Giving the gift of time this holiday season

The holidays are a time for loved ones to gather, to share food and stories that inspire the holiday spirit; unfortunately, some find themselves faced with tragedy.  Thankfully the American Red Cross (ARC) and its surplus of volunteers are always there to lend a helping hand. 

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home fires, followed by Christmas Day, the day before Thanksgiving then Christmas Eve.  Cooking equipment and decorations are involved in roughly 20% of these fires.  The ARC is no stranger to providing immediate relief for families displaced by misfortune.  I had the pleasure of speaking with Chuck Haupt, a retired photojournalist, and an American Red Cross Disaster Assistance Team (DAT) volunteer. 

Mr. Haupt remembers one specific fire, that happened in Binghamton, NY the day after Christmas. “It was a five-family apartment building, all of the families were displaced, I had to help”.  Once volunteers like Chuck arrive on a scene, they locate a warm, dry place to get the families inside out of the weather. On this particular day the local Loyal Order of the Moose opened its doors and welcomed the families in, while Chuck and the other volunteers were interviewing the families and tending to their immediate needs.   No sooner did Chuck get his interviews underway, he realized that one of the families did not speak English, “they were very skittish to meet with anyone”, he recalls.  They couldn’t understand that we were there to help, they considered that we might be there to deport them as some suspected they were not in the country legally.  They were assured that the Red Cross’s intent was simply to help! 

The Red Cross provides immediate aid to individuals during a disaster which can include funds for temporary housing, food, and clothing.  Comfort kits are also in huge demand.  These kits contain personal care items like toothpaste, a washcloth, and a comb.  Mental health referrals are also given on an as needed basis along with a directory on how to replace their driver’s license, insurance cards and the likes.

Mr. Haupt, why do you volunteer on holidays when you can be home, with your own family?  “It is simple, someone is hurting out there.  We are volunteers, this is what we signed up for, to get that call for help, whether it is a holiday or any other day that ends in a “y”, they need help”.  

“For me to take three hours away from my family on a holiday to help someone is the right thing to do, I can return to my home and be with my family, they have no home to return to”.  “It reassures us what the holidays are all about – and it’s not about the material things” Chuck stated.  He encourages people to help others this holiday season by donating or volunteering.  

For some people volunteering is about giving but for the likes of you, it is a way of living. Thank you, Mr. Haupt, for all you do!

To learn more about volunteering with the American Red Cross or to donate, visit RedCross.org.

Story by Holly Gassler, American Red Cross of Western New York communications volunteer

'It's the idea of helping': Responding to local disasters has become a holiday tradition for two unlikely friends

On paper, Chris Sadlocha and John Rudolph couldn’t be more different.

Sadlocha is a retired elementary school teacher of 40 years and Rudolph is a former volunteer firefighter and paramedic with an interest in amateur radio. But like many Red Cross volunteers, they have one very important thing in common.

“You know, we’re helpful people,” Sadlocha laughed.

Both drawn to the American Red Cross in the hopes of making a difference in the lives of those facing

emergencies at home in Delaware and Otsego Counties and across the country, the unlikely friends paired up for the first time as Disaster Action Team (DAT) members on New Year’s Eve just four years ago.

“Responding to fires and helping people wasn’t a far spur from what I used to do,” Rudolph explained. “Chris was there to help me. We went out on my first few calls together. He’s been a giant help there.”

As DAT members, those calls regularly consist of being some of the first on the scene in the wake of a disaster – primarily home fires. Red Cross DAT volunteers like Chris and John are often some of the first to meet with families in the wake of devastating home fires and provide support to those who just lost everything.

“We’re there to try and give them some peace of mind. Some funds for food, hotel, clothing, whatever they need to get them stable and figure out the rest. Being able to be there for them in that way may seem like a small thing, but when these people are going through this, it’s something huge.”

In the 2021 fiscal year, Red Cross volunteers responded to 936 local disasters in the Western New York region – the majority of which were home fires – and provided immediate emergency assistance to more than 1,600 families. For Red Crossers like Chris and John, it doesn’t matter the time or the day as they consider themselves always “on call.” In fact, this past Thanksgiving holiday, Chris volunteered his time to answer the call – driving more than an hour to assist a family impacted by a home fire in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.

