Margot Simpson, Alameda County Volunteer of the Year
By Marcia Antipa
Margot during the Lake County fires of 2015
Margot Simpson has responded to hundreds of house and apartment fires in more than a dozen years as a Red Cross volunteer. One of those Disaster Action Team (DAT) calls happened on a summer day at a 12-unit apartment building in Oakland.
“The residents were all standing outside; they were not all friendly with each other, so it was kind of a tense situation.”
Margot acted quickly, rallying her Red Cross trainees to gather information and hand out comfort kits filled with toiletries.
“It got interesting because two of the residents almost came to blows arguing out in front of the building. I had to step up to them and say ‘Look, we’ll leave and nobody gets help if you two don’t stop.’ So they did.”
Stan Massie — recipient of the Contra Costa Volunteer of the Year Award — still has the buttons he received from completing swimming lessons with the Red Cross as a young child in San Rafael. So when he retired from the banking world in 2016, he wanted to do something that “added value to the world.” Inspired by the work done by volunteers during the 2017 Tubbs fire, he signed up to volunteer through the Red Cross website. Now he is as busy — if not busier in retirement as in his professional career.
Stan’s intake coordinator at the Red Cross pegged him for External Relations based on his corporate background. Briana Taylor, Regional Disaster Chair for the Northern California Coastal Region, served as the External Relations Lead at the time and met with Stan to discuss the commitment. Over coffee, Briana described the role with a “broad brush.” Stan said yes.
He’s been in action ever since.
“Once I got in, they pulled me into multiple positions,” Stan says. “First it was the External Relations Committee, then the Contra Costa Leadership Council, the Government Relations Committee, and then the Bay Area Board of Directors.”
Stan now sits as chairman of Contra Costa Leadership Council and still works in External Relations with elected officials and County partners.
“Last fall, I deployed for the first time and was assigned to Monterrey County to work in the Office of Emergency Services (OES),” Stan says. “My main job today is to work with partners throughout the county, fire, health, the Board of Supervisors, etc., so that when disaster strikes, we can get services quickly where needed.”
Stan is busy outside of his Red Cross work, looking after two grandchildren from time to time and attending to other family needs. And then there is the occasional game of golf.
“I like to tell people ‘just be realistic and honest about the time commitment,’” Stan says. “If you want to do [this] well, you’ll need to put in the time.
Stan hopes to recruit for the leadership positions he’s filled over the last several years. “All volunteer positions take time to fill and succession is very important to keep the continuity with our partners.
Stan says he sticks close to the Red Cross work for the same reason he signed up. “I thought volunteering would be showing up at an event or shelter. I didn’t want to do something that mimics my corporate world. But now I know I can do both.”
Hecht’s evacuated chickens and Gertie, the family dog, safely stashed in the car.
After twice evacuating her home for days during major wildfires, and living through several more evacuation warnings, you’d better believe Kathryn Hecht has a plan for the upcoming fire season.
The Sonoma County resident is a Red Cross regional communications manager whose job includes informing the public about the best ways to prepare for disasters.
She practices what she preaches.
Near her front door Hecht has stashed pet carriers and a go bag that includes clothing, important papers, emergency supplies, dog and cat food and toiletries. She has planned two driving routes out of her neighborhood, and a foot route in case those two are blocked. She subscribes to her county’s emergency notification system, Nixle, has the Red Cross emergency app on her phone, and follows local sources of emergency information on Twitter. She and her husband have agreed on two emergency meeting points in case one is unavailable.
Andy and Betsy Witthohn at a volunteer thank you event in 2018. Photo by Ritch Davidson | American Red Cross
Andy Witthohn has a long history of volunteerism and service work spanning multiple continents, industries, and community needs. Born in Bangor, ME, Andy studied in Nairobi, served in the Peace Corps in Somalia, and taught school – mostly kindergarten – for 20 years in Sonoma County. He finished his professional career advocating for teachers with the California Teachers Association.
