Then and now: Red Cross programs and services evolve while ensuring a strong community presence.
In the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea, a chapter of Red Cross history has been penned over the last 107 years – a narrative of dedication, service and community support.
The roots of the former “Carmel Area Red Cross Chapter” began in 1916 with an inaugural meeting taking place at Carmel City Hall. Fifteen dedicated individuals were selected for the Board of Directors from a pool of 34 nominees, marking the beginning of a longstanding commitment to serving the community.
The Carmel Pine Cone, a local community newspaper launched a year prior in 1915, has played a vital role in our history, with the second meeting of the Red Cross Chapter of Carmel announced in its pages on September 27, 1916. Founding officer Lilly Devendorf, whose name echoes throughout local Red Cross history, exemplifies the enduring relationship between the city, the newspaper, and our Chapter.
At the heart of the Red Cross’s vast network lies an essential role: that of the Board of Director’s Chair for a local chapter. These individuals play a pivotal part in guiding community leaders and leading their respective chapters to fulfill the organization’s mission to alleviate human suffering.
Our region’s five Chapter Board Chairs share their inspiration for joining the Red Cross below, and the critical responsibilities and significant contributions they hope to make in the community. We thank all our Board Members for their dedication, commitment and impact to ensure the Red Cross remains a beacon of hope and support when it is needed most.
To learn more about our chapters within the Northern California Coastal Region and our Board Members, visit: redcross.org/norcalcoastal
The Volunteer of the Year Award honors individuals who best exemplify the humanitarian spirit of volunteerism.
It’s the highest honor a volunteer can achieve within our chapters, meaning that they made significant contributions to the American Red Cross over the last calendar year. These volunteers worked in multiple roles alongside fellow volunteers and staff, providing support to all lines of service. In short, they exemplify the Red Cross mission, and we are proud to share the 2022 award winners.
Fifth Graders Fundraise for Turkey-Syria Earthquake Relief
By Pooja Klebig
The students in Ms. Mary Horath’s 5th grade class at Gateway School in Santa Cruz were moved to help when they heard about the 7.8 magnitude Turkey-Syria earthquake on February 6, 2023. The quake impacted an area nearly the size of Germany, affecting 14 million people and leaving 1.5 million homeless; nearly 60,000 people lost their lives.
Gateway School students pose with their donation “check,” Red Cross Chapter CEO Michele Averill (center) and teacher Mary Horath (right). Photo by Virginia Becker/American Red Cross
“We were studying about the earthquake in our current events. That’s when we decided to help,” said student Rachel Fisher when asked what motivated the class to help.
The students held a school-wide walk-a-thon to raise money for disaster relief and response efforts. They went door-to-door to collect pledges, put up posters, and encouraged their classmates to participate. They even bought, sliced, and passed out orange slices to the walk-a-thon participants. All of their hard work paid off: They raised more than $15,000, which they were eager to donate to the American Red Cross.
Michele Averill, CEO of the Central Coast Chapter of the Red Cross, and Violet Nguyen, Regional Red Cross Philanthropy Officer, had the pleasure of accepting this generous gift through a check presentation at the school earlier this month.
Smiles all around for disaster relief! Photo by Virginia Becker/American Red Cross
“The joy in these kids’ hearts was simply overwhelming and inspiring,” said Michele. “Hearing their motivation of why they created the fundraiser and walk-a-thon filled my heart.”
The journey to recovery continues in Turkey and Syria for the millions affected by one of the biggest disasters to impact the region in years. Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent workers continue to provide people with food, clean water and essential hygiene and relief supplies. As a response of this magnitude requires a team effort, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from around the world continue to provide aid, including the American Red Cross. Earlier this year, two U.S. disaster responders were deployed to the relief efforts, specializing in communications and information management; the organization continues to assess ongoing needs.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent will continue earthquake recovery efforts in the months and years to come thanks to volunteers and the generosity of donors just like the Gateway School students. We are very grateful for their hard work to raise vital funds to support these relief efforts by engaging our local community and making a difference worldwide. These young humanitarians are an inspiration to us all. On behalf of those we serve, thank you Gateway School for your compassion and philanthropic spirit!
Even before an American Red Cross emergency response vehicle dropped off 100 meals at the Mission Farm RV Park in San Juan Bautista on March 21, eager residents lined up for lunch, happy to get some fuel for the difficult job of trying to clean up the damage done by flooding to their community 11 days earlier.
