Andy and Betsy Witthohn at a volunteer thank you event in 2018. Photo by Ritch Davidson | American Red Cross
Andy Witthohn has a long history of volunteerism and service work spanning multiple continents, industries, and community needs. Born in Bangor, ME, Andy studied in Nairobi, served in the Peace Corps in Somalia, and taught school – mostly kindergarten – for 20 years in Sonoma County. He finished his professional career advocating for teachers with the California Teachers Association.
In December 2020, he received the Gene Beck Memorial Volunteer of the Year award for his extensive efforts with the American Red Cross during the devastating Kincade Fire in 2019.
His peers were quick to gush.
“Not afraid to try new things or take on new challenges, Andy quickly became one of our most steadfast and reliable volunteers in the Napa-Sonoma Territory,” said Angela Hunt, volunteer for the Northern California Coastal Region and presenter of the award. “With his energetic spirit and constant good humor, he made short work of any project he took on, and he’s taken on quite a few. We’re so appreciative for everything he does.”
What does a rail transit employee do in his spare time? Volunteer to help others, of course. Meet Kevin Sagar, the American Red Cross Volunteer of the Year for Marin County.
Kevin is wrapping up his first year with the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, known as the SMART Train. Outside of his job, Kevin donates much of his time to the American Red Cross.
“I get enjoyment about being able to help others and make a difference in the community,” he says.
When nominating Kevin for Volunteer of the Year, Marin Disaster co-chair Anne Eichhorn wrote, “What would we do without Kevin? He is the silent backbone of Marin Red Cross.”
Kevin, a Marin County native, joined the Red Cross six years ago. The Tubbs Fire that roared through Santa Rosa in 2017 became one of his biggest deployments. He asked his boss for a leave of absence and volunteered for a month straight.
“I sort of just went at it full speed ahead and never slowed down. For about the first week, I slept at the Red Cross office because people were calling at 3:00 in the morning and saying they needed something. I think I had an order for 10,000 pairs of work gloves, and they needed them within two days.”
Since that deployment, Kevin has taken multiple Red Cross training classes and worked in many roles. Now, he is indispensable as the Logistics Lead.
Kevin explains Logistics as “everything from the facilities to the vehicles to keeping all of our trailers and shelter supplies ready to go; from office supplies to air purifiers to ordering a pallet of hand sanitizer.”
Marin Disaster Co-Chair Lois Roth says Kevin is “ready day and night when disaster strikes to deliver supplies and assist in set up. The most frequent phrase in the office is ‘Ask Kevin!’”
“He’s developed the reputation of the go-to guy, even if it’s not about Logistics,” says Vincent Valenzuela, Disaster Program Manager for Marin and Solano Counties. “It could be an I.T. issue; it could be needing a code for the closet of the office.”
Kevin also deployed to the 2014 South Napa earthquake and to Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. He says Harvey’s destructive flooding left him awestruck. Now, flooding is on his mind here in the North Bay. This year’s devastating wildfires have left Northern California’s scorched hillsides susceptible to floods.
“That’s a big project Kevin has going on right now,” says Vincent Valenzuela. “[He’s] making sure all of our trailers are up-to-date.”
Other Red Crossers say they appreciate Kevin’s patience and low-key sense of humor. Kevin says humor helps him do his job – whether at his job or volunteering.
“I’m not a very stressful person,” he grins. “Being able to find a way to smile or make a joke out of something definitely makes everything go easier.”
Congratulations to Kevin Sagar!
You too can become a Red Cross volunteer: Please consider joining the Red Cross as a volunteer so that you can help us help others during wildfires and other large disasters. For more information and/or to start your application process, please visit redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html.
Marcia Antipa is a volunteer writer with the Northern California Coastal Region.
After speaking with Dave Dorman for 30 minutes, you might wonder if he does anything else outside of the Red Cross. He’s a self-described “semi-full-time volunteer.” This same unwavering dedication earned him the Regional Volunteer of the Year Award.
While he’s officially been a proud Red Cross volunteer since 1984, Dave’s first contact with the Red Cross occurred during water safety instructor and lifeguard training in the 1950s. In the 1970s, he taught first aid and artificial respiration for his employer and discovered his Red Cross calling. He would eventually gravitate to disaster operations, and more specifically, to logistics support: acquiring, organizing, and delivering materials during a disaster.
Debbie Yee, Jane Jennings, and Ellen Armosino at a 2019 Red Cross event | Red Cross photographer: Ritch Davidson.
In 1991, during the Oakland Hills Fire, Jane Jennings had her first interaction with the American Red Cross. “They were running shelters for the county, and as a county worker, I was asked to be involved in the shelter. [My experience] convinced me that when I retired, I wanted to go back with the Red Cross,” says Jennings. Now, almost thirty years later, Jennings has won the Red Cross’s highest volunteer award, the Clara Barton Meritorious Leadership Award.
After retiring from a career filled with case management as a Probation Officer, Jennings found a natural transition, pivoting into a caseworker under the Disaster Action Team (DAT) for the Red Cross. “Now it’s called recovery,” explains Jennings, “but the normal casework is following up on DAT calls. DAT goes out, gives immediate assistance, and within the next day, casework starts following up with the client and writing referrals and assistance…it takes training and developing a comfort level. It’s not a job that’s impossible to do; it’s just, is that the role you’re comfortable doing?” Luckily for the Red Cross, it is a job Jennings has been comfortable performing for twenty years.
Laura Hovden, of Woodside, CA, recently received the San Mateo Volunteer of the Year Award during the Chapter’s annual volunteer recognition event. A born leader, Laura encourages others to expand their skills and expertise and take on leadership roles of their own. Her flexibility and high aptitude for success have led her to fulfill myriad duties across the organization, including regional and divisional appointments.
Laura took a moment last week to fill us in on her experiences.
Congratulations on the recognition as Volunteer of the Year!
Thank you, I feel so honored.
When did you first get involved with the Red Cross?
I joined when my kids were graduating from high school in 2014. I wanted to have something to do that would be meaningful after they were gone. At the Red Cross, I found all kinds of interesting people and just loved doing this kind of work.
The American Red Cross of the North Bay honored John McMahon with their Solano Volunteer of the Year Award at their annual recognition event on October 20, 2020. John has volunteered with the Red Cross since 2012 in many roles. He currently serves as the Solano County Red Cross Mass Care Coordinator, where his primary responsibility is to keep Solano County ready to respond to disasters.
“John has always displayed an open and helpful attitude to all volunteers, no matter if they are brand new or a veteran volunteer,” says Marcia Antipa, a communications volunteer with the Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region. “John has exhibited his leadership skills during so many of our activities. Fire, floods, hurricanes, you name it, John has seen it all!”
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