Volunteers are briefed at the beginning of the day’s installation activities.
More than 70 volunteers from the Silicon Valley Chapter and from two Red Cross partners (ARM and the Miss & Mrs. Vietnam USA) met on Saturday, January 19, at the La Buona Vita Mobile Home Park to Sound the Alarm by providing residents there with free smoke detectors. Read more
Briana Taylor was vacationing in Thailand for Christmas in 2004 when the tsunami struck with lethal force. Trapped on the island, she and her family watched the devastating aftereffects unfold.
Once Briana made it home, she repacked her bags and returned to Thailand only six weeks later to do disaster recovery work. She was in a wave of spontaneous volunteers who arrived to help islanders find some sense of order.
Then Katrina hit in 2005, and Briana joined the American Red Cross as an event-based volunteer. She’s been a part of the organization ever since. Read more
By Ritch DavidsonEditor’s note: At a recent Red Cross meeting in Contra Costa County, the organization recognized five individuals who have made a positive impact in their communities. Their service is described below. For more photos from the recognition event, please click here.
Deborah Simpson 
Deborah Simpson was on the phone with a friend when they both heard a beeping sound. When her friend asked what that sound was, Deborah replied it was her smoke detector indicating that the battery needed to be replaced. The friend suggested Deborah call the Red Cross for assistance. Deborah wondered, “Does the Red Cross do that?” After calling, she learned they did. A Red Cross team went to her house and replaced not only the batteries but the smoke detector itself, giving her a new 10-year model. Deborah found the team to be friendly, warm, and high-spirited, even bringing her some coffee cake from a meeting they’d just attended.After her own detectors were installed, Deborah took flyers about the program to post them at her Church. She also encouraged the team to canvass her neighbors (which it did), saying she would be happy to let the team use her as a reference. Deborah was recognized for spreading the positive word about the Red Cross Sound the Alarm program.
Rayce and Wendi Loughlin
Eight-year-old Rayce Loughlin and his mother, Wendi, were watching television when a news story described the Red Cross opening a shelter at the Clayton Valley Library in response to the July 2018 Marsh Creek fire. Rayce immediately wanted to help, and Wendi agreed. They turned off the TV and went to the shelter, where they became “spontaneous volunteers,” setting up cots and whatever else was needed. They didn’t stop there. Rayce and Wendi returned to offer assistance three more times. For their selfless and generous contribution to their community and the Red Cross, they were acknowledged with Certificates of Appreciation and Red Cross backpacks.
Valerie and Robert Rodriguez
Disaster Health Services nurses Valerie and Robert Rodriguez were presented with a numbered Nurse Enrollment badge, a tradition begun in 1906. The American Red Cross nurse’s badge is a distinctive symbol of professional attainment and service to humanity.
We all have been reminded of the value of periodically taking the first-aid, CPR, and other health and safety classes that are a staple of the American Red Cross. Like many of us, Nisha Baxi, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross of the Silicon Valley, did not fully appreciate the classes’ value — until a recent day in San Jose. In a “thank you” note she shared with her Red Cross colleagues, Nisha tells a story that should motivate all of us to stay current on our training. She gave us permission to post her note (and story) on this regional blog site. Read more
Almost 50 volunteers from the Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross met at Fire Station Number 3 on Martha Street in San Jose on a rainy morning this past Saturday. After remarks by Captain Bien Doan of the San Jose Fire Department and superb training by Liz Dietz, Terry Unter, and Doug Moses-Batson, the teams — in spite of the rainy weather — visited a total of 52 homes in County Fair Mobile Estates and Village of the Four Seasons, in San Jose. The work was done as a part of the ongoing Red Cross “Sound The Alarm” activities. Read more
By Andrea Mendoza
For Donna Logan, the call to help came after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The devastation that this natural disaster left in the state of Louisiana and nearby states — and the effect that it had on the country as a whole — was enough inspiration for Logan to get involved with the Red Cross. She had been retired for about a year, and Logan was looking for causes in San Francisco with which she could get involved. With a master’s degree in organizational development and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish, Logan hoped to find a position in which she could use her experience and skills.
As a volunteer with the American Red Cross, Donna Logan has more than done that. And this year, she was honored for her many contributions and compassionate work when she received a Clara Barton Award at the annual Volunteer Recognition Event for San Francisco volunteers. Read more
Your Red Cross Update 