Kevin Bardsley insists that he isn't a hero. More than 100,000 people disagree.

U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, presented Bardsley with the Reader's Digest Hero of the Year award on Wednesday afternoon. Bardsley, a father from Elk Ridge, said that he and his family were honored by the ceremony and the award.

His award citation on rd.com reads: "Kevin Bardsley, known simply as The Dad, is the 2007 Hero of the Year. His heroism began by accident, when his 12-year-old son, Garrett, went missing during a Boy Scout camping trip in Utah's Uinta Mountains. Garrett's body was never found. Determined not to let another family experience such terrible pain, Kevin Bardsley set up a foundation in his son's name, bought GPS tracking equipment and trained a small army of volunteers to be ready to search in minutes. When another boy was lost, he led the rescue effort."

That missing Scout, Brennan Hawkins, was found alive and well.

Digest Executive Editor Marcia Rockwood said that Bardsley's story had inspired readers, and that the publication received a strong response from Bardsley's story. "People always respond to that kind of courage and compassion," she said.

"Kevin truly is a hero: Someone who turns death into a fighting chance to live," Hatch said. "Because of Kevin's determination, Brennan Hawkins is still with us, and I'm sure many others will benefit from Kevin's service in the future. It was an honor to get to know him and his family."

Besides helping find missing children, Garrett's foundation helps build schools in third-world countries.

In January, Bardsley was just one of 11 people nominated by Reader's Digest for its annual hero of the year award. According to Rockwood, Bardsley was voted by readers as the Hero of the Year "hands down."

Bardsley himself has a long list of heroes. "I've got a lot of heroes," he said. His list includes his wife and children and those who have helped in the search for his son and for Brennan Hawkins. "Anybody that wants to help other people and do good, they are heroes in my eyes."

Service seems to Bardsley's motto. "We just love serving if we can," he said. "It's what I would rather do than anything else in this world right now. Unfortunately, I have to pay bills, so I have to work a normal job and things, but if I had my choice I would spend all my time doing this stuff, because it's where the true joy of life comes from."

Visit www.findgarrett.org for more information on the Garrett Bardsley Foundation and for information on how you can volunteer.

Nathan Johnson can be reached at 344-2543 or njohnson@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page A1.