“What are the pieces that drive us? You know, it’s the idea of helping,” Sadlocha explained. “I’m in a warm house, I’ve got plans maybe to go work out in the garden, take a walk, do some reading. Meanwhile, those folks down there have lost their home. They’re experiencing one of the worst days of their lives and we can provide some relief for that. So, we’ll take that drive for that.”

But as they approach another anniversary of their first response together this New Years, they both admit they could also use some help. Over the years, the pair has added considerably to their DAT duties with Sadlocha taking on roles as a Regional Onboarding Lead among others, and Rudolph now assisting DAT responses virtually as a Duty Officer while training to serve as an Emergency Response Vehicle operator on local and national responses.

Always looking to add to the DAT roster and the Red Cross volunteer base in general, the duo is encouraging others to resolve to volunteer with the Red Cross in any capacity this coming new year.

“No matter what the job is, it’s the people working together,” said Rudolph. “I have found that even in the worst cases, people find a way to deal with it and make it as enjoyable as possible.

“Probably the strongest thing I could say to persuade somebody to join the Red Cross is you can really help and provide the relief to somebody that’s having the worst day of their life,” Sadlocha explained. “It’s highly rewarding. There are volunteer positions with the Red Cross that you don’t get in a whole bunch of other places.”

To learn more about available volunteer positions, including the Disaster Action Team, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday or contact RecruitWNY@redcross.org.

Gone, but not forgotten: Red Cross of WNY volunteers to pay tribute to unclaimed WWI veterans in special ceremony Saturday

For Lisa Taibi, Regional Program Manager of Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) and International Services for the American Red Cross Western New York Region, it was an ironic intersection of personal and professional life that has provided an opportunity for the Red Cross community to honor dozens of World War I veterans who had gone unclaimed by family at their time of death.  

She and her SAF board and committee volunteers will pay tribute to those veterans by laying wreaths at 47 graves in the Riverdale Cemetery in Lewiston, Saturday, December 18, as part of the national Wreaths Across American Initiative. Additional Red Cross staff and volunteers will also recognize veterans by placing wreaths at Whitehaven Memorial Cemetery in Rochester, NY; and the National Cemetery located on the VA grounds in Bath, NY. 

The genesis of the recognition of veterans interred at Riverdale can be attributed to a huge coincidence. A resident of Niagara Falls, Taibi was actually visiting the graves of family members buried at Riverdale several years ago when she noticed a large monument just a stone’s throw away.  Investigating for the first time, she was surprised to see that it was an American Red Cross monument, along with dozens of grave markers. 

“I have family buried in Riverdale Cemetery so I'm in the cemetery often,” Taibi said.  “I walk around and look at stones not far from my family’s stones and I came across this big Red Cross monument. This was when I actually worked for the Niagara Falls chapter of the American Red Cross. I remember going back, taking a picture of it, going back to my executive director at the time, saying, ‘hey, what is this all about’”?

Neither she nor the Executive Director Chapter were able to find any information about the monument, which dated to the early 1900s.  Taibi tabled her interest for awhile to focus on the demands of her SAF duties and it was not until last spring, when the period of isolation due to Covid-19 got her thinking about how to engage her board and volunteers in a community-based project.

“We hadn’t been able to do a lot of in person things, so I was thinking about what we could do that would be outdoors for Memorial Day and it hit me - this monument popped back into my head.”

A co-worker had connections at Riverdale Cemetery and Taibi reached out to ask if there was any information on how the Red Cross got involved with WWI veteran graves and the monument. They were able to produce some limited information that documented the former Niagara Falls chapter made the purchase in the early 1900s. Apparently, the Red Cross purchased 85 gravesites, but not all are filled.

“There are 47 headstones and they list the name, the date of birth, the year they died, the branch of service they were in, and their military rank. And then, of course, this big monument explaining what these graves were,” Taibi explained.

The SAF committee embraced the opportunity to recognize the veterans.  As a Memorial Day project, they purchased flowers and flags to mark the graves, and scrubbed headstones, making a huge improvement in appearance as many burial sites appeared not to have been attended to in decades.

The Memorial Day activities and the placement of holiday wreaths symbolize the commitment of the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program to America’s military community.  While perhaps not as widely known as the Red Cross Blood Services program or Disaster Relief services that provide assistance on national and regional levels, the Red Cross SAF program holds a congressional charter to provide the direct link of communication between the active duty service member and their family at home.

However, as Taibi states, the Red Cross commitment to military members and their families extends far beyond.

