Author Archives: Marcia Antipa

Pay It Forward

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“I truly feel honored to share my story to maybe help just one person!”

Kathie Reinholds of Brentwood is a big believer in “paying it forward.” More than 50 years ago, as a teenager in Hayward, she won an award for her volunteer work with the American Red Cross. Decades later, the Red Cross was able to pay Kathie back for her selfless work – not once, but twice!

Kathie’s home in Paradise, Calif., before it was destroyed by the Camp Fire in 2018.

On November 8, 2018, Kathie was sound asleep in her home in Paradise, California. She lived alone, having lost her husband Gary four years earlier. What happened to her that morning is what she calls “a story and a half.”

“Something woke me up and I thought it was the middle of the night,” says Kathie.  “I looked at my phone and it was 8 a.m. Normally I would roll over, but something pushed me up. I like to think it was my husband, my guardian angel.”

Kathie ran outside and found a strange scene.

The eerie glow from the Camp Fire on the morning of November 8, 2018.

“I was up on a hill and overlooked everything.  It was the weirdest red sky.  I thought it was a cool sunrise.”

What she saw was the smoke and flames from the Camp Fire, which raced through Paradise that morning, killing 85 people and destroying much of the town.

“We had no system in place to learn that there was a fire. All the emergency towers burned down; it just spread so fast.”

Kathie credits a neighbor for saving her life.

“She called me and said, ‘Get out now, kiddo!’”

Kathie managed to throw a few things into her car but could not find her cat and had to leave her behind. She drove through the burning town, sitting in gridlock, then on to Chico, Sacramento, and finally Lodi, where she met up with her grown children.

The burnt remains of Kathie’s Paradise home.

Kathie was able to return to Paradise the following month but found her home had burned to the ground and her cat had disappeared. 

“It was horrible,” she says, choking up. “That same month I almost died. I had a heart attack. I think I’m on maybe my fourth life,” Kathie says, laughing through her tears.   “I don’t know how many ‘Get Out of Jail’ cards I get but I’ve used quite a few!”

Kathie says she received financial help from FEMA and from the Red Cross. “They also had a table for travel-sized personal needs that became a staple in part of my many trips to Paradise and recreating my life.”

Kathie finally was able to create that new life for herself at a mobile home park in Brentwood in Contra Costa County. “I couch surfed for several months and moved five times before I landed the house in Brentwood. This experience either makes you humble and grateful or angry. I choose humble!”

Red Cross volunteers installing free smoke alarms in Kathie’s Brentwood community.

Five years after that devastating wildfire, Kathie once again connected with the American Red Cross.  Volunteers with the Red Cross Sound the Alarm program came to her mobile home park this April to install free smoke alarms for residents.

Kathie says, “I was so thrilled.  My ceilings are really high.  I’m thinking, ‘how I am I going to do this?’”

The volunteer crews put in several new smoke alarms in her home.  When they learned she was hard of hearing, they arranged for another crew to return and install a “bed shaker” alarm.  This specialized device includes a vibrating pad that can be placed under a pillow or mattress.  The bed shaker connects to other alarms in a home and features a strobe light that can rouse people who are deaf or hard of hearing.   

Now, Kathie tells us she feels much safer in her new home.  “Oh yes, absolutely!  I know at any time, anything can happen, when you least expect it, I know it.  I will be forever grateful to the Red Cross.”

Kathie still believes in the Red Cross values she learned in high school and the lessons from the Camp Fire.  “I have a ‘pay it forward closet.’  That closet contains a rotating supply of pots, pans, linens and other items for people in need.  “Everyone should have one!”

To learn more about preparing for a home or wildfire, visit redcross.org/prepare.

The Difference Between Life and Death. San Francisco Office Workers Learn Lifesaving Red Cross Skills 

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Jen Bottalico, Manager at Alex. Brown San Francisco, practices chest compressions.
Photo by Marcia Antipa / American Red Cross

One recent afternoon high up inside a San Francisco skyscraper, the sounds of “Are you alright?” and “Clear!” rang out.  Red Cross CPR manikins lay between the office desks, with a dozen office workers kneeling beside them practicing chest compressions. These employees of Alex.Brown, a division of Raymond James*, were learning the basics of lifesaving first aid measures. 

Officer Manager Jennifer Bottalico and Branch Administrative Manager Cheryl Fox arranged the training through the local Red Cross office. “We decided we wanted to try to do everything we could to kind of protect our employees because we view them as family.  So, for us, it’s just that we wanted to be able to go back to them and say if we ever had an incident that we did everything that we absolutely could,” they said. 

