‘We Met Miss Wanda’: How a Local Red Cross Disaster Worker Brought Comfort to Spokane Wildfire Evacuees

“I have a small, assisted living business, managing two adult family homes in north Spokane. On Saturday, I was doing my errands and one of my caregivers called me and said that we’ve been told to evacuate. I knew there were fires and a lot of smoke, but I didn’t know that it was going to affect our area. They told us to go to the shelter at the convention center.”

From there, Rose Chebe prepared her residents, staff of caregivers and her own family to transition to the American Red Cross evacuation shelter at the Spokane Convention Center.

“We got everybody in the cars and they told us to go to the convention center. We had 12 of my residents, caregivers and my husband, daughter and I. Everybody panicked. Then we met Miss Wanda.”

Wanda Martinez-Johncox serves as a Community Disaster Program Specialist in the Greater Rochester chapter in the Western New York region. Before starting her role in 2019, she served as a Greater Rochester Board member and Red Cross volunteer for six years, deploying to disasters big and small here at home and across the country.

She is now one of hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers providing safe shelter, meals and snacks, health and mental health support and relief items to those affected by the devastating wildfires in Spokane, Washington.

“It’s one Red Cross. Without being a volunteer first, I couldn’t have understood what it’s like to be on the ground and deploy. I use what I learned as a volunteer. I’m just trying to make them comfortable. Even if it’s just a hug or a laugh. Simple things like that make it more comfortable because it’s hard. I’m just grateful to be here to help out. We’re here for you.”

Two elderly members of Chebe’s group required a medical bed to help keep them elevated during their stay. While she was able to find housing for everyone after a two-night stay at the shelter, Chebe says the support provided to them by the Red Cross and people like Wanda was a blessing.

“She made it easier to be out of our homes and comfortable. It makes me feel good that we have somebody that caring. That’s what you need when you transition to a place like this. In a disaster, you don’t know where to start but when you meet good people like Wanda, it makes you feel comfortable. She has a big heart, she’s in the right job.”

Amid renewed alerts for potential evacuations, Chebe was back at the shelter a few days later – this time, however, just to embrace someone she now calls a lifelong friend.

“I came to see Miss Wanda. This is my girl. She can come back and visit me because without her I don’t know how we would’ve done it.”

The Red Cross continues to support relief efforts in Spokane and respond to multiple states to support the families and communities impacted by other massive fires burning across the West.

You can help support families depending on the Red Cross for assistance now by making a donation or signing up to volunteer at redcross.org

Five Sisters, One Mission: A Family's Lifelong Commitment to Service

When you grow up in a family of nine siblings – seven girls and two boys – it’s only natural that you’d become skilled in the art of “give and take.” 

For the Travis (maiden name) sisters Martha (Hanley), Betsy (Simpson), Sarah (Sennett), Susan and Nancy (Tellier), the giving part was especially mastered as all five have volunteered for the American Red Cross at some point.  Four are currently volunteering (Nancy recently stepped away from her role) for the American Red Cross, three in the Western New York Region and one, Betsy, in Florida’s Palm Coast Chapter as she splits time between Vero Beach, Florida and her home in Geneseo.

While Nancy was not able to participate in a recent group conversation, the enthusiasm for, and dedication to volunteering with the Red Cross readily flowed from the very close-knit group. For most of the Travis sisters, their experience with the Red Cross started out as blood donors and many have served as volunteer Blood Donor Ambassadors.

“I remember my first donation attempt was in high school (West Irondequoit). They had a drive at our high school, so I was 17 at that time,” said Susan, recounting that she could not donate because “I was nice and skinny then, too underweight. But I didn't give up, kept trying.”

School was also the backdrop for Betsy’s desire to help others through blood donation.

“I started donating in college (SUNY Potsdam) - freshman year in college - and same thing,” she said, piggybacking off Susan’s experience.  “Sometimes I was able to donate, sometimes not because of anemia mainly.”

By the time 1992 rolled around, many of the Travis girls had become regular blood donors. They were also already passing along the importance of giving to the next generation.

