Hispanic Heritage Month: Celebrating Our Volunteers, Donors and Employees

Sonimar Torres is a first-time donor who gave in honor of her friend who beat leukemia. “I really feel good for donating, I will definitely do it again,” she said. (Photo by Mimi Teller/American Red Cross.)

Franco Morales Rivera is a youth volunteer from Cruz Roja Americana Capítulo de Puerto Rico who recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to represent his region at the Red Cross Youth Action Summit. He presented a Youth Action Campaign project that focused on the climate crisis and International Humanitarian Law — a project that he and 11 other youth council volunteers spent more than 500 hours completing. (Photo by Rosemarie Valdez/American Red Cross.)

When Guillermina Rodriguez Flores lived in Mexico, she volunteered with a local organization that helped people impacted by disasters. Now, she and her daughter, Rita Cinco Rodriguez, give back together to the Hispanic community in Indiana through Red Cross services such as lifesaving skills trainings and emergency preparedness for adults and children. In the spring, the mother-daughter duo also aided people affected by local disasters, including tornadoes and an apartment fire. As part of the responses, Rita served as a Spanish translator to help ensure families received the support they needed. “Seeing the smiles on people’s faces, when they realized that there was assistance available to them, made me happy,” Rita said. (Photo by Matthew Kline/American Red Cross.)

Peruvian-born Carmela Bazan has been a phlebotomist with the Red Cross for six years. She joined the organization out of a strong desire to help people and because she loved the Red Cross mission. “I feel grateful every day when I come home from work,” Bazan said. “Even if I’m tired, I feel good; every day is different, and they are not always easy, but my heart always feels full. Life should be about helping others.” (Photo by Mimi Teller/American Red Cross.)

Nadia Soto DeAvila, a Colombian-born, American-raised Red Cross employee, shares a laugh with local Rhode Island residents while visiting their home to share home fire safety information during a Sound the Alarm event. While she’s helped in different ways through the Red Cross, educating families about home fire safety is her favorite. “It’s very different than other things the Red Cross does,” Nadia said. “It’s a more proactive program or activity that the Red Cross does in which the actual person, the resident, is taking the step to make their home safer. It’s a different reception when we get there. They haven’t necessarily gone through an emergency or a traumatic event. We’re able to connect with them in a different way. We just really get to know each other. And they get to know a lot more about the Red Cross, too.” Photo by Jerry Blitefield/American Red Cross.

Diana Manzo-Prado has worked with the Red Cross since 2021, first joining as a business operations coordinator before responding to large-scale disasters, including 2022’s Hurricane Ian in Florida and this year’s devastating atmospheric rivers in California. For the latter, Diana’s hometown of Planada, California, was severely impacted by devastating flooding across her community, and she spent weeks dedicating herself to connecting her neighbors, family members and even former teachers to resources, including shelter, clean water and recovery services. This experience reinforced her commitment to ensuring that everyone affected by disasters can access relief in an equitable, compassionate and timely manner. Inspired by these experiences, Diana now serves in a newly created position as the Central California Region’s diverse community engagement manager. In this role, she connects the Red Cross mission to local communities, particularly Hispanic and Latino families. Her responsibilities include providing resources and vital information, building community trust and collaborating with organizations to ensure community preparedness and resiliency in emergencies. (Photo by Mary Bastos/American Red Cross.)