As an American Red Cross volunteer since 2010, Roxanne Anderson has deployed to more than 35 disasters across the continental United States and several island deployments including the islands of Guam in June 2023 and the American Virgin Islands in 2017. She is one of those special volunteers who has, “been there, done that.”
Roxanne has held a wide variety of jobs in her 35+ deployments, including in Georgia following a tornado in May 2011. Photo courtesy Roxanne Anderson
Roxanne, who lives in San Jose, joined the Red Cross after spending 30 years as a California Highway Patrol officer. She’s done a wide array of Red Cross roles, including disaster response feeding, sheltering, managing logistics, driving an emergency response vehicle (ERV), supply and transportation.
States she has been sent to, in addition to her home state of California, include Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, Connecticut, Colorado, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington, North Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, US Virgin Island, Oklahoma, Florida and Guam. She has responded to floods, hurricanes, wildfires, a gas pipeline explosion and multi-structure fires, tornadoes and mass shootings.
“Being able to make a difference,” is what motivates Tom Tanner, Red Cross Silicon Valley Chapter volunteer and winner of the Regional Excellence in Disaster Services Award.
Tom is one of those unsung heroes who just does what is needed without being asked. Tom’s dedication to the Red Cross evolved from his family and his midwestern values.
“My maternal grandmother was a Red Cross Gray Lady during my youth, possibly even during WWII, who drove more than 60 miles to the nearest Army base to serve the troops and over 100 miles to donate blood regularly. My father’s aunt was also a volunteer in the 1930s, so it runs deep in my family.”
When American Red Cross leadership looked for International Humanitarian Law (IHL) delegate recommendations, the opportunity to select a Youth Action Campaign (YAC) volunteer came quickly. Local Red Crosser and high school student Tejasvini Ramesh was ultimately one of five delegates to pack their bags and make the trek to Indonesia to represent the U.S. with more than 4,000 youth from national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across the globe.
The IHL YAC is a Red Cross program that encourages youth and young adults (ages 13-24) to learn about the rules of armed conflict and empowers them to explore and promote IHL through peer-to-peer campaigns. The program remains consistent with the Red Cross principle of impartiality and does not have a political agenda. Its mission is to foster and to empower youth to talk about global issues and become informed through focused themes that change annually.
Tejasvini has been a strong ambassador for the IHL YAC for the last few years, but what sticks out to her peers is her strong leadership skills in collaborating with other regions to create joint virtual events and connect with other Red Cross youth across the country. A member since 2019, she serves as the Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region’s (NCCR) Lead Advocate Mentor.
She started her journey with the Red Cross during her freshman year through her high school’s club. Her friends were already involved, and Tejasvini thought it would be a great way to spend more time together. Not too sure what the club was all about, she attended with an open mind and is so glad that she did. She began her service with general fundraising for causes including hurricane relief and making blankets for veterans before engaging more with initiatives in her local Red Cross region. There, she discovered IHL YAC.
In Tejasvini’s application for this opportunity, the 18-year-old wrote, “While our world is far from becoming completely peaceful, providing my peers with a sense of hope and humanity allowed me to connect with them on a deeper level, one that transcends politics and borders.” These insightful and admirable words aided the national committee in their decision to select her for the international camp hosted every five years.
“Tejasvini is a well-rounded, passionate young humanitarian who I had no doubt would represent our American Red Cross youth well,” says Larissa C. Hatch, IHL YAC Program Officer at the American Red Cross National Headquarters. “She leads with grace and compassion and is someone her peers look up to. As a young leader, Tejasvini’s exceptional skills and unwavering commitment set a remarkable example for her peers, showcasing her potential to drive positive change in her local community and the greater Red Cross Red Crescent Movement,” Hatch adds.
This year’s camp, titled Jumbara IX, ran July 2 through July 10 in South Lampung, Lampung Province, kicking off with a cultural parade hosted by the Indonesian Red Cross. Locals lined the streets as the 11 national societies displayed cultural clothing while marching throughout the village. An opening ceremony welcomed the attendees whereby unique traditions were honored including performances from various provinces. Attendees engaged in workshops and services for the remainder of their stay.