Cheryl Fox said she and Bottalico were inspired to take steps after a colleague in another office suffered a medical emergency.  The frightening on-field cardiac arrest of Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin also drove home the need to be prepared. 

“It was scary, because I don’t think you ever think somebody of his age, that that’s going to happen to somebody that’s 20-something years old. Very scary,” she said.  

Instructor Thom Volz of VCT services, a strategic partner with the Red Cross, started the class with a pep talk.  

“Know where the first aid kits are in the places we travel to regularly, so we can get this response going, know where the AED kits are,” he said. Volz also told the class it can typically take ten minutes for first responders to arrive, so it’s important to be prepared with the equipment and skills needed to save a life. 

Volz divided the class into teams of three people, who practiced CPR on the manikins. 
“We’re trying to build habits right now,” Volz told the class, “So arms locked out, lean over the person to give compressions; one cycle of CPR for adults.” 

The team of Alex.Brown in San Francisco practicing CPR and AED use. Photo by Marcia Antipa / American Red Cross

Then the teams learned to use an AED, or automated external defibrillator, a device that analyzes the victim’s heart rhythm, and, if needed, delivers a shock to restore the normal heartbeat. 

Office Manager Bottalico says after she took a Red Cross training class, she received approval from their head office to buy an AED for the San Francisco branch. 

“If somebody’s not breathing it’s a matter of seconds, so I think the investment into an AED for the office – hopefully we never have to use it – the investment is worth it. We worked with our counterparts at Raymond James …and they didn’t hesitate.” 

The teams also learned how to save the life of a person who is choking.  Office members Renee Sessa and Samantha Hsu teamed up to practice chest thrusts. For Sessa, a frightening incident that almost took a friend’s life convinced her to take this class. 

“He was 60 and he went into cardiac arrest and luckily there was somebody that was trained and was able to immediately administer CPR to him and saved his life.” 

Renee says she wants to be able to do the same for a family member or co-worker. “I hope to be able to…save someone’s life or help save someone’s life in the event of an emergency.” 

Office Manager Bottalico says the class was a success. “We can always tell by the level of questions that are asked by the team how much they are paying attention,” she says, laughing. “They all were engaged today so I think everyone realizes the value of it. People realize that sometimes it’s going to be up to them.” 

If you would like to learn lifesaving skills, or to arrange a class for your office or organization, visit https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class   

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*Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC 
*Raymond James & Associates, Inc., is not affiliated with any of the above outside organizations. 

When Home is a Parking Lot 

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Red Cross Volunteers Bring Hot Meals to RV Campers  
Dave Martin gets hot meals from Red Cross volunteers. Photo by Marcia Antipa/American Red Cross


“They tell you to get out and that’s it.” 

Dave Martin and a few dozen other RV Campers have sought refuge in a rain-drenched parking lot in Hollister during the recent California storms.  All of them were forced to evacuate RV campgrounds in the area when the floodwaters rose and threatened to swamp their vehicles. 

Robin Lewis also brought his camper to this lot after a harrowing few days seeking a safe haven. 

“We stayed by the side of the road for a few days, went to another place, came here, and we’re worried about where we’re going to head to next.” 

Mario Garcia at the Red Cross response vehicle. Photo by Marcia Antipa

Then, the American Red Cross arrived with hot food and two friendly faces:  volunteers Roberta Jones of Silver Creek, Washington, and Felix Rodriguez of Madera, California.  The two dished out meals, snacks and bottled water from inside an Emergency Response Vehicle.   

“It’s great,” said Robin Lewis after picking up a few meals. “There’s a need for help here, not just us, there’s a lot of people. We’re way better off than a lot of people, for sure.” 

Red Cross volunteer Roberta Jones. Photo by Marcia Antipa

Camper Mario Garcia accepted his meals with a big smile, and brought food to another camper, who he said was too shy to accept food. Mario says he makes the most of what could be a dreary experience. He even plans to attend a “Learn to Salsa Dance” event at a Hollister dance club. 

Volunteers Roberta Jones and Felix Rodriguez get a little choked up when asked why they volunteer with the Red Cross during a disaster. The reason, Jones says, is simple. 

“The people. Everyone is so grateful, and that’s why I do this, because they are just so grateful. Don’t make me cry,” she says, laughing. 

The Red Cross needs more volunteers like Roberta and Felix. If you would like to help, please visit redcross.org/volunteer. 

