Playfair was recognized with the National Certificate of Merit for her actions on June 2, 2022, at the age of 14. “I was walking with my mom back to the hotel room through the parking lot at the Grand Centennial Hotel in Biloxi, MS, when I heard a loud crash,” she explained. “I looked over to see a car flipped on the ground with the driver still inside. I immediately started running to the car to help, and at the same time asked others to call 911 since neither my mom nor I had our cellphones with us.”

Playfair was the first on the scene, followed by a nurse and onlookers. “I was able to talk to the shocked man and keep him calm while the nurse evaluated his medical condition,” she continued. “I convinced the driver to let us call his brother, explained the situation to him, and his brother was able to offer the injured man a comforting voice.”

When the police and emergency personnel arrived, Playfair told them what had happened and gave them her statement. After the driver was taken by ambulance to the hospital, she assisted in flipping the car so it could be towed. “Thanks to Scouting, I was able to help this man.”

The Certificate of Merit is rare, with only 14 Scouts in Middle Tennessee receiving the Award during the last 10 years. It is awarded to a youth member or adult leader who has performed a significant act of service that is deserving of special national recognition.

Two years later, on April 17, 2024, Playfair was backing out of her driveway with a St. Cecilia Academy friend to attend a school event when she noticed her neighbor, Jim O’Keefe, was lying in the road. “I immediately parked my car and ran to him to see if he was OK, and he was not,” she said. She found O’Keefe badly dazed with a bloody nose and face, and the impact of his fall had broken some of his teeth. She instructed her friend to call 911 and give her the phone. While administering first aid, she asked her friend to contact his wife and tell her what had happened. When 911 answered, Playfair explained the situation and was instructed to roll him on his side to prevent choking, after not moving him in case of a neck injury. When waiting for the emergency personnel to come, she tried to soothe and keep the O’Keefe family calm. Said O’Keefe, “Izzie held my hand till I was in the ambulance.” Once the EMTs arrived, Playfair provided them with an account of what had happened.

Recovery for O’Keefe included almost nine months of surgical and dental procedures. “I truly believe that a large part of the reason I'm back was the emergency care and hope that Izzie provided,” he explained. “I am forever grateful to her. She is a strong and reliable young lady, and I regard her as my guardian angel.”

“Every Scout is trained in lifesaving,” said Playfair. “We learn how to assess the situation, save our patient, and keep the other people on the scene calm. That training makes it an automatic reflex to respond to situations like these.” She continued, “It is the right thing to do to help someone whose life is in danger.”

Playfair’s heroics earned her a National Medal of Merit. It is awarded to a youth member or adult leader who has performed an act of service of a rare or exceptional character that reflects an uncommon degree of concern for the well-being of others. Few people receive the Medal of Merit. During the last 80 years, an average of 77 National Medals of Merit have been awarded per year across the country, while only nine Scouts in the past 10 years have achieved this Award in the Middle Tennessee Council of Scouting America. Compared to approximately 50,000 new Eagle Scouts annually, the National Medal of Merit is exceptionally rare, and to receive both a National Medal of Merit and a National Certificate of Merit is thought to be almost unique.