Photo courtesy of Tejasvini Ramesh
A typical day at the camp consisted of sessions to meet and greet with Indonesian youth, group activities, and neighborhood visits. “The warm spirited energy there was really incredible,” notes Tejasvini.
The hospitality of the Indonesian people was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. “Whenever we walked around, we were welcomed with music. They sang to us, let us play instruments, and taught us traditional dances. Sometimes we were out until midnight,” relives Tejasvini. She described the reception as “a king’s welcome.”
Group discussions were held in the Indonesian language, but that did not hinder understanding one another. Some challenges cited by Indonesian youth included stigma and the notion the Red Cross is solely a medical organization. These youth also expressed a desire for equality, more representation and additional leadership opportunities to promote humanitarian efforts and create space for tomorrow’s leadership.
Other nights, the delegates stayed up late talking to an international friend. She joyfully says, “That was fun!”
The memories made and the collective impact of the experience will stay with Tejasvini and those she crossed paths with for years to come. “The Red Cross is more than blood services and medicine,” she stresses. “There are different lines of service, programs, and opportunities available for everybody…I guarantee you will find something you enjoy.”
She plans to attend UC Irvine in the Fall to study economics and political science. She hopes to continue her involvement with the Red Cross at the collegiate level and is interested in attending law school after completing her undergraduate studies.
The Red Cross is grateful to have amazing young leaders like Tejasvini to articulate the value of the organization for youth and appreciates her pledge to continue her service. If you are interested in promoting IHL in your community by participating in the IHL Youth Action Campaign program, contact your local chapter or email ihlyouth@redcross.org
Meet Susanne Newswanger, a Red Cross nurse recently honored with the Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Leadership
Photo courtesy of Susanne Newswanger
Over 13 years with the Red Cross, Susanne Newswanger has demonstrated the essence of being a Red Cross nurse: she cares for people during disasters and emergencies and works hard to ensure the well-being of volunteers, staff and the communities we serve are met.
From her role as the Coordinator of Disaster Health Services in the Silicon Valley Chapter to her current position as the Pacific Division Staff Health Lead, Susanne has been a driving force for recruiting, onboarding and training Disaster Health Service volunteers.
“When I first joined [the Red Cross]in 2009, my primary goal was to deploy to disasters. [In addition,] I also joined the Deployment Team and found great satisfaction in preparing our members to respond to a disaster,” she said.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Atlas American Red Cross
Barbara Atlas is an example of volunteerism. She has been committed to the Red Cross mission since she started as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) member with the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region in Washington DC. “For 4 of the 37 years we lived four miles from the White House, I enjoyed responding to fires and other local disasters as a DAT team member,” she said.
After they retired, Barbara and her husband moved to Oakland in 2019. She knew she wanted to continue supporting the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross. One of the many ways she jumped back into volunteering locally was by becoming a blood delivery driver for the Bay Area Chapter Blood Services team. “I get a lot of pleasure from driving a Red Cross van to transport blood, both the pickup of new blood from donor centers and delivering blood as needed to local hospitals. I know that donated blood is saving lives. It is also gratifying to train new drivers for transporting blood and thrilling to see my former trainees on the job. But most important is getting to know the generous people who work in Blood Services helped me learn how,” she said.
“What you guys are doing, you reassure us that people are out there and care.”
Lucie Tison and her husband Tom at his house in San Rafael. Photo by Marcia Antipa / American Red Cross
Lucie Tison and her husband Tom have lived in the Contempo Marin Mobile Home Park in San Rafael for 17 years. On a recent Saturday morning, teams of volunteers from the Red Cross fanned out across this community of 400 homes to install free smoke alarms for residents. This Sound the Alarm event is part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, a national program designed to save lives from home fires through installation of free smoke alarms and fire safety education.
As of August 23rd, the Red Cross announced that since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in October of 2014, volunteers have installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms with almost 2,000 documented lives saved thanks to those smoke alarms and fire safety education.