“Susan and I are twins, and our girls (Sarah’s daughter Elizabeth, and Susan’s daughter Laura) were born only a day and a half apart” Sarah shared, adding yet another layer to the unique, close bond of the sisters. 

“They had just started kindergarten, and we went to Red Cross on Prince Street to donate blood, Susan and I. The girls wanted to give blood and Susan and I told them they couldn’t because they were too little. We said, ‘next time we come to donate, you can bring a toy.’ So, the next time we went to give blood, weeks later, we let them each bring a toy to donate into this toy box they had in the waiting area.

“Really this was just doing it for the girls' sake so that they could give, like we were giving blood. Somewhere, someone got word the PR office or something. This lady came down with a photographer, and they took their picture and information. It was so sweet. They followed up even a month or two later with a newsletter and a printout of the picture.”

“I just love that story because that's how the Red Cross, I think, still exists; they're so appreciative. Anything you can do, you do your part. I think Susan feels the same way. It just grabbed me that they took that regard and care and followed up and all that,” said Sarah, explaining how the pull to be involved with the Red Cross grew even stronger.

“So, between 1992, and 2001, we just donated blood. We both worked full-time, so we weren't doing drives or anything.”

Beyond Sarah’s brief role as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer in the mid-1990s, it was the tragic events of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 that inspired Sarah and Susan to jump into an ongoing, formal volunteer role with the Red Cross.

“That's when we signed up to be full-time volunteers. It was because of 9/11,” Susan stated, asking her twin, Sarah for confirmation.

Right on cue, the same memory comes back to Sarah.

“Oh, that rings a bell. And that's the same year we started volunteering full-time for blood services – 2001.”

Having her sisters involved with her wasn’t enough for Sarah.  She pulled her husband, Mark, into the fold as well. 

“When he retired. I was still working, but then that's when we joined - in September, following 9-11, which I'm sure drew lots of people into volunteerism.”

Similar to Sarah, Susan also engaged in DAT responses, from around 2003 to 2005, before she began to deploy nationally to continue to serve those experiencing disaster.

“Afterwards, I did Katrina. That's how I tried to stay in it,” Susan said, explaining her first deployment was in response to one of the worst disasters in U.S. history.

The “twin effect” often surfaced during the storytelling, with Sarah and Susan at times finishing each other’s sentences or having similar, shared experiences.

One of the benefits of Susan’s service during Katrina was the opportunity to meet an individual who would become one of her best friends.

“We stayed in touch. She just died last year. Sarah became friends with her too. This is a funny story. So, Sarah later deployed to Texas. And this friend of mine (Pat) was also deploying to Texas. She lived in Knoxville, Illinois and I had gone to visit her a couple of times.

“And I said, well, look for Sarah and she said ‘oh yeah, she looks just like you. I'll look for her. And Sarah was going to look for her because I'd shown Sarah what Pat looked like. And weren't they standing together at the dome in Texas?”

Sarah jumps right in, continuing the story.

“It was Hurricane Harvey, headquarters pre-storm, in Houston, and there had to be 300 Red Crossers in that room, just like ants packed in because they brought everybody in pre-storm. And then she saw me - I'm tall and Susan's tall. She came up and tapped me on the shoulder. She was maybe 78-80 at the time. And this woman's amazing… she tapped me shoulder and asked, ‘are you Susan's sister’? This little white-haired lady behind me was so cute. And then we became fast friends. Mark (Sarah’s husband) was on that deployment as well, so Mark and I sent a picture of her to Susan.”

Volunteering for the Red Cross is just one part of the history of shared experience for these five Travis sisters as Betsy explained that all five also worked for the New York court system at the Monroe County Hall of Justice.

“Sarah and Susan started the blood drives in the courthouse at the Hall of Justice, and I was giving blood during those,” Betsy states.  “Then I got a promotion and moved out to the Ontario County courthouse in Canandaigua. So, then I started blood drives there and did that from 2010 to 2020, when I retired. 

