Volunteer Spotlight on Renee Grossman by Kat Slusser – American Red Cross
Photo courtesy of Renee Grossman
Imagine leaving your comfortable, predictable life to offer your time as a Red Cross volunteer halfway around the world. That’s exactly what California resident and Services to the Armed Forces Red Cross volunteer, Renee Grossman, did when her spouse, an active-duty service member, was deployed to Japan.
Renee spent two and a half years on Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan. She was looking for a way to give back and make friends in the community, so she volunteered with the American Red Cross through an office located in the air base. She met local Japanese residents who also volunteered and was afforded the opportunity to learn from others in the community.
For more than 30 years, patients at the David Grant U.S. Air Force Medical Center’s McClellan Outpatient Satellite Clinic have received a warm greeting from David McCullough as they entered the premises. Since August 1993, Darryl has volunteered with the Red Cross at the clinic every week Monday through Friday. Medical center personnel call him the “face of the clinic.”
Darryl greets and talks with patients at the front desk and often escorts them to their appointments in the building. To ensure it’s a welcoming space for all visitors, he goes above and beyond to sanitize the waiting area and conference rooms. In addition, Darryl helps the administrative department with tasks such as copying and sorting papers.
American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces volunteer and Army spouse Sara Andrews, assists an Afghan guest at the Fort Bliss Doña Ana Range Complex in Chaparral, New Mexico. Photo by Scott Dalton/American Red Cross
In a world where armed conflicts often divide families and disasters can tear loved ones apart, Ola Alani stands as a beacon of hope. As a Restoring Family Links (RFL) volunteer with the Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region, Ola’s story is one of resilience, determination, and the pursuit of a childhood dream.
Born and raised in Iraq, Ola grew up against the tumultuous backdrop of war and conflict. The Red Cross, with its reputation for compassion and assistance, had always held a special place in her heart as she had seen the emblem in action many times growing up. She had a lifelong desire to play a part in the organization. When she moved to the United States and graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 2015, her dream was finally realized when she embarked on her Red Cross journey as a volunteer. “Getting to volunteer with an organization I had highly regarded was a childhood dream come true for me!” shared Ola.
The U.S. Air Force hosted their annual Wings Over Solano Air Show at Travis Air Force Base on May 14 and 15. The show was open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days and featured a wide range of aircraft from the Pitts Special S13, right on through to state-of-the-art aircraft such has the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber and the F-35 Lighting multirole combat aircraft.
Red Cross volunteers converged on Travis from all of the Northern California Coast Region Chapters – Silicon Valley, Bay Area, Central Coast, Heart of the Valley and North Bay. Under the leadership of Liz Dietz and Marilyn Byington, volunteers offered training, minor first aid supplies such as band aids, water and ear plugs. They also informed show goers about the Red Cross mission and spoke to service members about services the Red Cross offers to them and their families.
Volunteer Stuart Chessen managed logistics for the effort. More than a dozen additional Red Cross volunteers supported the event, and volunteer Salma Samar took great photos and videos.
Mary Ann “Stormy” Reilly and Stuart Chessen taught hands-only CPR, which is a relatively new technique introduced to help save lives through CPR where people are reluctant to give rescue breaths, especially in the COVID-19 era. On these two wonderfully warm days, there were kids aged 7-14 years old and some older adults who stopped by to observe, practice and learn about ‘Hands Only CPR’ and what to do if someone is choking on something. These people got down on their knees to practice, and worked hard to do what they needed, to help save someone’s life.
Photo by Samar Salma/American Red Cross
Peg Geringer taught ‘Stop the Bleed.’ If you are involved in an incident where there is a severe, bleeding wound, the first thing to do is to call ‘911’. After that, Peg explained that you use direct pressure to stop the bleeding by putting your two hands over the wound and pressing down hard with your upper body. If you have a roller gauze, take the end of it and start stuffing the injury with as much gauze as you can. Tie off the roll over the wound and if you have a tourniquet handy, apply it 2-3 inches above or below the wound, but NOT over a joint. Turn the stick or windlass as tight as you can to stop the bleeding. Tourniquets are used as a LAST resort to stop the bleeding. Cover them to prevent shock. You may put a large ‘T’ on their forehead with a Sharpie, so the medics know the person has a tourniquet on their body.
Together these two seasoned volunteers trained about 60 people during the weekend event.
The Red Cross presence at Wings over Solano was another example of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces support. The Red Cross provides the military services with emergency communications services, support to Military Hospitals and Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Facilities as well as by building strong families and resilient communities.
Your Red Cross Update 