the BridgeMill Athletic Club in Canton last July.

The certificate of merit is presented to 150 to 175 people across the U.S. each year for their selfless and humane efforts to save or sustain a life with skills learned through Red Cross training, according to a statement from the American Red Cross Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter.

Red Cross leaders will present the award to Cox during the organization’s board meeting, scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Red Cross Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter boardroom, 1955 Monroe Dr. NE.

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Julian Conley listens during opening statements in his trial at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. The 25-year-old is accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Secoriea Turner in July 2020. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com