Military Awareness Month: Army Officer Making a Global Impact from WNY

It’s quite possible that service runs through Joel Smith’s veins.

“My dad was the Disaster Chairman for the Red Cross in West Virginia. There was always a lot of flooding so literally as an 8-year-old kid, I had a Red Cross hardhat which I thought was the coolest thing. My dad would be coordinating these responses and I would always tag along with him.”

The West Virginia native would tag along on responses with his father well into his teenage years, something that helped to shape his philosophy on life as an adult.

“I was raised in a household where we were literally taught that we’re here to serve, not be served. And as a young kid, that’s really annoying,” Smith laughed. “But I found as an adult that if you can maintain an attitude of ‘I’m here to serve’ it improves your every day, because on the days where you’re feeling sorry for yourself, you stop when you take care of somebody else.” 

The family motto seems to have stuck with him. Now an Army Major with the 328^th Combat and Operational Stress Control unit, Smith has dedicated his life to serving his country and community. As a Behavioral Health Officer, Smith provides support to members of the military, often embedding with combat arms units on the frontlines.

At one point providing support to 3,000 soldiers in what he described as a “hot spot,” Smith explained their needs range from discussing combat events to more personal matters like a breakup or even a family emergency.

“As a behavioral health officer, it was really common for a unit to get a Red Cross message for one of their soldiers. They would end up bringing that person to me, or I would go out to them. I saw that interaction frequently and it was never good.”

The American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) provides assistance to members of the military on active duty, connecting with the individual’s unit if there is an emergency at home and helping to coordinate transportation and financial assistance when needed.

In 2008, Smith and his family were on the receiving end of one of those calls.

“It was significant. My oldest son was in basic training and my father passed away. We needed to use the Red Cross to get that message to him and start the process. In a time of crisis, it was the best.”

That’s why Smith was excited for his “full-circle” moment with the American Red Cross of Western New York, explaining that he jumped at the chance to join the Service to the Armed Forces committee when asked just a few years later.

“One thing we do very well in the military is take care of each other. That’s our whole focus. We tell people you’ll never be alone, and I really think that’s what our Service to the Armed Forces committee embodies.”  

Even while on deployment, Smith makes sure to stay connected with the committee. While on location in remote areas overseas, Smith and the committee, helped to address the needs of multiple units, fulfilling a request for something as simple as quality work gloves for a maintenance unit and coffee for another.

“The SAF committee had a direct impact,” he explained. “I was really humbled. It’s just very rewarding that you can contribute at a local level and have a global impact.”

It’s an impact he regularly encourages others to make, particularly civilians who might not be aware of the Red Cross resources available to veterans and military families.

“The level of sacrifice when you’re in the military,” he explained. “It’s so noble in our own communities to take care of our veterans or family members of those who are serving, because they are the ones who really sacrifice.”

He concluded with that all too familiar motto he was raised on years ago.

“The more you give, the more you get back.”

The month of May is Military Appreciation Month, the American Red Cross is inviting people around the country to turn ‘Thank you for your service’ into action. For those with a military background or just a heart for military and veteran communities, you can learn more about ways to volunteer and support Service to the Armed Forces by visiting www.redcross.org/saf.

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