Category Archives: Homepage Posts — Other

Hero Among Us: Vacaville Volunteer Firefighter Receives Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action 

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Vincent Hayes, a 20-year-old Vacaville volunteer firefighter, with his CEPA

20-year-old Vincent Hayes, a Vacaville volunteer firefighter, was presented with the Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action (CEPA) by the American Red Cross on November 18 for his heroic actions of saving a man’s life while at “The Happiest Place on Earth” in early August of this year. 

As Vincent and his girlfriend boarded the Disneyland Railroad 30 minutes before midnight, there was a commotion that caught his attention. Another couple adjacent to the ride was laying a man down on the floor after asking if “he was ok”. 

Vincent instantly took action, hopped off the slow-moving train and ran towards the couple and the man who wasn’t ok. Once on the ground, he assessed the situation and checked for the man’s pulse. He was apneic, not breathing while unconscious, and pulseless. 

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Training the Next Generation of Babysitters

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(Back Row, L to R) Berkeley Rahn, Paula Luzardo, Natalie Malas and Eloise Green. (Front Row L to R) Trey Roost, Piper Hanson, Simone Gendreau and Molly Foster hold mannequin babies during Red Cross Babysitter’s Training course at Marinwood Community Center in San Rafael, Calif.

On a recent rainy day, a dozen young students aged 10 to 13 gathered at the Marinwood Community Center in San Rafael. The three boys and nine girls were there to learn some critical skills and earn an American Red Cross Certificate through the newly updated Babysitter’s Training course. Instructor Robyn Bruton began by asking the students, “What experience do you have with babysitting?” Hands shot into the air.

One girl offered “I have a lot of little cousins I hang out with.”

“I once held a baby!” called out one boy.

Bruton says there are “no wrong answers” to that question and that in this one-day class, students would gain the skills and confidence they needed to become successful babysitters. “Parents are always looking for babysitters, and they want someone they trust. I think this just adds an additional layer that they know their babysitter had a good foundation of training.”

This year, the Red Cross debuted a revamped Babysitter’s Training course, modernized for a new generation of young people. “The class definitely needed to be modernized,” remarks Bruton.

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Creative Collaboration Between Red Cross and Community Partners Solves Problems in a Disaster Zone 

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Local school bus drivers helped distribute food in Guam after a typhoon

After a massive typhoon hit Guam in 2023, people on the islands were struggling to feed their families. While the American Red Cross had set up a shelter to house people whose homes had been damaged, there were many people in the community who were not staying at the shelter but still needed food and water. Red Cross leaders wondered, how can we get food to the local community, when there are no street signs for navigating and we don’t have a fleet of vehicles here? Bus drivers were the answer! So, the Red Cross worked with the school district in Guam to distribute meals on school buses because the drivers knew the streets well and had transportation available already. 

After some time, Red Cross leadership was considering ending the feeding program in the community, but the volunteers in the field were concerned. They drove around to all the local bodegas and there was “nothing there” on the shelves, says Briana Taylor, Red Cross volunteer. “We went back and said, ‘You can’t stop feeding until we have food in the markets.’ People wouldn’t have had any resources to provide food for their families.” 

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From PSYOP to Public Affairs: Honoring a Veteran and Volunteer Leader

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Colonel (Retired) Larry Dietz, US Army (left) and Dr. Liz Dietz, EdD, RN (right) take a break at the Moffett Field Veterans Fair.

When Larry Dietz first walked into an American Red Cross meeting 25 years ago, he brought with him a lifetime of service, first to his country, then to his community. A decorated veteran with a distinguished career in psychological operations (PSYOP), military intelligence and law, Larry understood the power of communication and humanitarian principles. Today, as the recipient of the Red Cross Clara Barton Award, the highest honor for volunteer achievement at the chapter level, Larry’s legacy reflects both his military roots and his commitment to the Red Cross mission.

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Valley Onward and the Red Cross: Building a Culture of Preparedness in Merced County

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As floods ravaged Planada, a small community in central California’s Merced County in 2023, Valley Onward, a local community non-profit organization, deployed its resources to help the local community respond and recover. They advised local residents on how to apply for financial assistance and led community discussions on where to find resources. As part of that process, Valley Onward applied for a grant from the California Office of Emergency Services to bolster its response to the floods and create a more resilient community in Merced County. For Valley Onward, the eventual funding it received was a pleasant surprise. It would allow Valley Onward to strengthen its mission of creating lasting changes in health, housing, education and other areas. There were more surprises to come, however. 

The Valley Onward team applied for a grant from the California Office of Emergency Services.

That is because before applying for the grant, Valley Onward began researching other emergency service organizations in Merced County. As Valley Onward project manager Joana Alfaro explains, “That’s when we first heard about the American Red Cross. We realized there were so many different ways to support and work with the Red Cross.”

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40 Pints: A Life, a Loss, and a Lifesaving Mission

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One day in April 2021, George Delaney lay in a Boston, Massachusetts hospital. He was exhausted. It had been a long four months. In January 2021, doctors diagnosed him with bladder cancer. At first, they thought it would be a “small problem,” his wife, Bridget, recounts, “but it became a big problem. Everything they tried exhausted him.”

Bridget Delaney-Messana (left) and George Delaney (right) in a vibrant garden—a reminder of their incredible journey together.

During his treatment, blood transfusions were his lifeline and an important source of relief. The tumor made George bleed profusely. It tired him and “made him incredibly anemic,” says Bridget. Blood transfusions were “his survival for many months. It was the only way he got relief and energy.”

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