Tag Archives: Volunteers

Making Life on the Water Safer

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Red Cross Volunteers bring home fire safety to the floating homes of Sausalito

Catherine Lee, Ron Lau, Vincent Valenzuela, Lesley Carmichael and Claire Cannariato (L to R) prepare to install smoke alarms in floating homes

“You’re on the water.  You’ve got wildlife out your window.  You’ve got the sun playing off the water.”

That’s how Flo Hoylman describes living aboard a houseboat in Sausalito, Calif., just north of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. But Flo, who serves on the board of the Sausalito Floating Homes Association, knows she and her neighbors on the water are just as susceptible to fires as any other Californians. 

“We still burn. And if there was a fire, like there was in Santa Rosa, the embers would come down on us, too.”

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The Heart of a Shelter: Jodi Wallace’s Strategic Lead in the Alaska Typhoon Recovery 

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Jodi Wallace in Alaska after Typhoon Halong

For American Red Cross volunteer Jodi Wallace, the call to deploy to natural disasters is a lifelong mission. Most recently, she was one of the many volunteers that deployed to Alaska to aid the thousands of survivors affected by the destruction of Typhoon Halong last October.  

Referring to herself as a “Katrina baby,” Jodi has been deploying to natural disasters since Hurricane Katrina. When she first heard the call for Red Cross volunteers on the television and radio, she signed up and began her journey assisting in the shelters.  

“I realized that sheltering was really something near and dear to my heart, so I stayed with it. For at least the first 16 years, I predominantly ran shelters as a shelter manager because that is really what I loved and was passionate about,” she said. “For the last four years, I started doing other things, but my favorite is being Mass Care Chief because it keeps me close to sheltering.” 

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Stronger Together: A Couple Who Brings Heart to Red Cross Disaster Relief 

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American Red Cross volunteers Richard (left) and Caroline Matera (middle), consult with Vincent Hand about how to find damaged properties in Chinese Camp.  

Among the unsung heroes of American Red Cross disaster responses are the families of Red Cross volunteers, whose loved ones may be away for holidays and important occasions while they are helping those affected by a disaster. Then there are those couples who eliminate that problem by joining the Red Cross together with their family members.

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The Detective of Disaster Zones: How a Red Crosser Reunites Lost Families 

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She still remembers her first missing persons case from eight years ago. An older woman was frantically looking for her daughter and granddaughter who had disappeared after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana. Kathy Kennard, an American Red Cross volunteer, was assigned to track them down, and eventually located the pair! 

“She sobbed and sobbed when I told her they were safe in a shelter,” remembers Kathy, who is a Reunification supervisor for the Red Cross. “It’s the most rewarding thing.”  

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From Royal Encounters to Red Cross Shelters 

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Not every British Red Crosser can say they met the queen of England, but Marco Couch is one of the lucky ones! 

Marco doing mobile communications for the British Red Cross 

Marco joined the British Red Cross in the UK after graduating high school to keep himself busy during the summer. Little did he know it would set him on a path of volunteerism for 17 years that would eventually lead to his current job at the American Red Cross in California.  

In England, Marco volunteered at large festivals and concerts all over the country doing operational radio communications in control rooms, coordinating the Red Cross first aid response. When people at the events got sick or injured, he would dispatch emergency responders to the scene.  

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