Mission Farm RV Park homeowner, Kerry Dickie, thanks American Red Cross volunteers for the cleanup kits and food delivered to his neighbors. Photo by Jaka Vinsek/American Red Cross
Kerry Dickie was among them. Dickie said he lost his mobile home and about 70 percent of his possessions to the flooding and mud that followed. Dickie said that even before waters from several adjacent creeks and a nearby subdivision’s retention pond started pouring into the park, he and his son found their way out was blocked by flooded streets strewn with large underwater rocks.
As water started to come in, the two tried to move his collections from an enclosed porch into his 1986 Avion mobile home. By the time they got everything into the mobile home, water was knee high.
The two took one of their vehicles to dry land but by the time they came back to move the other, water had already crept inside the mobile home.
While the water receded within about 24 hours, when Dickie returned home, he found 1.5 feet of standing water inside. The enclosed porch was totaled as is his mobile home.
“It’s just a horrible muddy mess,” Dickie said.
Red Cross volunteer Roberta Jones and Leslie Jordan, mayor of San Juan Bautista, unload meals for residents of the Mission Farm RV Park. Photo by Barbara Wood/American Red Cross
“I’m kind of wondering what my next house is going to look like because this one’s not habitable any more,” Dickie said. He said he will probably look for a used mobile home to replace the one destroyed by the water.
He’s not one to take handouts, Dickie said, but “when you need help, you need help.”
Residents of the park have been helping each other recover from the flooding, which affected some of the recreational vehicles more than others. Kurt Kurasaki, whose father built the park in the 70s, says he tried to come out to assess the storm damage on March 10th, but couldn’t get through the flooded roads. When he trudged in through the water he saw the berm he had built to raise the heights of a nearby creek bed by a foot was about to be overtopped. Kurasaki started going door to door telling residents of the 70 recreational vehicles and mobile homes on the property to evacuate.
Kerry Dickie thanks Red Cross volunteers Mary Marcus and Hideaki Yamazaki for the cleanup kits. Photo by Jaka Vinsek/American Red Cross
Not everyone left. Some people were at work, Kurasaki says, some “opted to ride it out” and some didn’t have a vehicle to get out with.
Kurasaki said the park had flooded once before, but it was two decades ago.
Now, those who had less damage are helping those with more damage to remove their trashed belongings.
Leslie Jordan, the mayor of San Juan Bautista, and other volunteers came in Tuesday and Wednesday to help serve the food and promised to come back as long as the deliveries lasted. Earlier in the week, more San Juan Bautista residents came out for a work party to help their flooded neighbors.
This information was last updated on Tuesday, January 31 at 11:00 a.m.Please check back regularly for updates.
American Red Cross volunteer Diana giving an update to Shelter Supervisor Peggy at the Seven Trees shelter in San Jose. Photo by Alex Keilty / American Red Cross
As Californians continue cleaning up after the weeks of severe weather at the beginning of January, the American Red Cross is helping and will also be there in the days and weeks to come, supporting people as they move towards recovery.
This online story map offers a look at the ongoing response to the California floods. Since New Year’s eve:
Almost 800 trained Red Cross disaster workers are supporting people in California.
The Red Cross and partners have provided more than 9,300 stays in more than 80 shelters, more than 62,400 meals and snacks, and distributed more than 14,700 relief items such as comfort kits and other relief supplies.
Trained Red Cross volunteers are helping families cope during this challenging time and replacing prescription medications, eyeglasses or critical medical equipment like canes and wheelchairs.
Teams on the ground are also conducting damage assessments to determine the impact of these storms and which communities will need additional support moving forward. Preliminary damage reports indicate that of the 5879 total assessments done to date, 134 homes were either destroyed or suffered major damage.
We Need You!
While trained Red Cross volunteers and staff continue to manage the response efforts, we are looking for additional volunteers to help with disaster response and recovery activities, including feeding, supply distribution, clean-up kit building and more. Apply online to become a Red Cross volunteer by visiting tinyurl.com/ARC2023FloodsApplication if you are interested in helping with this response or responses like this in the future.
Blood During Disasters
The Red Cross is working to maintain a stable blood supply amid the threat of storms and winter weather across the country, as severe weather often causes widespread blood drive cancellations. Where it is safe to do so, we encourage donors to make and keep blood donation appointments by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Help Those in Need
You can help people affected by disasters like floods, fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief.Donations for Disaster Relief enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation..
Stay Up-to-Date on Social Media
Updated information on the Red Cross response to this storm, and preparedness information is continually updated on regional social media channels:
Your Red Cross Update 