“Our mission is to support our veterans, in any way that we can. We have a continuum of care that begins the day they're sworn into active duty, throughout their military career, as they transition back into the civilian world, and we stay with that veteran until the day they die. We have volunteers that participate in the No Veteran Dies Alone program at the VA, where if there's a veteran actively dying and they have no family, we have volunteers who sit with that veteran until the veteran passes because they don't want that veteran to die alone. We truly stay with the veteran throughout their entire life, from the moment they go off to boot camp until literally the day they die.”

 

Honoring our veterans and their loved ones this Veterans Day and every day

This Veterans Day, the American Red Cross is honoring veterans and recognizing the special role that caregivers play in their care. 

While many may recognize the American Red Cross as an organization that collects and distributes blood products and responds to local and national disasters, its Service to the Armed Forces program (SAF) is a prominent and valuable asset in the wide scope of services the Red Cross provides within any given community. In fact, it was on the Civil War battlefields that American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton, embraced the vision she had for the organization as she cared for and nursed wounded soldiers. 

Today, the American Red Cross continues to serve the U.S. Military community from the time a service member takes the oath to navigating life as a veteran.

In the Western New York region alone, the Red Cross provided 3,487 case services to veterans and family members during the last fiscal year. On a global perspective, each year, the Red Cross provides more than 500,000 services to members of the military, veterans and their families across the country and around the world.

• In times of emergency, the Red Cross helps military families communicate with their loved ones and facilitates their return home through our Hero Care Network, which is available online, by phone, through a mobile app or in person, 24 hours a day.
• A variety of free resiliency workshops are offered, in person and online, to provide active military, veterans and their families with effective tools for facing challenges and stress.
• Red Cross medical and non-medical volunteers provide care, comfort and therapy items at veteran hospitals and military treatment facilities.
• Stateside the Red Cross has a presence on all military installations.  It also offers programs and services on-site at more than 140 military medical facilities and 170 veteran care facilities worldwide.   

PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS 

Serving more than 8,200 caregivers worldwide, the Military Veteran Caregiver Network (MVCN), one of many programs under the SAF umbrella, offers caregivers peer mentors, peer support groups, an online community as well as mental health, wellness and resiliency workshops. The network seeks to decrease feelings of isolation, and increase feelings of connection, hope and well-being.

The MVCN provides caregivers the ability to connect in a confidential environment that’s best for them. Our peer mentor program helps meet the specific needs of caregivers one-on-one, while peer support groups connect caregivers facing similar challenges. We offer secure online caregiver only communities to create a supportive network that is accessible without having to leave home.

In western New York, veterans and their caregivers report that the compounding effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan have created additional stressors. 

In recent months, MVCN saw an increase in the use of our Hero Care Resource Directory, which provides access to over 800 resources in every zip code in America specifically designed for veterans, service members, caregivers and their families. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO 

Many Red Cross volunteers are veterans who continue to support their communities after their active duty service ends. Also, about 6% of Red Cross employees include transitioning military or veterans – from nurses to logisticians, emergency management experts, project managers and preparedness experts, as well as a number of veterans in leadership roles at local Red Cross chapters across the country.

Tens of thousands of Red Cross volunteers also serve in Veterans Administration (VA) and military hospitals across the nation and around the world. These volunteers support such areas as rehabilitation, recreation, administration, and personal services to the men and women who are now cared for each day in these facilities. To learn more about how you can give back in your community this Veterans Day, visit redcross.org/volunteer.

This Weekend: Turn, Test and Prevent Home Fires with the Red Cross

This weekend, as we turn our clocks back in preparation of the end of daylight saving time, the American Red Cross of Western New York encourages everyone to use this time to test their smoke alarms.

Home fires are the nation's most frequent disaster and tragically take seven lives every day. That's why it's critical to take action now in order to keep you and your loved ones safe, especially since the threat of home fires increases with the holidays and colder weather.

In the past year alone, Red Cross volunteers within the region responded to nearly 900 home fires. While the Red Cross is always there in times of disaster, there are also a few simple steps that you can take this weekend to help protect your loved ones to help prevent home fires. 

During a fire, early warning from a working smoke alarm plus a fire escape plan that has been practiced regularly can save lives. As the clocks “fall back” when daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 7, it’s also the perfect time to test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed.