In December 2020, he received the Gene Beck Memorial Volunteer of the Year award for his extensive efforts with the American Red Cross during the devastating Kincade Fire in 2019.
His peers were quick to gush.
“Not afraid to try new things or take on new challenges, Andy quickly became one of our most steadfast and reliable volunteers in the Napa-Sonoma Territory,” said Angela Hunt, volunteer for the Northern California Coastal Region and presenter of the award. “With his energetic spirit and constant good humor, he made short work of any project he took on, and he’s taken on quite a few. We’re so appreciative for everything he does.”
What does a rail transit employee do in his spare time? Volunteer to help others, of course. Meet Kevin Sagar, the American Red Cross Volunteer of the Year for Marin County.
Kevin is wrapping up his first year with the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, known as the SMART Train. Outside of his job, Kevin donates much of his time to the American Red Cross.
“I get enjoyment about being able to help others and make a difference in the community,” he says.
When nominating Kevin for Volunteer of the Year, Marin Disaster co-chair Anne Eichhorn wrote, “What would we do without Kevin? He is the silent backbone of Marin Red Cross.”
Kevin, a Marin County native, joined the Red Cross six years ago. The Tubbs Fire that roared through Santa Rosa in 2017 became one of his biggest deployments. He asked his boss for a leave of absence and volunteered for a month straight.
“I sort of just went at it full speed ahead and never slowed down. For about the first week, I slept at the Red Cross office because people were calling at 3:00 in the morning and saying they needed something. I think I had an order for 10,000 pairs of work gloves, and they needed them within two days.”
Since that deployment, Kevin has taken multiple Red Cross training classes and worked in many roles. Now, he is indispensable as the Logistics Lead.
Kevin explains Logistics as “everything from the facilities to the vehicles to keeping all of our trailers and shelter supplies ready to go; from office supplies to air purifiers to ordering a pallet of hand sanitizer.”
Marin Disaster Co-Chair Lois Roth says Kevin is “ready day and night when disaster strikes to deliver supplies and assist in set up. The most frequent phrase in the office is ‘Ask Kevin!’”
“He’s developed the reputation of the go-to guy, even if it’s not about Logistics,” says Vincent Valenzuela, Disaster Program Manager for Marin and Solano Counties. “It could be an I.T. issue; it could be needing a code for the closet of the office.”
Kevin also deployed to the 2014 South Napa earthquake and to Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. He says Harvey’s destructive flooding left him awestruck. Now, flooding is on his mind here in the North Bay. This year’s devastating wildfires have left Northern California’s scorched hillsides susceptible to floods.
“That’s a big project Kevin has going on right now,” says Vincent Valenzuela. “[He’s] making sure all of our trailers are up-to-date.”
Other Red Crossers say they appreciate Kevin’s patience and low-key sense of humor. Kevin says humor helps him do his job – whether at his job or volunteering.
“I’m not a very stressful person,” he grins. “Being able to find a way to smile or make a joke out of something definitely makes everything go easier.”
Congratulations to Kevin Sagar!
You too can become a Red Cross volunteer: Please consider joining the Red Cross as a volunteer so that you can help us help others during wildfires and other large disasters. For more information and/or to start your application process, please visit redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html.
Marcia Antipa is a volunteer writer with the Northern California Coastal Region.
After speaking with Dave Dorman for 30 minutes, you might wonder if he does anything else outside of the Red Cross. He’s a self-described “semi-full-time volunteer.” This same unwavering dedication earned him the Regional Volunteer of the Year Award.
While he’s officially been a proud Red Cross volunteer since 1984, Dave’s first contact with the Red Cross occurred during water safety instructor and lifeguard training in the 1950s. In the 1970s, he taught first aid and artificial respiration for his employer and discovered his Red Cross calling. He would eventually gravitate to disaster operations, and more specifically, to logistics support: acquiring, organizing, and delivering materials during a disaster.
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