“Then I came down to Florida, and I'm like, ‘I really want to do something’. So, Sarah and her husband, Mark, were deploying to Naples and Sanibel Island for Hurricane Ian (2022) and I did all the training, and I got to deploy with them. I was lucky enough to do it with Sarah and Mark - I was a newbie. After that, we did Milton and we did the Nashville Ice Storm.”

That concurrent deployment of Betsy, Sarah and Mark was the closest the Travis clan has had to all of them working together, though Susan immediately chimes in that “that’s the goal for me, we all go together!”

Martha, a retired Wayne County Schools Speech Teacher and Ontario, NY resident, is the eldest of the sisters who volunteer, yet also content to let her sisters tell the family story before sharing that she, too, started her tenure as a volunteer for blood drives.

“I started as a Blood Donor Ambassador (BDA), two years before COVID, and I think my sisters are my inspirations. You know, they were doing blood drives and I was giving blood. My husband gives blood, double reds always. I saw them in blood drives and donation centers and thought, ‘I could do this’. So, I did. And then last year, 2025, they had a DCS boot camp. So, Susan, myself, and our friend Jane decided to do the boot camp. We thought that was done, that was all for the training. But then there was lots of training after that! So, I’m already doing local DAT for Wayne County, and I've done mass care and sheltering.” 

When asked to share some of their most memorable moments serving with the Red Cross, Betsy was eager to respond.

“So, we went to Hurricane Ian and I think we were in the Naples area and doing the mass feeding. We were going out and it kept raining and it kept reflooding and reflooding. But we kept going with the ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) and feeding them. I kind of got to know the ladies and stuff. And they were really sweet. Every day they would teach me some Spanish language and they were just really, really nice.”

“The last day they brought me little handmade things,” Betsy recalls. “We were all crying and it was so sad that we had to leave.”

Susan immediately responds with a similar but unique experience.

“It's so funny. My passport cover is an alligator red leather passport cover that one of the co-volunteers bought for me. It's still my passport cover today. So, people were great. Everybody, the residents within the shelters were phenomenal, and your co-workers were phenomenal.  It was an amazing experience. Really, what I say about my experience, at least with Katrina - and all the volunteerism - you get more out of it than you give.”

Martha quickly adds that her local experience provides a reward as well.

“I've been training for mass care and for feeding, ready to go, but not lucky (to deploy) like my sisters. But local DAT is very meaningful too, I feel.”

Sarah also shared how she has been touched by the gratitude of those she has helped.

“It was (Hurricane) Matthew back in 2016. This young couple, their names escaped me right now…but we fell in love with them, who we're still friends with on Facebook, all the other clients and stuff. And they came up to me, and they said - still makes me cry – ‘you really made a difference’.

“I don't know, it was weird, but I've just never forgotten how struck I was when they said that to me because I had no clue. But you're being appreciated, even though you might not know it.”

What’s even more striking is that this group of sisters is not the first generation of the Travis family to volunteer for the Red Cross and other organizations. Their mother, Anne, served as a Blood Donor Ambassador from 2001-2005 and is part of their inspiration for serving today.

“It's funny because I met somebody at Red Cross last week and I did this event out in Hamlin,” Susan says. “He goes, ‘are you a Travis?’ He remembered my mom, me and Sarah, because we did Meals on Wheels. We've all done other volunteer work too. I have a special needs daughter. I volunteer for that agency.”

For Martha, it comes down to something more simple.

“Reaching out and community is important. I don't know, I just like to help people and I believe my sisters are all the same way. And Mark, of course, we know that about Mark, our wonderful brother-in-law.”

As all of the sisters compliment their brother-in-law, Sarah states that they have been married for 43 years as of October.  With a quick grin, her twin, Susan, jokes that “he’s only kissed me once by mistake.”

When asked if working alongside your sisters makes it an extra special volunteer experience, Susan responds in a more serious tone.

“Damn straight. It's like when we all worked together in the court system. We have this tie and we can get together and we get to talk about experiences and people we met and trying to do it together when we can. And just what a great experience we've all been able to share and that we've all gotten the amazing feeling from volunteering for the Red Cross.”

