Turning White Elephants Into Angels
By Larry Dietz, Public Affairs Officer
All of us have been to the Holiday Party where you are asked to bring a “White Elephant” or modestly priced gift to exchange. When your number is called, you dread walking over to the pile of gifts and picking what you are sure will be something you would never buy for yourself and would more than likely end up at your local second-hand store.
Dr. Charles Renner and his wife, Susan, of Concord decided to do something different this year. They had been following reports of the devastation of the Camp Fire. While neither they nor their families were personally affected, they felt a kinship with those who were. “I just imagined myself in their shoes,” Susanne said. Read more
During the devastating Northern California fires this past October, every person who fled their homes — and in many cases, lost them — has a story to tell. So do the many Red Cross people who heroically stepped up to help in response to one of the most destructive weeks of fires in the state’s history.
American Red Cross volunteer Sierra Marcelius received the Gene Beck Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award in June of this year. When asked what the award meant to her on a personal level, Sierra reflects, “At the time it didn’t mean a lot; I didn’t do this to get an award. But now that I’ve left, it means a great deal. The people that I worked with thought I did a good job and valued my contribution to the team.” 
The Rodriguez family hadn’t even finished unpacking their apartment on Barnes Street in Middletown less than a week after they moved in.
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