Steelers part-owner Larry Paul receives highest Red Cross award

Larry Paul of Brentwood is the recipient of the Harriman Award for Distinguished Volunteer Service, the highest national award from the American Red Cross and recognizes a volunteer who has provided extraordinary service extending to people and places beyond the local community. He and others will be honored at a banquet Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Paul, 52, co-founder and managing principal at Laurel Crown Partners, a Westwood-based venture capital and private equity firm, has been a Red Cross volunteer since 1999. He began as a member of the Biomedical Services Committee, later joined the Greater Los Angeles Chapter Board, then was elected to the Board of Governors, where he served from 2006-17.

Paul played a key role in several philanthropic partnerships, including ones with Disney and the NFL. His family is the second-largest owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I embarked on my journey with the Red Cross having no idea where it would take me but always knowing that the cause was amazing and if just embraced the cause, the experience would be equally amazing,� said Paul, who graduated from medical school at Harvard and business school at Stanford. “Almost 20 years later, I’m beyond grateful for having been afforded the opportunity to leave a little impression, a little improvement in something that is so much bigger than I am.�

He said the American Red Cross “has really shown me what a profound difference basic tenets of humanity: generosity, compassion, and kindness, not to mention a lot of work, can make in the lives of people both who are in such need and dire circumstances let alone those we come in contact with every day.�

[email protected]

Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter @LATimesfarmer