"We've been together ever since": Red Crossers find love & laughter at local blood drive

When Tony Addotta first signed on to volunteer with the American Red Cross of Western New York, the retired truck driver was looking for something new to utilize his talents. Little did he know that his new volunteer role with the Red Cross would also lead him to the love of his life.

“It was my first volunteer position. Channel 17 had a volunteer fair. I went downtown and there were a lot of different tables. The Red Cross had a sign in table, and I guess five people signed up and I was the only one who showed up the next Monday. Shawn O’Hargan [Regional Market Manager, American Red Cross Blood Services] had her pastries and stuff like that, so I started driving with blood services and you know, it was nice. I was retired, so I was just playing golf and taking naps.”

Seated next to him on a sunny afternoon, Nancy Despard laughed. “Oh, he’s good at naps!”

That was nearly 17 years ago. Roughly one year after Tony signed on as a volunteer, Nancy found herself in a similar position.

“I actually saw it in the paper to volunteer,” she explains. “My parents were actually blood donor ambassadors here and then they moved to Myrtle Beach and did it down there, too. I thought, ‘Oh Mom and Dad did this, so I can do it, too.’  Then we met at a blood drive.”

“Oh, did we?” Tony laughs.

“You came in – he was a usurper. He came in and was supposed to be getting people to sign up to donate double reds and I’m like, why is this guy from Buffalo honing in on our drive? So, he didn’t talk much to me,” Nancy recalls.

With a sly smile, Tony is quick to explain, “I was out in the hallway, recruiting double reds – that was my job!”

Although it would be months before the pair would ultimately meet again, Nancy shares that she knew early on there were sparks.

“I love joking around and stuff and I thought, why couldn’t I have met him before?”

Their shared love of helping others would bring them together again when Tony, ever the gentleman, volunteered to drive a group of Red Crossers from Buffalo to the Greater Rochester chapter to tour the West Henrietta Blood, Platelet and Plasma Donation and Processing Center

“Well, Tony drove the van. And he makes anybody in the backseat wear a seatbelt.”

Tony interrupts with a big laugh, “Well, yeah! Wherever they’re sitting!”

“So, he climbs over the backseat, because I’m behind the driver’s side, to hook up my seatbelt for me.””

“You looked like you needed help!”

“So, we went down to West Henrietta and had lunch, and the group stopped at a rest stop and when I came out of the restroom, and he was waiting out there for me. So, he’s walking me out and he said, that he was membership chairman for the American Legion post and hands me his card for that and says, ‘Here, give me a call.’ Now, I’m like, not young – I don’t if know he’s hitting on me. I call my sister, and asked her, do you think he needs a volunteer there or something? That’s the only thing I could think of that he would need me to call him. Finally, after a few days, I call him and we’re talking and that and I realize, I guess he doesn’t want a volunteer! That was October 2010. We’ve been together ever since.”

In that time, the pair have continued to volunteer with the Red Cross. Nancy now works to schedule volunteers for blood drives across four counties within the Buffalo area. Tony serves as a transportation specialist for biomedical services in the Buffalo district and was one of several volunteers who drove through an historic and deadly blizzard to ensure that blood products were delivered to area hospitals in December, 2022.

“We were just driving,” he explains. “That was [Transportation Specialist] Rachel Elzufon Couch’s leadership. We may have won an award, but it was her leadership that made it happen. We were just doing our job.”

“The first time I was ever driving with him, I looked at all the blood in the back and I realize, we’re saving people’s lives by doing this,” Nancy remarks. “It was really – it really meant something to me that what we’re doing is really saving people’s lives.”

While his fellow volunteers received the Blood Services Hero award at the 2023 Western New York Real Heroes luncheon, Tony accepted the award while awaiting open heart surgery at a local hospital with Nancy at his side. Just a few days prior to the event, doctors discovered a large aneurysm in his aortic valve.