The Heart of the Mission: Red Cross Volunteers Assess California Storm Damage

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Story and Photos by Marcia Antipa, Public Affairs Volunteer

Joe Baldi and Dianna Soula inspect damaged Marin County building
Photo by Marcia Antipa / American Red Cross volunteer

After weeks of heavy rain and high winds, the sun has come out again in California. However, the American Red Cross disaster response continues. More than 800 trained Red Cross volunteers from nearly all 50 states have been supporting people in the affected communities. Eighty shelters were opened during the disaster, and the Red Cross, working with community partners, distributed thousands of meals and relief items such as comfort kits and cleaning supplies. Now, as people slowly move toward recovery, volunteer Red Cross Disaster Assessment Teams are spreading out through storm-ravaged communities, taking stock of damage to homes.

“The assessment gives us information on the homes that were destroyed or had major damage,” says DA volunteer Joe Baldi of Sacramento.

Baldi and fellow volunteer Dianna Soula of Lancaster, Ohio recently visited an apartment complex in Marin County, California.  During the heavy rains, a mud-soaked hillside slammed into one of the buildings, making it uninhabitable. The two walked through thick mud to view the home, then documented the damage using guidelines from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). That information helps the Red Cross and its partner agencies provide assistance for those displaced by the disaster.

Al Gharibian and Howard Wilkens doing Disaster Assessment in Guerneville
Photo by Marcia Antipa /
American Red Cross

Right now, more than a dozen of Disaster Assessment teams have “boots on the ground” in California. Volunteers Howard Wilkens of Kansas City, MO and Alan Gharibian of Glendale, CA, took a preliminary Disaster Assessment tour of the Sonoma County town of Guerneville along the Russian River. After days of heavy rain, the river was swollen, muddy and threatening to crest its banks. The two men visited the Guerneville Fire Department to get information on which neighborhoods were hardest hit. Wilkens, who has deployed for the Red Cross to 30 disasters across the country in five years, explains just some of the damage they look for after a storm.

“For example, we look for water lines on the side of the house, broken joists on the roof decking, or homes where the winds have blown off the siding or the roof shingles.”

Alan Gharibian recently deployed to Hurricanes Nicole and Ian in Florida. He says the devastation and the suffering in the wake of the hurricanes was “heartbreaking, to say the least.” But he says he is happy to volunteer again, using his 37 years of experience in the insurance business to help assess the damage in California.

Ultimately, Disaster Assessment volunteers are the heart of the Red Cross mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.

“It’s the Red Cross’s goal to assist them in any way they can,” says Dianna Soula, “to get them into a recovery state, someplace where they’re safe, have comforts and feeding, and medication that they needed, and just try to get their life back on track as quickly as we can.”

To find out how you can help those hit by the California storms, visit redcross.org.

Shelter from the Storm

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“You feel good. You’re glad to do something.”

John Sternberg

Volunteer John Sternberg flew to California from Kentucky to help with the Red Cross response to the powerful storms and flooding. John joined other Red Crossers to help set up a shelter at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. He also welcomed new shelter clients and got them settled in with a cot and a blanket.

“We’ve met everybody in the shelter here. I’ve talked with them and dealt with them.” Volunteers are available to listen to evacuees’ experiences and help them begin to recover and process the experience they went through.

Volunteer Andy Witthohn of Santa Rosa also is working in the shelter. He and his wife Betsy first volunteered with the Red Cross in 2017 when the devastating Tubbs fire swept through Sonoma County.

“There was a disaster headquarters and we walked in and said ‘what can we do?’”

Andy sorted clothing, drove supply trucks and distributed food and cleanup kits to fire-ravaged neighborhoods.

“It was very tough. Friends of mine lost their homes. It was very difficult.”

Now during the California floods, Betsy is working at Disaster Headquarters while Andy is in the Santa Rosa shelter, serving up food with a smile and friendly conversation. The people staying in the shelter say they are thankful for people like John and Andy.

“Amazing. I’m very grateful,” says Erick Langbehn. “I just needed someplace to get out of the rain for a little bit. I can’t sleep in my car. It’s a Challenger so that’d be a little hard he says, laughing. “If this wasn’t here, then I don’t know what I’d do.”

Wajeeda Curtiss of Guerneville is staying in the shelter with her teenaged son. Her apartment building sits safely above the Russian River, but they lost power days ago. “We stayed in a hotel a couple of nights but I didn’t want to use up my money for a hotel, so I decided to just come here.”