In addition to testing your smoke alarms this weekend, follow these three steps get your home ready:

1. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.  
2. Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm's manufacturer instructions.  
3. Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — that’s the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late. Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.

HOME FIRE CAMPAIGN SAVES 1,000+ LIVES Since October 2014, the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with community partners has saved at least 1,048 lives — including 43 in our region — by educating families about fire safety, helping them create escape plans and installing free smoke alarms in high-risk areas. In the past year, Red Cross volunteers and partners across our 27-county footprint have installed 1,466 alarms and helped make 913 households safer.

There's No Place Like Home: Protect Yours This Fire Prevention Week

There’s no place like home…

There’s no place like home and the sense of security that you feel surrounded by loved ones. Now imagine that all taken away from you in a matter of minutes. 

Firefighters face fierce flames on a daily basis, whether they are paid or volunteer, their duty is the same to protect the public. Every 8 minutes, the American Red Cross responds to a disaster-related incident – the majority of which are home fires. I had the pleasure of speaking with AmeriCorps member Kayla McCall, who serves the American Red Cross of Western New York in the way of fire safety, on this topic.

It’s especially important this Fire Prevention Week as the Red Cross seeks to prepare families against the threat of home fires, which claim seven lives each day in the United States. These disasters are most common now, in the cooler months, when we tend to spend more time inside.

McCall was extremely knowledgeable and shared with me that fire safety is more than just fires and flames. As a person who experienced a home fire herself some years ago, she is now tasked within the ARC to educate families on the topic of residential safety and preparedness, and she has trained well over 30 families! On average, only 26% of families have actually practiced a home fire escape plan with their immediate family.  Regardless, children tend to fall back on their training and “hide from the bad guy” in an attempt to remain safe.  Sadly, if they hide during a fire, they are more likely to perish in the home not due to the fire but instead because of the thick and toxic smoke associated with fires. Statistics say that if there is a fire safety plan in place it reduces panic during an emergency and improves the outcome.

Kayla also had some noteworthy tips to share with our readers: when installing carbon monoxide detectors, place them lower to the ground as the toxic air is heavy and it remains low.  Smoke detectors should be installed up higher since smoke rises quickly.  But the one that I think will hit close to home for most is to avoid daisy chaining! This is the connecting of two or more power strips into each other.  Daisy chaining accounts for a number of OSHA violations, but more importantly they contribute to a large number of electrical fires that could have easily been avoided.

You can help to keep your family safe by testing your smoke alarms, as well as practicing your two-minute escape drill. Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and talk about fire safety and what to do in an emergency.

·         Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it.

·         Also check the manufacturer’s date of your smoke alarms. If they’re 10 years or older, they likely need to be replaced because components such as batteries can become less reliable. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.

·      In your escape plan, include at least two ways to exit every room in your home.

·       Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet.

·        Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family.

Some additional fire safety takeaways that could help keep you and your loved ones stay safe also include keeping a fire extinguisher in your home and changing the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you change your clocks with daylight savings time, every six months. For those who may be deaf or hard of hearing, install strobe light and bed-shaker alarms to help alert you or a loved one to a fire. And when practicing your escape plan, include any devices or people that help you to get out safely.

And in cases where you cannot afford to purchase a smoke alarm or are physically unable to install one, the American Red Cross of Western New York is there to help.

Home fires are our nation’s most common disaster. This Fire Prevention Week, help keep your family safe and join Kayla and the Red Cross in its mission to #EndHomeFires.

Story by Holly Gassler, American Red Cross of Western New York communications volunteer

Emergency blood and platelet shortage: Red Cross supplies drop to lowest post-summer levels since 2015

This is serious. 

Currently, the American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency shortage of its national blood inventory, especially type O, and platelets. In fact, the supply is at the lowest level for this time of year since 2015.

 

In order to keep up with hospital demand and ensure that patient care isn’t disrupted, we need your help. Donors of all blood types, especially type O, and platelet donors are needed to make an appointment to donate in the days and weeks to come to help make a lifesaving difference to those patients in need.

 

Here are 3 easy ways YOU can help make a lifesaving difference today:

 

1.    Make an appointment to give blood or platelets. Download the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

2.    Bring a friend! Ask a friend to join you and make a regular appointment to donate together.

3.    Spread the word! Let your family and friends know there is an emergency shortage and encourage them to donate, too.

