Three children are being honored as Real Heroes by the local chapter of the American Red Cross: two boys who helped save their father’s life and one girl who started a charity to help young fire victims.

The three had been nominated for the same award, but the Red Cross was so taken with their stories that it decided to give each an award.

The boys, Trevor and Travis Desmond of Peru, will receive the award for life saving. The girl, Emily Beaulieu of Litchfield, will get the award for youth community service.

“All three are so great,” said Shawna Chigro-Rogers, director of public support for the American Red Cross of Southern Maine, which is working with the local United Valley chapter.

Trevor and Travis Desmond helped save their father’s life on July 3. The three had planned to go to Worthley Pond, and the father, Mark Desmond, was loading a boat onto a trailer in the driveway of their Sawyer Brook Road home. The boat slipped from its trailer and came down on his head and chest.

Trevor, then 11, called 911. Travis, then 9, tried to pull his father out from under the boat. When Trevor returned, he managed to lift the boat high enough so Travis could partly pull their father out of the way.

The two also worked to stop his bleeding and calm him.

Eventually, their father was taken by helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. Despite critical injuries, he survived.

In September, various area emergency departments honored the boys in a ceremony at their school. Gov. John Baldacci proclaimed Sept. 19 Trevor and Travis Desmond Day and the brothers were hailed as heroes.

The United Valley chapter of the Red Cross agreed. It will present them with the Real Heroes award at a breakfast March 15.

Emily Beaulieu was 6 when she decided she didn’t need anymore birthday presents. Instead, she asked friends and family to give her toys to donate to children who were less fortunate.

That request soon grew into Emily’s Wish, a charity that gathers and helps distribute toys to Maine children who lost their own toys in a fire.

Now 8, Beaulieu continues to run the charity.

“She’s helped, there’s no question about it,” said Eric Lynes, emergency services director for the United Valley chapter. “Emily is fulfilling her wish and people are benefiting.”

For her work, the bubbly home-schooler has earned congratulations from Baldacci and Maine’s congressional delegation. She got a letter from President George W. Bush and she won an honorable mention from Build-A-Bear’s 2006 Huggable Heroes.

Real Heroes is her first award. She will also be honored at the Red Cross breakfast on March 15.