“I was a walk-in. They couldn’t believe I was a walk-in,” he explains. “I only went to the hospital because I couldn’t sleep for two days.”

Nancy immediately takes on a more serious tone: “He is a miracle walking. The doctor said they’d never seen one that big before ever. It could have broken like that.”

But their playful banter quickly returns.

“Well then It’s a good thing you don’t hit me!”

The couple shares that Tony’s surgery and recovery helped put things into perspective, both in their personal lives and their roles at the Red Cross.

“I’m on a crusade,” Tony says. “I stood up one day and said to the other drivers that I know that sometimes you think this might be nothing, but all you guys helped me to survive because the blood had to be there, and it all takes all the people. People can take it for granted and I thanked them all, because as you know, it’s the blood donated today that helps tomorrow. I’m one of those people that you’re donating for. It takes a village.”

That’s the message the couple shares with fellow and prospective volunteers – and even blood donors alike.

“Sometimes at the end of my drives, I will stop into a blood drive and tell a blood donor, ‘I just drove hundreds of miles to say thank you!’ And then it gets everybody laughing. It’s very rewarding. It becomes a place where you go in now and you get to see your friends. I still have my naps!”

Nancy agrees, “I tell volunteers, this is the easiest way that you can save somebody’s life.”

As for their secret to making it work as a couple, Tony says it’s simple:

“You have to have a sense of humor. It keeps things in perspective, I think. She has a good soul and a soft heart.”

Meg Rossman, Regional Communications Manager, American Red Cross of Western New York

Rochester Red Crosser's volunteer career spans 50 years, multiple continents

Born in Madrid, Spain, Maria Polo and her family moved to Colombia when she was around 9. She considers herself to be of Colombian culture and, before moving to America and becoming an American citizen, she called Colombia her home country.  Her father founded the Universidad Autonoma de Colombia in the Capital city of Bogota.  The university is still there and growing today.  This is where Maria started her service with the Red Cross that just recently reached the 50-year mark.  

As a young woman in her twenties, and a member of an educated upper-class family, she saw poverty and mistreatment around her and vowed to help wherever she could.  Raised in a family that believed the secret to one’s own inner peace was found by helping others and never asking for anything in return, Maria truly grasped this belief at a very young age.  She and her young daughter started volunteering at a nursing home in Bogota, Colombia.  Upon realizing the poor conditions and lack of resources at the facility, she was compelled to volunteer every Sunday to help the residents by providing music therapy, massage therapy and helping in any way she could.  She continued this volunteer effort for the Red Cross in her native country for five years, thus beginning her many years of service with the Red Cross that has spanned multiple continents. 

Maria moved on to serve for the International Red Cross and ended up serving on missions in 57 countries around the world.   The list includes, Ecuador, The Amazon rain forest, Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela, Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea, Jeju Island, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, India, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, most countries in Europe and so many more!   Tsunamis, floods, civil unrest, medical missions and earthquakes are just a few of the types of deployments Ms. Polo has done over the years.  Whether its riding a motor bike an unknown amount of miles into the country to obtain rice to help feed a village of starving people, diving in dangerously swift water to help drowning victims, traveling two weeks on foot into the Amazon forest on a medical mission or getting a crash courses in suturing up patients during volunteer surgical missions in Central & South America’s, it’s clear that Maria has had quite an interesting and lively international volunteer career experience.  

She talks about how the missions aren’t easy and how when on them you don’t get special treatment - nor did she expect it,

“You just never know what to expect during these deployments, we just show up and help with

whatever is available at the time.  If they do not eat, we do not eat, if they sleep on the ground, we sleep on the ground.”  Her belief in helping others is so strong she hates to use the word sacrifice to describe giving up her time and vacations over the years to go on these missions. 

“If I say it’s a sacrifice then it means I do it to get something in return, and that’s not it, not the reason, it comes from inside, we need more people to get that!”

