Every eight minutes, the Red Cross responds to a disaster to offer care, comfort, financial support, and relief. But we don’t show up in a community after a disaster – we’re already here. As you’ll see on this page, the Red Cross touches lives in each city and town in Central California. We are your neighbors, your teachers, your students, your friends, and maybe even your family. Explore some of what we’ve done recently – and if you’d like to make the Red Cross mission even stronger, please consider making a financial or blood donation or joining us as a volunteer. Interested in getting involved? Click here to learn more about how you can help.
Lifelong Camarillo resident Kim Price-Marczuk has deep roots in her community. It was these local bonds that led her to become a volunteer with the Red Cross.
Whether it’s a wildfire that displaces thousands or a single home fire, Kim embodies the saying, “neighbors helping neighbors.” She answers the call to help, never knowing who may walk through the door.
“When one of my friends came into the assistance center, it was the first time I had seen her since the [Mountain] fire. We cried, and she just hugged me for at least fifteen minutes.”
The Clara Barton Award is named after the founder and first leader of the American Red Cross, and in 2025, Julie Doyle was the Central California Region’s Clara Barton Leadership honoree.
She credits the Red Cross for giving her life a sense of purpose and fulfillment. The impact of Hurricane Katrina left a lasting impression on her, and it became the catalyst for her involvement with the organization.
“Once somebody is helped by the Red Cross, they never forget it. They’ll never forget how the Red Cross came in and helped them,” says Julie.
Elvia Pacheco-Reyna hasn’t left her nursing days behind; they just look a little different now. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be a nurse, a sentiment reflected in her carefully curated collection of photos, including one of her holding a stethoscope.
Following her retirement, Elvia plans to keep using her nursing skills to aid others in crisis and hopes to inspire other nurses and retirees to join her.
“What keeps me going is that I love helping people,” she says. “It has a lot to do with being a nurse because you always give of yourself.”
As wildfires tore through Los Angeles County, American Red Cross volunteers, Miller and Christin Newlon, didn’t hesitate to step up.
With nearly 30 years of experience as a certified EMT, Miller put his skills to use in emergency shelters and Christin played a vital role in reunification efforts, following up on more than 900+ requests to help locate and reconnect families displaced by the disaster.
For Miller and Christin, volunteering isn’t just something they do—it’s a part of who they are. Deeply involved in their community and various nonprofits, they share a passion for giving back.
Max Beatty is a busy high school student with aspirations of entering the medical field. But his passion for saving lives goes far beyond the classroom.
Between six Advanced Placement classes, shadowing surgeons in the operating room and organizing club events as his school’s Red Cross Club President, Max barely has time to sleep. But he always makes time to help others.
One of the most impactful parts of Max’s volunteer journey has been teaching Hands-Only CPR. At community outreach events, he’s helped more than 100 people learn this lifesaving skill.
“A lot of people we teach have young kids or elderly parents," Max said. Learning CPR gives them peace of mind. “It’s empowering to know you can help someone when it really matters.”
A first-generation Mexican American, Leticia is determined to inspire members of the Hispanic and Latino communities to become “Red Cross Ready.”
After realizing that not everyone has the time and privilege to attend Red Cross tabling events, Leticia grabbed her Red Cross preparedness handouts and got to work pitching a tent in the middle of a strawberry field in Nipomo, CA. She stayed for hours, handing out preparedness information to hundreds of farmers and translating in Spanish for those who were not fluent in English.
“My Mexican heritage is embedded in me. I take it wherever I go,” says Leticia.
With 27 years of volunteer work and 15 deployments under his belt, Jerry is a dedicated American Red Cross volunteer. He began volunteering with the organization in 1997, when floodwaters devastated communities in Tulare County, the community he calls home.
Jerry wishes to continue adding to his 15 national deployments, during which he drives emergency response vehicles loaded with vital recovery supplies and meals that he delivers directly to disaster survivors.
The positive support of his family has been very encouraging to him. “They know the importance of helping others and encourage me to deploy,” says Jerry.
Grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with an organization that empowers her to make a tangible difference, Noor is dedicated to bridging gaps and ensuring her community has access to essential resources.
She leverages her deep community connections to amplify awareness of local needs and highlights the impactful work of the American Red Cross throughout Kern County.
“Looking back as a child, knowing now the different things that I wish we had known about or had access to, I realize I’m now in a position to educate my community about those resources,” says Noor.
Susan Lugo has always sought out new adventures. Just four days after graduating high school in the Central Valley, she joined the United States Marine Corps to see the world. For four years, she learned resilience, teamwork and the joy of being part of something bigger than herself.
That same spirit carried her to the American Red Cross. From Rhode Island to California, Susan has stood shoulder to shoulder with others in times of crisis as a Red Cross volunteer. Whether it was walking through flooded streets after Hurricane Irma to deliver meals, comforting families in devastated neighborhoods, or finding strength in the bonds of a new family of volunteers.
“To go in there and be able to help, it’s a good feeling. And of course, this group of people… you feel like family.”
Erin Huey knew she wanted to continue a life of service when she retired from the military, so she started a career as an EMT and Red Cross first aid and CPR instructor. Those decisions are what helped her save her brother's life.
One morning, Erin’s brother John suddenly stopped speaking; his head and arms dropped loosely at his sides. His sister Erin promptly sprang into action.
“Many people might freeze or panic in a situation like this," Erin said. "But my Red Cross training helped me deal with it all.”
John was taken to the hospital where he underwent stent surgery and eventually made a full recovery. His doctors said that if it wasn't for the quick actions of his sister, he would not have survived.
Upon learning of Ignacio’s wheelchair difficulties following a flood, the American Red Cross responded immediately.
Volunteers Suzanne Allen de Sanchez (Health Services), Diana Swartz (Recovery) and Jim Doubler (Government Operations) made dozens of phone calls to find an available electric wheelchair that matched Ignacio’s needs.
“The Red Cross has helped immensely,” says Ignacio. “They were able to expedite the [insurance] process to get me authorized for a new chair. They have been very attentive by checking in on me … it has been super helpful!”
“Once you join the Red Cross, you realize what an impact the Red Cross makes and you understand how many volunteers there are, and you want to be a part of keeping it going.”
When he’s not supporting his neighbors in Kern County, you can often find George volunteering across the country in a community struck by a disaster. When hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters strike, communities are often left with critical needs for basics like food and shelter. George steps in to provide comfort and help those impacted begin to recover.
“It’s the most rewarding thing I've done.”
