Tag Archives: Volunteers

More Than a Passion: Red Crosser Vicki Pelton Shares Her Life’s Work

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Photo Courtesy of Vicki Pelton / American Red Cross

Born and raised in California, Vicki Pelton was deeply inspired to help people after a nine-month trip to Africa. Seeing poverty-stricken people tugged at her heartstrings and she felt compelled deeply to give back in some way. Once back on U.S. soil, the Mountain View resident signed up with the Palo Alto Area Chapter of the Red Cross (currently known as the Silicon Valley Chapter), beginning her 34-year journey as a Red Cross volunteer.

Over the years, Vicki has learned and fulfilled multiple roles, or Group-Activity-Positions (GAP) with the Red Cross, including Recovery, Logistics, and Disaster Services Technology (DST). She enjoys the fact that the Red Cross constantly creates new positions and provides opportunities to train for those new roles. She just finished training for a position within the Disaster Cycle Services team as part of the E3 initiative: Every Shelter, Every Day and Every Need. This initiative streamlines the supply distribution for all shelters during a Disaster Response Operation.

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To Japan and Back

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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.

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Darryl McCullough’s 30 Years of Service to the Armed Forces

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Photo courtesy of Darryl McCullough

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.

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American Red Cross women on the frontlines: World War II clubmobile crews

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September 1944, France. French children sample their first doughnuts at American Red Cross Clubmobile. Photo by Margaret Karch Zaimes

In World War II, at a time when women made up only .033 percent of the military and almost all but nurses were stationed far from the front, the American Red Cross sent hundreds of young women tasked to boost military morale to the European frontlines in “clubmobiles,” 2.5-ton trucks and buses repurposed as mobile social clubs.

The American Red Cross was the sole nonmilitary agency designated to provide welfare and recreation services for the US expeditionary forces in World War II. With the official job description of “club services worker,” clubmobile crews, usually three young women, were tasked to prepare and serve coffee and doughnuts, and other reminders of “home” that might allow the soldiers to momentarily forget the stresses of war.

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A Heartfelt Farewell: Nancy Reeves Retires from the Red Cross After 17 Years

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Our Disaster Cycle Services Team and the and Heart of the Valley Chapter Leadership celebrating Nancy and her dedication to the Red Cross Mission.

Nancy Reeves is retiring as a Red Cross volunteer after 17 years, and everyone in the Heart of the Valley Chapter and Northern California Coastal region will deeply miss her.

Her journey with the Red Cross started in 2007 when she joined the Disaster Action Team in Stanislaus County. She was a dedicated volunteer. Her colleagues often say that Nancy is “always there when the Red Cross calls.”

She fulfilled several roles over the years, displaying solid professionalism in each opportunity. She was a Disaster Action Team (DAT) Supervisor, Duty Officer, Disaster Responder, and Disaster Services Chair. She was also a remarkable trainer and mentor for new DAT volunteers, always happy to share her extensive knowledge and experience with them.

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Embarking on an Unexpected Adventure

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From training to disaster deployment, a new Red Cross volunteer experiences the mission in action.

By Lori Souza, Red Cross communications volunteer

In the most extraordinary circumstances, we find the most ordinary people willing to help others. Farshad Fallah was one such volunteer who found himself in a position to help others as a volunteer for the Red Cross. As a Finance guy by day, he was not moved by the work he was doing, and in August 2023, he signed up as a volunteer for the Red Cross. He did not expect to go from applicant to volunteer so quickly, but he was ready for whatever was next. By the end of the month, Farshad’s life would change drastically, and he would embark on an adventure he never expected. 

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