In between all the excitement of her international missions she has also volunteered in her own backyard over the years.   Not only has she been a volunteer for local crisis situations such as fires in the greater Rochester area, and other local Red Cross work, but she also volunteered for the Hispanic and Black Youth Leadership Programs in the Rochester area for almost 27 years.  She started volunteering for these organizations in 1994 working with the program director. The program had a mentoring element and covered topics such as diversity, equity & inclusion, financial literacy, conflict management, time management, resume building, leadership skills & development. To this day she has stories of people coming up to her and remembering her by name, thanking her for the guidance and knowledge they learned in these youth programs. She finds these to be very rewarding experiences, knowing that she played a small part in helping these individuals grow and develop into successful members of the very same community.

“Educating the people is what we need to do to make it better, knowledge isn’t always learned in the school.” This is one of the most important secrets to a better future, according to Polo.   

During this wild ride of a life she moved to Toronto, NYC, Boca Raton, North Carolina and finally settled in Rochester.   Maria had previously obtained her bachelor’s degree in computer science and spent several years working in the accounting field for the Caja Agraria Bank in Bogota, Colombia.  After moving to Rochester, she went to SUNY Brockport and earned her Bachelor’s in education and was an assistant Spanish teacher in the Rochester area. Maria has also obtained her certification in medical massage therapy.  She has overcome some major tragedies in her life in recent years as well, which just goes to prove how strong this woman truly is.  In 2017 she was in a terrible car accident and was struck by an on-coming car.  Suffering from a traumatic brain injury, among many other injuries, she was in a coma for over a month, and upon waking was unable to talk or walk.  She was told that her chances of walking and talking again were almost non-existent.  But shockingly enough, with the help of her family, and some friends made through her missions, she has beat those odds!  Not long after, in December 2021, tragedy struck again.  She had a house fire and lost everything.  Coming home from work early one day, she found her home filled with smoke.  Knowing her dogs were inside, Maria selflessly entered the home to save the animals, getting all three out to safety.  Unfortunately, most of her prized possessions from her many trips were lost in the fire.  Pictures, logs, keepsakes, etc. were gone.  This has made it difficult for her to keep track of her experiences and her past missions.  Fortunately, her son and daughter help her keep her memories alive.  She has told her children about her missions over the years “so many times that they roll their eyes when I start to talk about them!”. 

Today Maria can be found spending her time at one of the Rochester area blood donor centers volunteering as a Donor Ambassador.  She is also going back to school at the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Osher Lifelong Learning Center to continue her education.  She is currently studying Medical Ethics, Topics in Modern Cognitive Science, Climate Change & Global Warming, and also has an interest in natural and alternative medicine, preventive medicine and mysteries of the mind.  You can usually find her at different parks in the area with her dogs enjoying the outdoors, and at the YMCA most mornings taking part in various exercise classes, and staying healthy and in shape, (she used to run marathons!)  

Over the years, Maria has had so many wonderful learning experiences and met so many people, the extreme gratitude for the life of service that she has lived is clearly evident when she recalls her Red Cross work.  The hundreds, if not thousands, of people with whom she has interacted are grateful for the energy, knowledge and compassion she has shared as well.

Jodi Zielinski, Communications Volunteer, American Red Cross of Western New York

Spurred by the onset of the pandemic, Rochester blood researcher starts a new donation tradition

The days and weeks that followed the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 were filled with uncertainty. The day-to-day routines to which we’d been accustomed coming to a standstill as the world all but shut down as it eagerly awaited answers.

Educators and employers alike switched to virtual formats, forced to reassess the way in which they served the public with little notice. The American Red Cross and its partners were no exception. Like many organizations, we had to pivot in the wake of these changes both internally and externally to continue our mission-driven work of delivering help and hope, while maintaining a safe environment for our volunteer workforce and the people we are proud to serve.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the Red Cross has experienced about a 10 percent drop in the number of blood donors and a 62 percent drop in blood drives at local schools and colleges, further contributing to what is now a crisis-level blood shortage nationwide. As a result, the nation’s blood supply levels are at their lowest levels in more than a decade. To add to that challenge, locally in 2021 alone, the number of first-time blood donors in our region dropped by more than 34 percent – largely due to the pandemic.

