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. 

Finger Lakes Couple Estimates They've Donated Blood 180 Times - Each

As the sun has set on another Red Cross month, it is important to reflect on the people and connections that allow the Red Cross to fulfill its lifesaving mission. 

It's likely you've heard the story. In a tradition first begun in 1943 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, presidents ever since have declared March as American Red Cross Month. It is a time when the Red Cross honors the volunteers who make up 90% of its workforce in order to fulfill a wide range of routine as well as sudden needs that are each in their own way very important to those the Red Cross serves.   

But so often we forget that carrying out such tasks involve a number of partnerships.  

Some of the partnerships are formal, like those surrounding agreements with facilities that can be counted on for setting up emergency shelters when severe emergencies leave people without a place to sleep or something to eat as they plan out their next steps. Others are less formal like those agreements with clubs or churches that provide space where a blood drive can be held.

In a way, the partnership Jay and Joan Hohmann have combines some of these features in a rare and very special way. For not only are they life partners, but when they’re not traveling or enjoying outdoor activities like hiking, biking, or skiing, for well over 40 years they have also made it a point to donate blood together.

As we mark National Volunteer month this April, it is fitting that we spotlight heroes like the Hohmann's who truly embody the spirit of volunteerism and the mission of the Red Cross all year long.

So much so that Jay estimates that they have now each donated blood 180 times.

Longtime residents of the Finger Lakes region, the Hohmann’s have further connections to Red Cross blood services beyond just being champion donors. A former employer of Mr. Hohmann was known to hold blood drives twice a year, and in addition to being active with Honeoye Community blood drives, Mrs. Hohmann went on to chair their blood drive herself for many years. Remarkably, Mrs. Hohmann confides that as both her sister and she have received blood transfusions she knows firsthand how critically important Red Cross blood services really are.

It's important to remember that the need for blood is constant, and volunteer donors like the Hohmann's are the only source for those in need. This National Volunteer Month, the Red Cross recognizes volunteers like the Hohmann's who help to fulfill its lifesaving mission and invite others to get involved.

Each year, nearly 2.6 million people donate blood and platelets through the Red Cross. Donating is a simple way to volunteer and help make a life-changing difference right here in our community. 

But it doesn't end there. 

You can support the Red Cross by volunteering at a blood drive, teaching lifesaving skills like first aid and CPR, responding to an emergency like a home fire, volunteering at our local VA hospital and more. However you feel called to serve, it's likely you'll find a home at the Red Cross. 

Story by: Robert Eurich, Red Cross of WNY Communications Volunteer

Making an Impact: How One Mental Health Volunteer is Making a Difference During the Pandemic

Throughout Red Cross Month we are spotlighting those volunteers within the Western New York region who help to make a difference in our community and truly define the humanitarian spirit that shapes the mission of the American Red Cross.

As we mark one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Allison Keller and her extraordinary work as a Disaster Mental Health volunteer showcase the importance of mental health services and human connection and her efforts are one of many reasons why the Red Cross has been able to fulfill its mission in the face of a global pandemic.

For Keller, her volunteer journey began in 2014 when she was looking for opportunities to give back to her new community following a move from Rochester. Originally starting out in Disaster Relief, Keller continued to look for ways to utilize her skills as a school psychologist and eventually made the transition to Mental Health Services.

Shortly after COVID-19 hit last year, her first assignment in Disaster Mental Health was with a start-up pilot group, where she offered phone calls of support and resources to families who were impacted by COVID-19. 

At that time, Keller like many others, didn’t know what to expect.

“We respond to disasters all the time, but in this case it was a worldwide disaster,” she recalled. “People would need face masks just to go outside their homes, but nobody had face masks. So what were they supposed to do? It was hard that they couldn’t go anywhere without the masks.”

These days, Keller says it can be a challenge to create connections with those around us while social distancing for our own safety. For Keller and her fellow volunteers, though, those efforts have and continue to make a difference. Since the onset of the pandemic, licensed mental health and spiritual care volunteers like Keller have provided emotional support, psychological first aid and referrals to community resources. In total, they have made more than 53,000 mental health and spiritual care contacts to help people during disasters. Additionally, trained volunteers continue to provide free crisis counseling through the Virtual Family Assistance Center, which offers support to grieving families during COVID-19.

Keller is quick to remind those she encounters that their emotional and mental wellbeing is equally as important as our physical health. In the COVID era, staying safe and dealing with our new normal can be stressful. It’s Red Cross volunteers like Allison Keller who can be a shoulder to lean on during these challenging times. 

If you were inspired by Allison’s story and would like to learn about ways you can make a difference and volunteer in your community visit RedCross.org. 

Story by: Maggie Wurth, American Red Cross 

Called to Action: Celebrating the Volunteerism and Retirement of Mr. Herbert Wolfe

Hurricane Katrina marked the largest sheltering operation in Red Cross history. In the midst of the disaster, the Red Cross opened nearly 1,400 evacuation shelters in 27 states. Within five days of Katrina making landfall in the U.S., the Red Cross served nearly one million meals in a single day. 

Hundreds of miles away from his home in Rochester, Herbert Wolfe watched the devastation and unwavering dedication of Red Cross volunteers in times of disaster. It was then that he embarked on a nearly 15-year journey as a Red Cross volunteer.

Over the years his roles have varied, but his support of the mission and the people he was called to assist remained unchanged. Mr. Wolfe started out as a general volunteer, dabbled in Shelter Management and Disaster Assessment until his most recent role as Leader for the Disaster Assessment Team (DA).

Reflecting on his service, Herb recounted many memorable moments but emphasized his love for deployments in Disaster Assessment.

“I got the most satisfaction working in DA. Being able to be on the ground collecting data and working with other Service delivery areas was always a challenge and rewarding,” Wolfe said. Referring to it as an “intelligence arm for the Red Cross,” this team gets deployed to a disaster to assess how big and how wide a disaster is, by going house to house and recording the damage on an app which the entire DA Team has access to in real time.  

Upon asking Mr. Wolfe his proudest achievement, he didn’t hesitate.

“When we were able to set up a DA Core Team. The initial goal of this team was to train all our DA staff before they were deployed and to look at ways to improve the technology for DA. We had several very successful weekend training sessions that helped anyone from our area deploying," Herb said. "I cannot claim the credit for all this, as it would not have happened without the guidance and leadership of Sarah Perkins.”  

This is Herb’s Red Cross Story. This Red Cross Month, we are proud to celebrate him and all of our volunteers who provide critical services to our community in times of need. Whether its joining our Disaster Action Team (DAT), volunteering at a local blood drive or taking on a virtual volunteer position in the age of COVID, volunteers like Herb make up 90% of the Red Cross workforce.

And as he embarks on a new journey, which includes volunteering at his local church food bank and plenty of “Grandpa Camp” this summer, he happily offered up some advice to new volunteers.

“There is always someone needing a helping hand. Have patience and be a little proactive when starting. Once you are trained in a specialty, you will then start to enjoy the feeling of being part of a great organization.”

A great organization thanks to volunteers like you, Mr. Wolfe.

On behalf of everyone at the American Red Cross, we wish you a long and healthy retirement.  Enjoy your next adventure!

Story by Holly Gassler, American Red Cross