Tag Archives: Bay Area

You Don’t Have to Be a Nurse to Help: Volunteer’s Story Shows There’s a Role for Everyone at the Red Cross  

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Tammy Salwasser from Alameda County thought she had to be a nurse to volunteer with the American Red Cross.   

“I first heard about it from a girlfriend of mine who was a nurse and she would deploy,” says Tammy. Her friend encouraged her to join as a volunteer, but Tammy’s work experience was in customer service and sales; so, she didn’t think she was qualified to help. That is, until she learned that there is no requirement for specialized credentials for many volunteer roles, since the Red Cross provides free training.   

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No Power, No Problem: Stranded in San Francisco

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Businesses in downtown San Francisco were closed due to the power outage

By Veronica Oberholzer

I love the Christmas season and am always looking for new holiday activities. On Saturday, December 20, I took BART from my home in Oakland to the Yerba Buena Center for the Performing Arts in San Francisco to see a 2 p.m. Christmas Ballet.

The theater was a dark cocoon from the outside world during the beautiful performance. In a funny piece of foreshadowing, I thought that anything could be happening in the world outside, and we wouldn’t know about it until the show was over.

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How Blood Donations and Advocacy Helped a Dancer Reclaim His Life from Sickle Cell Disease

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Noah was a professional dancer in his 20’s

Modern, jazz, and contemporary dance — he loved doing them all on stage. He was a professional dancer who had performed in shows in Chicago, St. Louis, Atlanta, and D.C., until the pain became too much.

“Deep chronic pain in my femurs and spine and throughout my body. It wouldn’t go away,” remembers Noah James. He was just 25 years old when the doctors told him, “Your bones are decaying.”

Noah was no stranger to pain, as he had been wrestling with Sickle Cell Disease all his life. But this was different. “It felt like I was walking on glass,” he says.

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Brought Back to Life by Blood Donations

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Latrese Fowler with her son Cameron when he was young

When Latrese Fowler found out her newborn son didn’t inherit sickle cell disease, she was so overjoyed that she had a celebration. “We had a party when we found out he doesn’t have sickle cell. We went to Las Vegas!” she remembers.

Twenty-six years later, Latrese is mom to grownup Cameron, and you can hear the pride in her voice as she describes his job as a utility locator. She is grateful her son was spared a lifetime of pain and hundreds of hospital visits treating sickle cell disease and its complications. It’s an experience she knows about firsthand.

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Seven Decades of Gratitude: An Unforgettable Volunteer Helps After a Fire

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Co-authored by Channa Sweet and Jill Feldon LaNouette


October 20, 1957 newspaper clippings of the 4-alarm fire that took place on Fell St.
Credit: The San Francisco Examiner // Archives

Carol awoke at 2 a.m. to an unimaginable scene unfolding in front of her. She was trapped in a room with smoke burning her nose and flames licking at the door. Unable to leave through her bedroom door, she climbed out her window and escaped from the third floor down an already burning fire escape. With singed hair and bare feet firmly planted on the cold ground, she stood across the street feeling like she was “watching her whole life burn away.”

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2025 Chapter Focused Volunteer Awards

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Each year, our chapter proudly honors two extraordinary individuals whose dedication and service embody the very heart of the American Red Cross mission. The Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to a volunteer who has made a significant impact over the past year—contributing meaningfully to our operations, programs, and services while exemplifying the true spirit of volunteerism. The Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Leadership, our chapter’s highest, once-in-a-lifetime recognition, celebrates a volunteer whose sustained leadership and collaborative spirit over many years have helped shape and strengthen our ability to serve the community. Join us in celebrating this year’s remarkable honorees.

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