And then there’s Paul Kingsley.

For the Rochester native, the uncertainties, particularly in the early days of the pandemic, seemed to have had the opposite effect.

“I was an occasional donor and hadn’t given for a while. But then I saw something on the media in April or May [of 2020]. Everything was shut down, people were working from home, unemployment was soaring. I was working from home at the time, and they said there’s still a desperate need for blood and they talked about how the bandwidth for donors was smaller. But they went through some of the protections in place to protect them and I decided, I think May of 2020, to donate blood and promote it on Twitter and Facebook to let people know – hey, yes, everything is risky these days, but this is something you can do to actually help people. Blood is the gift of life, so I chose to give.”

Kingsley should know better than anyone. Given his line of work with the University of Rochester for more than 30 years, he has a unique perspective on the benefits of blood donation. Not to mention that his decision to share with others on social media pays off. We first connected, after he tweeted some words of encouragement to potential donors; along with a brief personal background on his decision to donate.

“I'm a research scientist at the University of Rochester Medical Center and I work on blood cell development, including red blood cell development and being in a clinical department, in the Department of Pediatrics, I'm well aware of patients who have various anemias, like sickle cell anemia, how important red cells are – and also for people with cancer, especially kids with cancer. How important transfusions are.”

Nearly two years on from the onset of the pandemic, the ability to supply the lifesaving blood needed to treat those patients in need has never been under greater threat. A number of factors including COVID, winter weather and others have continued to impact the nation’s blood inventory with fewer donations leading to a less than day’s supply of critical blood types in recent weeks and donors like Kingsley are the only source.

“I give probably every eight weeks,” he explained. “Whenever they send me the notice I say ‘Ok, I’ll schedule.’ So I’ve become a more frequent donor and try to make up for people who can’t give or might be concerned about giving.”

But it’s also become more than that for the researcher whose continued penchant for blood donation also began as a way to honor his father’s legacy of donating, through his regular appointments he now makes a point of honoring others.

“There are drives to honor or to recognize people who may have passed on, so sometimes I’ll look and see what’s available. I’ve done that a number of times or made an effort to go to a different place than I normally do just to see the people who show up there and to help to recognize that person and participate.”

Just like Paul, you can participate and make a difference by making an appointment to donate in the days and weeks to come by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor app.

Meg Rossman, Regional Communications Manager, American Red Cross of WNY

After 60 years of volunteering, married DAT responders have no plans to slow down

Elizabeth Shook has been volunteering with the American Red Cross since she was 16 years old.

“My mother sort of dragged me into it to start with. So, it was a family thing,” she explained.

She started out as a water safety instructor before moving to training services, instructing others on CPR and First Aid. When getting down on the floor became too much, she made the transition to Disaster Cycle Services assisting with casework following disasters like home fires and then made the move to staff services.

In total, that “family thing” has spanned 60 years.

About ten years into it, she met and married her husband Bob who she then proceeded to “drag into it.”

“When I started, Beth always needed an extra person to make the class roster when she was teaching, so I ended up getting a lot of training,” Bob laughed.

And you know how the old saying goes, the couple that volunteers together, stays together.

Married for 50 years, the couple based out of Allegany County have worked together on everything from Disaster Action Team (DAT) responses to major national disaster operations, highlighting the many diverse opportunities available to those looking to volunteer.

“We worked together as a DAT team very often,” Elizabeth explained. “There are a number of jobs that you can do totally remotely from home and some of them are the hardest to fill. Those volunteers who have a disability or need to operate from home are just as important to use as the people who go out. DAT dispatchers can work totally from home alongside the teams who go out.”

The couple used to responding to disasters themselves were also on the receiving end of a response early on. In 1972 Bob recalled that when 12 feet of flood water damaged the couple’s home, Red Cross volunteers just like them were on the scene to provide shelter and meals until they could repair the damage.

“We can relate to folks who have disasters.”

