Friday, August 08, 2008 —  

Miko Dee Cassidy was born Kawahara Yumiko in . Her parents died when she was young and her grandmother cared for her until a stroke forced her to be placed in an orphanage outside Tokyo. There, Yumiko had no personal possessions she could call her own. That is, not until an American serviceman gave her a toothbrush and tooth powder with the American Red Cross emblem on them. Dee was very proud to have something she could call her own. She treasured these items and associated all good things in life with America and the Red Cross emblem. In 1961, she was adopted by an American serviceman and began her life as an American.

As a teenager she volunteered with injured servicemen of the Viet Nam war. She wrote letters and sang carols, bringing a sense of home to them. The Red Cross was again part of her life and she took great pride donning the red vest.

Years later Dee brought the emblem she cherishes so much into her life again. In 2000 Dee joined the board of the Central Panhandle Chapter of the American Red Cross in Panama, Florida.

As Chairman of the Board, Dee led the small chapter during the largest disaster response in Red Cross history. More than 3,000 families evacuated to Panama City in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. They arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs. They needed shelter, food, clothes and medicine. Every Red Cross volunteer was called to action, but the chapter’s resources were strained. Dee rallied the local community—citizens volunteered in record numbers to serve meals, sort clothing, arrange temporary living accommodations and even care for pets. Many evacuees were so taken with the outpouring of support, they now call Panama City home.

No job is too big or small for Dee. She has given hundreds of hours providing leadership, recruiting volunteers and training to respond to disasters, making the Panama City community healthier and safer. Dee is a leader and an inspiration to many and still serves as a shelter manager. She has come a long way from that child who clutched that precious can of tooth powder and toothbrush with the Red Cross emblem on them. “I feel like I came full circle from the recipient of Red Cross donations as a child, until I was a volunteer, then Chairman,” Dee says. She still associates that red cross with good things and good work around the world.

Dee leads the Central Panhandle Chapter from her heart. She does so as someone who knows what it is like to be displaced from a home. She does so as someone who appreciates the tremendous difference small kindnesses can make to people who have been robbed by circumstances or tragedy of their possessions, home and family. “Imagine no possessions”, John Lennon wrote. Dee need not imagine; she need only recall.

Today, Dee enjoys her roles as a grandmother and small business owner. During the work week, she looks after her 2-year-old granddaughter, Cassidy.  It’s too soon to know what Cassidy will do one day. But this much is certain—her grandmother will see to it that Cassidy gains an appreciation for that which survives when all else is blown away—the human spirit and its potential for goodness. It is that which drives Dee and it is that appreciation with which she infuses the Central Panhandle Chapter of the American Red Cross.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.