Wajeeda says she has been homeless in the past, and that she is grateful for this temporary home with the Red Cross. “Just be thankful for what you do have. The food here’s good. I can’t complain. I like that they always have water and snacks, something available.”

Everyone is welcome to take refuge inside the Red Cross shelters, as the storms continue to pound the region.

To find a shelter, or to learn how you can help those hit hard by the rain and floods, visit redcross.org, or call 1-800-REDCROSS.

“A Sweet and Honorable Legacy”

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How the tragic loss of their daughter inspired Dennis and Virgie Roy to volunteer for the Red Cross

The Roy Family

“I feel so grateful and blessed that God gave us a daughter like that, so I said I will continue what she started.  She had a big heart.”

Virgie Roy is talking about her daughter, Patricia.  On August 4, 2017, just three days after her 22nd birthday, Patricia Roy died in a car accident.  An Airman First Class and Cargo Specialist at Travis Air Force Base, Patricia had plans to become a nurse, following in her mother’s footsteps.

Virgie and Dennis Roy say their daughter was a leader and a shining light in her workplace, the 60th Aerial Port Squadron (APS).

“Every time I would visit her workplace, her colleagues would say, ‘Oh we haven’t seen your daughter angry,’” says Virgie.  “She’s always smiling, even if she’s busy and then if there’s a staff who is not happy, my daughter would just approach her and say ‘are you ok?  Do you need some prayers?’“

Dennis Roy says those memories of his daughter prompted him to sign up to volunteer for the Red Cross in 2020.

Dennis Roy on assignment with the Red Cross.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Roy

“I got inspired by a lot of testimonies coming from the colleagues of Patricia, those virtues of being kind-hearted, service-oriented.”

The Roy family came to the United States from the Philippines in 2014, when Virgie was accepted into a program for foreign-trained nurses.

They were excited for their daughter and two sons to grow up in the U.S.

For Virgie, becoming a nurse was a natural step.  Her mother is a doctor in the Philippines, and a Red Cross volunteer.  Virgie worked in her mother’s medical clinic and joined in those volunteer missions.

“Since grade school, high school, I was already involved in this,” laughs Virgie.  “I’m holding the first aid kit (laughing), I’m doing the vital signs, I was young then but I could do some of the easy jobs.”

Now, Virgie works in the Surgery Center at David Grant Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. 

“The 60th APS, the squadron of my daughter, became our second family.  So I said I think it will give me comfort if I can see some of her colleagues.”

Dennis works in a skilled nursing facility, supervising the clinical documentation, and assisting the Director of Nursing.  He also donates his time to the Red Cross.

“When we came here in the U.S. our orientation was mainly focused on material opportunities, which is basically human nature.  We wanted to have a house like this, we wanted travel, we wanted to acquire cars, etc.” 

He says the loss of his daughter changed his perspective.

“It made me think to follow that kind of legacy, I should probably give back to communities that have given us so much.”

Last year, Virgie joined Dennis in volunteering for the Red Cross. This year, she walked in the Veterans Day Parade in Fairfield, handing out thank you cards to veterans.

Virgie Roy (right) with Red Cross Regional Service to the Armed Forces Director Nikki Rowe at San Francisco Fleet Week in October 2022.
Photo by Nanette Shamieh/American Red Cross

“It’s really heart-warming.  I was smiling all throughout, waving and saying ‘thank you for your service, sir,’ and you know, you can see their smiles, they’re also very happy that we appreciate their service.”

Dennis and Virgie both also volunteered with the Red Cross during San Francisco’s Fleet Week in 2022, demonstrating CPR and basic life support.  They’ve also helped out at the Air Show at Travis AFB.  Now, they’ve become informal “recruiters,” encouraging others to join the Red Cross:

“Some of my colleagues at work want to volunteer with the Red Cross.  You know, when you post something on Facebook and they see your pictures, they say, ‘hey, how did you do that?’  So we tell them, you simply go to the Red Cross website and register yourself.  It’s easy!”

Now Dennis is applying to nursing school in his daughter’s memory.

“Her hard work and sacrifices really inspired me to push through in pursuing her aspirations.”

The Roys also volunteer with the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces team at Travis AFB, where they feel a special connection.  Every year, they celebrate Patricia’s birthday with her former squadron, and this year, the base named the lobby of the 60th APS Squadron The Patricia Roy Memorial Gateway.

“We are so extremely grateful for all these wonderful opportunities that Red Cross has given to us,” says Dennis, “and for being able to pursue a kind of sweet and honorable legacy of doing service for our community members.”

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