Reflecting on their evolving roles with the Red Cross over the years, Bob recalled one of their first DAT responses together and what it meant to them as a couple.

“One of the biggest we had was a fire in Cuba. A 15-apartment building and about 45 people impacted. I worked on ten of the cases that day. It was all taken care of in about four hours. It means a lot. You don’t get a better feeling than helping somebody.”

That feeling rings true even more so around the holidays for the couple. Recounting the Christmas they spent together volunteering in New York City in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Elizabeth led a group of volunteers, spending six months working on the operation helping to input data for more than 30,000 people impacted. Making it a family affair once again, Bob came to spend the holiday with her, both opting to use the time to help others.

“I was able to go and work as an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) driver delivering meals,” Bob explained.

“But he didn’t realize part of that was climbing 32 floors to get to some of the apartments, though!”

And 60 years later with no plans to slow down any time soon, the couple hopes their story will inspire others to make volunteering with the Red Cross in any capacity a family affair this holiday season – and beyond.

“The core of Red Cross volunteers have a certain value of humanity that they all share,” Bob explained. “Different religions, colors, ages but we are all caring people.”

“They care about people and they want to help – you can count on that,” Elizabeth smiled. “We keep going because of the people we help. There is no greater satisfaction that knowing you can enable others to pick up the threads of their lives and move forward.”

From DAT responses to local blood drives, supporting military veterans and their families to national disaster operations, you can learn more about volunteer opportunities – both in-person and virtual – here or by contacting RecruitWNY@redcross.org

 

 

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

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. 

National Volunteer Week

National Volunteer Week is April 18-24 and the American Red Cross of Western New York recognizes all of those volunteers who have continued to work tirelessly to help our neighbors in need during COVID-19.

In the Western New York region, more than 2,000 people volunteer with the Red Cross by responding to home fires and other disasters, supporting blood collections, providing emergency assistance to military families, and much more. These individuals are among the more than 300,000 volunteers who comprise more than 90% of the national Red Cross workforce.

“We are grateful for the dedication of our volunteers, whose support make a compassionate difference for our neighbors in need,” said Alan H. Turner, II, Regional CEO, American Red Cross of Western New York. “Their support during disasters and other emergencies has been more critical than ever, as families cope with increased anxiety and financial strains brought on by the pandemic.”

In the last year, American Red Cross of Western New York volunteers responded to 763 local disasters, providing relief to more than 3,800 people impacted by fire, floods and other emergencies; installed nearly 500 free smoke alarms making 1,775 homes safer; assisted more than 2,400 military families connecting them with critical services and support; trained more than 25,000 people in life-saving courses including CPR, First Aid, water safety and babysitting; collected more than 100,000 life-saving units of blood. 

The American Red Cross Western New York region is comprised of three chapters serving 26 counties – Western New York, Greater Rochester and the Southern Tier, as well as Clara Barton Chapter #1.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Become a Red Cross volunteer to help ensure families don’t face emergencies alone. Visit redcross.org/VolunteerToday to learn more, including about our most-needed volunteer positions.

• Blood donor ambassadors and transportation specialists: Blood donations are essential to the health of our communities, and blood donor ambassadors are a vital part of this work by welcoming visitors and taking their temperatures before entering Red Cross facilities and blood drives. Visitors could include potential blood donors, people seeking help, training course participants, and Red Cross employees and volunteers. We also have a high-priority need for transportation specialists to help deliver blood from our facilities to local hospitals.

• Disaster Action Team: Most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes are local home fires, which can destroy nearly everything a family owns in a matter of minutes. Partnering with local fire departments, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers connect with families by video or phone call to provide emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover.

• Volunteer from home (virtual positions): Help from the comfort of your own home through a wide range of virtual opportunities, including blood services, fundraising and development, and more.

You can also make a lifesaving difference by making a financial donation at redcross.org and, if you’re healthy and feeling well, making an appointment to donate blood at RedCrossBlood.org. Those who come to give by April 30 will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five $1,000 e-gift cards to a merchant of choice. Additional details are available at rcblood.org/Gift.