On the weekend of March 16, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) volunteers supported the Wings Over Solano Air Show at Travis Air Force Base. This exciting event is held every two years to welcome the public to the Air Base and show off a wide range of military aircrafts, both past and present.
SAF volunteer Liz Dietz led the Red Cross effort which included more than 20 SAF volunteers from the Northern California Coastal Region. Volunteers taught Hands-Only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) to over 200 visitors throughout the weekend.
Hans Cardenas (right) and Hanna Malak -Regional CEO- at a Sound the Alarm Event
Hans Cardenas is a man on a mission: he aims to make 100 homes safer by installing free smoke alarms with the American Red Cross Sound the Alarm program. And he is more than halfway there already!
Sound the Alarm is part of the national Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, which aims to reduce the number of deaths from home fires. This campaign has helped save 2,063 lives since its launch in October 2014. Here in the Northern California Coastal Region, volunteers and partners have installed more than 48,500 free smoke alarms and made more than 18,000 households safer since 2014.
“I’ve made 57 homes safer since I started on May 14, 2020. Working with different teams, we installed 171 alarms,” he detailed.
Hans’ journey with the Red Cross started in 2020 as a Senior Philanthropy Officer with the Regional Fund Development Team. He spent two years facilitating financial donations from individuals across the Northern California Coastal Region. Through his role, he forged connections with donors, aligning their priorities with the Red Cross mission, which includes disaster relief, blood donation and community support. As of December 2023, he transitioned to a similar position with the San Francisco Opera. Despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to install free smoke alarms with his fellow Red Crossers, visiting communities at risk for home fires across the region. “We, the fundraisers, are very goal oriented. I was just being audacious by choosing such (a) number, but also trying to stay engaged with something I really enjoy doing,” he explained.
Photo Courtesy of Connor Siu, Yesha Sacatani, and Monisha Raju
Every individual grows up in a different community–the Red Cross, as a global organization, encompasses so many stories from these divergent backgrounds. Being able to give back to their communities and make an impact is a great gift for volunteers. That’s why so many youth have resonated with the American Red Cross to serve as members of the Youth Executive Board (YEB), like Connor Siu, Yesha Sacatani, and Monisha Raju from North Bay and Heart of the Valley Chapters (NBC/HOV). The variety of ways in which these youth volunteers have been influenced by their communities is what inspires their distinctive journey:
Meet Mia Fahad, our Regional International Services volunteer. She has been accepted into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Solferino Academy’s Limitless programs (Limitless LEAD and Limitless 2.0), an international professional development opportunity. Hundreds applied but only 10 spots are reserved for American Red Cross participants. The Limitless LEAD programs are for Red Crossers who are already active in the space of humanitarian innovation and seeking an opportunity to advance their skills in leadership and coaching. They will go on to support the mentorship of Limitless 2.0 participants in their innovation journey.
Learn more about Mia and what she looks forward to the most in participating in this unique program through an interview with Red Cross Communications volunteer, Anika Kurkut.
Crystal Sims loved serving in the military. For 14 years she served as a Physical Therapist on active duty in the Army, a role that took her on a journey across the country and around the world. She would still be commissioned as an officer in the Army today if not for an unexpected breast cancer diagnosis, and its subsequent treatment and recovery.
Despite going through such a difficult situation, Crystal did not stop pursuing what she loved most: when her husband was recently stationed in Monterey, CA, she found her way to serve the active-duty military population at the Presidio Clinic as a Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces volunteer.
Crystal’s training and experience in physical therapy provided expanded treatment options for the clinic’s patients. She served in the morning sick call clinic and treated patients with musculoskeletal concerns. Working alongside military and civilian staff, Crystal had the opportunity to provide guidance and mentorship, drawing from own her personal experience.
Tracy Cox and Susan Smithcamp-Cox, showing their pride to be blood donors. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Cox
Many blood donors are proud of their donations for various reasons, and my parents are two of those donors who are really proud. Tracy Cox and Susan Smithcamp-Cox are long time blood donors and have shown me as their daughter, Caitlin, that I too can give back to the community by being part of the American Red Cross.
When I was quite young, I started going with my dad to Delta Blood Bank in Turlock which later became a Red Cross Donation Center. When I would go with him, I would always work on a puzzle while he was giving blood.
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