WSIL -- Never underestimate the power of a good neighbor. In January we met with Cecilia Meyer. The Marion woman survived a brush with death... thanks to quick thinking family and friends.

When she collapsed in the kitchen, family members called neighbor Gale Jeter and his son Kyle.

"The very first thing that I noticed about her was that her tongue had already kind of turned bluish and was sticking out, so I knew she wasn't breathing," Gale remembers.

They performed CPR and it made all the difference.

"The EMT had said that the CPR saved her life," says Cecelia's daughter, Leslie.

In February, West Frankfort Dispatcher Kathy Minton told us her story of an opportunity to save an infant.

"The call came in and the lady was frantic," Kathy recalls.

Hilary Seavers says her baby Ava wasn't breathing. Kathy guided Hilary through the heimlich maneuver, and then CPR. It was during our interview that Kathy got a surprise visit from Hilary and the tiny life she helped save.

"I'm glad that she got to see what she helped us do," says Hilary. "She saved this little baby."

"There have been plenty of times when I've heard people's last breath on the phone," says Kathy. "But to hear that first breath- made all the difference in the world."

A month later, tragedy struck in Hurst. Rick Cooper saw his neighbor's trailer go up in flames. Ronnie Bowden had fallen asleep inside.

"I started hollering at him- we had to get out because the house was on fire," says Rick. "I'm like, you gotta get out of here now so I grabbed him and pulled him out."

Ronnie says he'll always consider his neighbor Rick- his lifesaver.

In April, a Bairsville woman fell asleep in her car, just feet away from her burning trailer. Paper carriers Earl and Pamela Freund were going through town on their 3 a.m. route.

"I saw smoke billow out and that's when right away I knew something was wrong and I hurried up and dialed 911," Pamela says.

Fire officials say without that call, the blaze would've likely spread to neighboring homes.

In July, intense heat was the enemy for 88-year-old Dean Campbell of Pinckneyville. After mowing the lawn- passers-by Amber Zoller and Diana Skidmore found him unresponsive on the front porch.

EMT's say Dean was found in the nick of time.

"Obviously they were concerned, but we all get concerned things," says Dean's son Jim. "But are we willing to stop our car and get out and go say "hi" and check on someone? I don't think we do that near enough anymore."

The willingness to lend a hand is a quality that represents all of our 2011 Unsung Heroes.