 

As our way of saying ‘thanks’ to all those who come in to donate, you’ll receive a link by email to claim a free Zaxby’s Signature Sandwich reward or get a $5 e-gift card to a merchant of your choice. Terms and conditions apply; see rcblood.org/zax for more details.

 

There are lots of scary things to think about this upcoming Halloween, don’t let a blood shortage be one of them. Help the Red Cross meet the emergency need by rolling up a sleeve and donating blood & platelets today!

 

 

Seizing the Moment: Lessons Learned in the Wake of Unspeakable Tragedy

 New York City—American Red Cross, November, 2001

            In November of 2001, I went down to NYC as a volunteer for the American Red Cross. How to describe the NYC experience other than to say it was interesting and intense? That latter two are the polite and short answers, but there is more.

I am glad I went and I feel it was right, for whatever reason, for me to be there. The guys I worked with were great and taught me a lot as we laughed together, a really great team. It showed me how good a working relationship could be.

While I was in New York City, I spent most of my time assisting the Logistics Officer in Headquarters for DR 848, which is the disaster number for American Airlines Flight 587, the plane that crashed into the Queens neighborhood on November 12, 2001. I wrote reports, figured out their compute system, ordered and tracked supplies and cars, and made phone calls to city officials. At one point we left headquarters to provide assistance during the prayer service for the victim’s families. It felt good to be given the chance to reach out and help the people affected.  It gave me the opportunity to fill the classic Red Cross role of putting blankets around their shoulders and giving them food.

While we were in NYC we received full access badges to Ground “Hero,” which is what people in New York call the site of the World Trade Center. I went twice, the second time getting right to the edge of the pit. One guy called it looking into the jaws of hell. The enormity of the destruction is incomprehensible, much different from what you see on TV (which makes it all look like just another movie set). I visited a little church just across the street that somehow survived the towers collapse with not a touch of damage (the “miracle” church). The inside of the church was almost completely covered with drawings and messages from people. The extent and amount of the outpouring of people's expressions is as enormous and as difficult to assimilate as the extent of the evil witnessed in the damage outside.  The juxtaposition of the two is very thought provoking. I'm not sure I've quite processed it all yet. Nor do I think the fireman I talked with have processed it either. They seemed shell-shocked. The hardest job must have been the ambulance person, standing at attention next to her stretcher. Do you hope for a recovery, to be busy and involved, or do you not hope because that means another life lost will bring sorrow to their family? How difficult to just stand by and wait.

            Meanwhile, outside the church was a quiet little cemetery full of headstones and trees. The trees’ branches still hold trash from the collapse. The stones are so old (from 1700s) you cannot read many of the names. As you look across that restful patch of ground in the midst of the hustle of the city, you find yourself looking at a spot lit backdrop of massive twists of steel and cement being demolished by construction crews. Both people and machines look minuscule in comparisons to the enormous piles they are working on removing.

And you know that most of the people under the stones died quietly in their beds with their families near by and the people beyond died horribly from evil caught unexpectedly in the midst of their daily morning routines. And the names of the one are gone and the names of the other may never be known. Both names put on stone, like Ozymandius, mean nothing. The end result is the same.

            What can each of us learn from this? To be prepared for whatever comes in the next second, hour, day, or year. To realize that evil is equally countered by good if we remember look for the latter in the quiet corners. To believe that miracles can and will happen no matter how bad things appear at first glance. To know that how we will be remembered is by how we touch people today. It is people's memories of us and our actions that will bring each of us true immortality, not our name on a stone.

Most importantly, we should remember not to seize the day or the hour, but to seize the moment and hold it tight for it will be gone and replaced by we know not what. Each of us needs to keep these moments to sustain us. As T.S. Elliot said in the appropriately titled “The Waste Land:”

            “These fragments I have shored against my ruins…

            Shantih”

                                                                        By Kathleen E. Rourke

                                                                        December 2001

 

Kathleen Rourke is the Red Cross community volunteer leader in Tompkins County, Spiritual Care lead and Disaster Action Team member with more than 20 years of experience

'The Country Really Came Together': Red Crosser Recounts Resilience in Nation's Darkest Days

“I’m very proud of the Red Cross.”

Charles Blake has been with the American Red Cross for almost 40 years, so it’s not surprising he would have pride in the organization. In this case, however, the Southwest and Rocky Mountain Division Disaster Executive is talking about a specific event from 20 years ago.

