Emergencies don’t wait for the perfect moment.
They can happen without warning, in the middle of an ordinary day, at home, surrounded by family.
But what happens next often depends on one thing: whether someone nearby knows what to do.
For Edward Kuan, that moment came unexpectedly. At just 15 years old, his actions made the difference between life and death.
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Being called to assist those whose lives have been upended by a natural disaster is not only an opportunity to provide aid and service. A deployment is also a unique opportunity for cultural exchange, and Laura Hovden’s deployment to Alaska in the wake of Typhoon Halong in October 2025 was a testament to that.
Laura first got involved in local disaster management volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross in 2014. Once her children left home for college, she left her own backyard to deploy to natural disasters across the country. She focused on organizing shelters during her initial deployments, but she soon secured more responsibilities as part of the Mass Care team that manages relief operations for larger natural disasters.
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“You’re on the water. You’ve got wildlife out your window. You’ve got the sun playing off the water.”
That’s how Flo Hoylman describes living aboard a houseboat in Sausalito, Calif., just north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. But Flo, who serves on the board of the Sausalito Floating Homes Association, knows she and her neighbors on the water are just as susceptible to fires as any other Californians.
“We still burn. And if there was a fire, like there was in Santa Rosa, the embers would come down on us, too.”
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The 2026 Red Cross Gala recently brought community leaders, volunteers and supporters together at The Conservatory at One Sansome in San Francisco, Calif. to raise support for American Red Cross preparedness, response and recovery programs. The evening paid tribute to three remarkable honorees whose actions exemplify humanitarian service and advance the organization’s mission.
Amongst the night’s inspiring moments at the Gala was when Malik Osman, a senior at Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, received the Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders. The award is one of the highest distinctions awarded by the Red Cross and recognizes individuals who use lifesaving skills and knowledge in emergencies to save or sustain a life.
Malik was working as a lifeguard at a youth soccer pool party last summer. Having recently completed his Red Cross lifeguard training, Malik was keeping watch over the swimmers when he noticed a young boy struggling in the deep end of the pool.
Most of the children had left the water to play basketball, but two younger kids remained in the pool. When a toy floated into the deep end, one boy followed it without realizing the depth. As he tried to stay afloat, Malik quickly recognized the signs of distress. The child’s arms were spread outward in what is known as the instinctive drowning response.
Without hesitation, Malik entered the water, reached the struggling child and brought him safely to the side of the pool. After lifting him onto the pool deck, Malik immediately assessed the child’s condition and began administering abdominal thrusts and CPR.
While concerned parents gathered nearby, Malik calmly asked them to step back so he could continue the rescue. He directed someone to call 9-1-1 and continued lifesaving care until the boy began coughing and showing signs of regaining consciousness.
When paramedics arrived, they commended Malik for his quick thinking and for following proper emergency protocols. Malik was just 16 years old but his swift and skilled response ultimately saved the child’s life.
“To tell you the truth, there wasn’t a lot of time to think or to be afraid,” said Malik. “When I saw him struggle, my Red Cross training just took over on autopilot. One minute I was scanning the pool, the next I was swimming. It wasn’t until the paramedics arrived and the boy was safe that the reality of what had just occurred hit me.”
Malik’s commitment to humanitarian service extends well beyond the pool. After devastating earthquakes impacted communities in Syria, the third-generation Syrian American was moved by the stories of displaced families. He ran a marathon to raise funds for the Karam Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to education, mentorship, women’s empowerment and child protection for Syrian refugees.
Malik also volunteered at the Turkey-Syria border, helping at Karam House and organizing a youth soccer camp for children in the community.
Through his dedication to preparedness, service and compassion, Malik Osman represents the goal of the Red Cross to empower individuals with the skills and confidence to act in emergencies and save lives.
“I don’t see myself as a hero. I was just in the right place at the right time, with the right preparation. And that preparation exists because of the work the Red Cross does every day to educate and empower people in our communities,” reminisced Malik. “You give ordinary people the training to act when seconds matter, and I’m so grateful I had that knowledge when it counted.”
GET TRAINED Red Cross training gives people the knowledge and skills to act in an emergency and save a life. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session) and classroom courses are available at redcross.org/takeaclass.
NOMINATE SOMEONE If you or someone you know has used skills and knowledge learned in an American Red Cross Training Services course to help save or sustain the life of another individual, visit LifesavingAwards.org to nominate, recognize, or be inspired.
Special guests recently got a rare, behind‑the‑scenes look at the American Red Cross blood processing center in San Leandro, Calif., and the visit came with some powerful reminders of why blood donation matters.
“As I am walking in today… you might not have known I have sickle cell disease,” guest speaker and sickle cell advocate Nivia Charles said as she shared her personal story. While her condition isn’t always visible, it’s far from rare: sickle cell disease is the most common genetic blood disorder in the U.S.
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The American Red Cross could not help communities recover from disasters without the help of community partners. In Chinese Camp, a historic small town outside Sonora that was devastated when a lightning-sparked fire swept through on September 2, 2025, one standout partnership included Richard and Add Beale, owners of the Chinese Camp Store.
Ten years ago, when the Beales first noticed the “for sale” sign on the run-down store and tavern on the road from Sonora to Yosemite, they could not have imagined they would be where they are today: the well-established owners of the store and serving as the Chinese Camp’s recovery hub from wildfires that destroyed 50 of the homes in a community that has only 150 residents.
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