The then-Senior Director of Emergency Services and International Services for the National Capital Region started the morning of September 11, 2001, meeting with the Chief of the Metro Police, talking about a contract to provide first aid training and other services to the department. That meeting ended when an employee rushed in saying that a plane had crashed into a World Trade Center tower. They rushed around the corner in time to see the second plane hit the second tower on live TV.

“We didn’t realize it was a second plane,” Blake remembers. “We thought it was a replay.”

Shaken, Blake went on with his day, which involved an event away from the K-Street office in DC. He was carpooling with an FBI agent also scheduled to attend that event, talking about the incidents earlier that morning in NYC.

“The FBI agent said, ‘You know, if this is terrorist activity, the next target will likely be the Pentagon,’” Blake said. Four minutes later, he received a call saying a plane had in fact crashed into the Pentagon. They immediately turned the car around to return to the Red Cross office and saw thousands of people running out of office buildings in chaos.

“When I first got to the office, we still weren’t sure what we were dealing with,” Blake said. With a line of people outside Red Cross Square looking to donate blood, he began working to set up a larger donation center, until the Disaster Operation Center called and said they needed him at the Pentagon. Blake began on what he calls a “life changing experience,” working with partners to stand up a respite center for first responders and families who had lost loved ones in the tragedy. Volunteers provided food and emotional support, and helped coordinate the distribution of the many donations that came in to help.

“I felt a huge responsibility to get this off on the right foot,” Blake says. “The country really came together, supporting us with their dollars and their prayers. For 30 days, you could walk down the street wearing the logo and people would come up and donate cash or checks. It was a very scary time for us, but we came through. Folks did a spectacular job taking care of first responders and families.”

A photo of Blake on a cell phone in front of the Pentagon still hangs on the wall of the Red Cross Disaster Operations Center, and the emotions from responding to terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA, remain as well.

“I still have emails I haven’t opened from that time, burned on a CD,” Blake said. “We survived it. We came back. We’re resilient.”

As Division Disaster Executive, Blake has responded to a lot of disasters, and is currently supporting the Hurricane Ida relief efforts in the Gulf. However, he will make time this week to help represent the Red Cross at a private wreath-laying ceremony for select agencies at the Pentagon as we remember those tragic events that took the lives nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA, 20 years ago.

“We’ve always been here to help for 140 years, hope to continue for 140 more,” Blake says. “It’s people coming together. We all have ownership in the Red Cross.”

-Jay Bonafede, American Red Cross

'Tremendous humanity' in the face of horror: Red Cross volunteer recounts the hours following the September 11 attacks

Peggy McGee-Smith’s smiling face is staring back at me via my monitor as I fumble through the Microsoft Teams settings to find a way to record what I know will be one of those once-in-a-lifetime discussions…the chance to talk with someone who was on the ground in response to one of the most heartbreaking disasters in U.S. history – the 9-11 attacks.

A Red Cross volunteer for approximately 25 years and counting, Peggy specializes in providing mental health support for those affected by disaster and loss, a talent well-honed by her 32-year career as a psychiatric/community health nurse at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center.

Her warm, affable personality suddenly turns serious as she traces her experience with the 9-11 response. She recalls catching the first news of a plane hitting one of the towers and having no comprehension that it could be a terrorist attack.

“I actually went to the chapter office (in Buffalo) after the first plane hit because I was wondering if there was going to be a Red Cross response,” she recalls.  “By the time I got there, things had changed (with the second plane hitting the other tower) and we all realized this was something more serious.”

I watch and listen intently.  As someone who has spent nearly my entire public relations career in not-for-profit organizations, I am used to the mantra related to the importance of volunteers put forth by many organizations and, candidly, actions don’t always match words. I am finding out quickly that the Red Cross is much different and am a bit astounded as I listen to Peggy’s story and see vivid proof of the leadership roles that volunteers play in our response.

“Ken Turner (the Western NY Regional Disaster Officer) asked me to rent a car and drive to the area to meet other volunteers.  I think I got the very last car at the rental agency because I heard the rep tell the person after me that he was out of cars.”

Her face suddenly turns more serious, almost somber, as she recalls her drive to New York City.  “I remember that on the way down it seemed like there were no other vehicles on the road…just mine and ambulances.”

Her somber tone intensifies as she recounts the initial moments the next morning when she entered the city.

“I went to the Red Cross headquarters in Manhattan and there were hundreds of people there wanting to volunteer.  It was people everywhere!”

Peggy pauses to collect herself for a moment as another memory surfaces.  She shares that she was appointed to serve as a shelter supervisor and riding in a van when, on the way to their destination, they were flagged down by a desperate woman, walking along the road with her elderly mother and seeking help.  It’s just one of many anecdotes that she shares that bring her emotion to the surface.

“There was a lot of confusion and tremendous need,” she recalls.  “I don’t have flashbacks, but have very clear recollections. There was tremendous humanity despite the horror.”

Among those recollections is the story of a father who had a son working in one of the towers for Cantor-Fitzgerald.  He shared with Peggy that his son had been somewhat of a challenge as a youth but had turned things around and was successful in life.  The father was distraught because he had lost every bit of paper for his son, papers given by various agencies involved in the rescue and recovery operation. Peggy helped him find the papers.

Another story was that of a young girl, frantically looking for a spot on the wall to place a picture of her brother, one of the thousands missing after the collapse of the towers.  Peggy helped her find an available space near the stairs.

“Everything there was so powerful,” Peggy shares as she once again pauses to collect herself.

And while the memories continue to bring forward raw emotion, calm returns to her face as she states, “I’m grateful that I was part of the Red Cross and that I could be of service.  It was powerful for all of us,” she says, referring to her brother and nearly a dozen others from the Buffalo area who served in New York City.  Her initial stay lasted just over two weeks and, after a brief respite back home, she went back down for another three weeks near the end of October.

As we near the end of our conversation, she shares one more tidbit about the level of engagement and empowerment of Red Cross volunteers that strikes me, as well as those who they assist, as extraordinary. It comes from yet another of the 80-90 disaster relief responses she estimates to have been a part, including some in Guam, Saipan, Puerto Rico and many U.S. states. This one from her experience providing assistance after an ice storm in Arkansas.

“There was a couple we were assisting, and the woman asked where we were from.  When I told her, she said something to the effect of ‘you came all the way from Buffalo, New York to help us’? That’s very powerful.” 

Powerful indeed.  But then again, we’re talking about Red Cross volunteers. Our volunteers have had a busy summer, responding to western wildfires, the building collapse in Surfside, Florida, the tragic flooding in Tennessee, and Hurricane Ida and its impact in the Gulf and East Coast regions…and those are just the national disasters to which Red Cross volunteers have responded.  Closer to home they have been essential in providing aid to more than 1,100 individuals impacted by home fires and flooding in areas like Lockport and Broome and Steuben counties.  We are actively recruiting volunteers and need more people like Peggy who are interested in lending a helping hand in times of greatest need.  Please visit redcross.org, call 1-800-Red-Cross or email RecruitWNY@redcross.org to find out how you can join our team of heroes. 

Story by: Michael Tedesco, Director of Communications, American Red Cross of Western New York 

'We Had Nothing Before You Showed Up': A First-Hand Account Of A Red Cross Disaster Volunteer

How the Red Cross Helps Our Neighbors

When my partner and I arrived on the scene, the family was sitting on the curb as soot-filled water ran past their feet. The man held onto his small daughter and the woman held their baby son as they watched their house disappear into smoke and memories.

As Red Cross responders, I went to talk with the family while my partner went to talk with the fire chief and get an idea of the extent of damage to the home. The man looked up as I approached, recognizing my bright red and white Red Cross gear. His daughter looked up too, with tear streaks still visible on her face. The father wasn’t that far from tears himself. You could tell he was holding it in to be strong for his family. I sat down next to him and said hi to his daughter, Sarah, who was suddenly shy and ducked beneath her father’s arm, still paying attention to what I had to say.

Apparently the parents were just about to get the kids to bed when they smelled smoke and went downstairs to find the kitchen engulfed. They escaped only with what they were wearing and a blanket around the sleeping baby. The father kept saying that he was grateful they had each other, and that is what counted, that the little family was together.

My partner returned and I excused myself to consult with her. The fire chief had confirmed that the house was a total loss and it was unlikely anything could be salvaged.

After a brief stop to my car for supplies, I rejoined the family on the curb. As my partner started the paperwork with the mother, I brought out a stuffed toy to give to the little girl. Her eyes lit up and then I gave her another little toy to keep safe for her baby brother. She clutched both tightly, almost as tightly as her father hugged her to his chest. When I gave the parents comfort kits for each of them, the father’s eyes finally overflowed.

“We had nothing before you showed up,” the wife said. “Now we have something again, even if it is only a comb and toothbrush.”

We put Red Cross blankets across their shoulders as we talked further with the family and arranged for them to stay a couple of nights in a local hotel with a debit card to cover food and clothing costs until they could make more long-term arrangements. They would not have to stay out in the cold.

The American Red Cross was there to help this family take their first steps toward recovery. We made sure, as we do for all our neighbors facing disaster, that they were safe and warm and had food and shelter to restart their lives. The American Red Cross is ready to help you every hour of every day.

Nationally, every 8 minutes the American Red Cross responds to an emergency. As in this case,  Red Cross volunteers are usually members of your own community, helping neighbors whenever they are needed. Last year alone, Red Cross volunteers across the Western New York region provided immediate emergency assistance to hundreds of individuals and families following nearly 900 disaster-related events, the majority of which were home fires.

In the days and weeks to come, residents here in Western New York and across the country will rely on the support of Red Cross volunteers once again, as weather experts predict a busy disaster season this year. That's why there is a critical need for volunteers to join the American Red Cross of Western New York in helping to prepare for emergencies here at home and across the nation. 

From shelter volunteers to health professionals and disaster response, we need volunteers to help make a difference when disaster strikes. 

If you're looking to make a difference here in the Western New York region, or across the country, I encourage you to sign up for available volunteer opportunities near you or contact our local chapter at RecruitWNY@redcross.org for more information.  

Kathleen Rourke is the Red Cross community volunteer leader in Tompkins County, Spiritual Care lead and Disaster Action Team member with more than 20 years of experience. 

Sounding the Alarm to Save Lives

The world looks a bit different than it did when the American Red Cross kicked off its 2021 Sound the Alarm campaign on April 8 in Buffalo.

Chief Disaster Officer Ken Turner
joined a team of volunteers to install
free smoke alarms in Buffalo, NY on June 8

The weather is noticeably, and thankfully, warmer; we are beginning to climb out of the pandemic and reunite with loved ones and along with that the American Red Cross of Western New York has resumed free smoke alarm installations – a cornerstone of the Sound the Alarm campaign. 

Every 8 minutes, Red Cross volunteers respond to a disaster-related incident – the majority of which are home fires. Through the Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign Red Cross volunteers focus on helping families across Western New York to prevent, respond to and recover from home fires. From helping families to create their two-minute escape plan to installing smoke alarms, volunteers within our 27-county footprint have reached thousands of homes helping to save lives.

In a COVID-19 environment, our methods looked a bit different this year. This spring, much of the campaign focused on a virtual home fire safety education component, with limited smoke alarm installations taking place through our partners with the Gates Fire Department, Paul Davis and the West Webster Fire Department.

Despite these challenges, Red Cross volunteers rose to the occasion reaching nearly 800 homes and installing more than 1,200 smoke alarms as part of the 2021 Sound the Alarm/Home Fire Safety campaign!

Red Cross volunteer Melanie Pandich reviews a home
 fire escape plan with Rochester resident Mary Kay Smyth
during the Sound the Alarm Day of Action on May 8

As a result, since its launch in 2014, more than 12,000 homes across the Western New York region have been reached, more than 30,000 free smoke alarms have been installed and most importantly, 39 lives have been saved as a direct result of the campaign.

This lifesaving work is a testament to the dedication of our Red Cross volunteers, partner organizations and sponsors including:

Installation Partners

·         Gates Fire Company

·         Paul Davis

·         West Webster Fire Department

·         Spencerport Fire Department

·         Laurelton Fire Department

·         Geneva Fire Department

Campaign Sponsors

·         NFA, National Fire Adjustment Inc.

·         National Grid

·         Corning Incorporated Foundation

·         Lewis Tree Service

·         Dryden Mutual Insurance Co.

·         ESL Federal Credit Union

·         Geico Buffalo

·         M&T Bank

·         Linde

·         DiMino’s Lewiston Tops

·         Ingram Micro

·         Paychex

·         Phillips Lytle, LLP

·         Rich Products

When the worst happens, the Red Cross is there. While the pandemic may have impacted the approach, it only served to strengthen the resolve of the Red Cross workforce and our mission. As many of us begin to resume normal activities, we encourage families to join the Red Cross in helping to end home fires within our community by learning more or signing up for a free smoke alarm today.