By Christopher Quinn, Red Cross Communications Volunteer
The journeys of two Atlanta women recovering from separate home fires will come full circle in Carmel, California, next April.
Sibyl Porter and Elizabeth “Izzy” Russell, who were helped back to their feet by the Atlanta chapter of the American Red Cross after losing their homes, will raise money for the nonprofit in a foot race, the grueling Big Sur International Marathon in California.
A third woman, Izzy’s mother Caron Russell, who lives near Sacramento, California, is so grateful for the help the Red Cross gave her daughter that she decided to join them.
Sibyl and Izzy are experienced runners. Caron, not so much.
“So, my nephew, Izzy’s cousin, is a trainer,” Caron said. “So, I called him and said, ‘Alex, is this possible? Can you take your aunty from her couch to a marathon?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely.’
“They all laughed at me. But everybody is in.”
The race is run on a section of California’s Scenic U.S. Highway 1. The course winds its way through some of the state’s most gorgeous scenery, tracing the Pacific coast while passing redwood forests, ranches and rolling hills. Runners raise money by getting friends, family and others to donate money toward charities the race organizer selects. The Red Cross is one of those.
The Red Cross in Northern California also provides trained CPR and first aid volunteers on race day to help ensure the safety and well-being of runners and spectators.
“That will be my first (marathon) on the West Coast,” said Atlanta resident Sibyl Porter, a 62-year-old who started running races in Atlanta 11 years ago.
She was in Sedona, Arizona, running a half marathon for her last birthday when a friend mentioned the Big Sur International Marathon and promised to help support Porter’s fundraising effort.
“So, I went and looked at it (online) and that is when I saw the American Red Cross was one of the charities for the race. That was on my list after my experience in dealing with the American Red Cross. I knew I had to give back,” Sibyl said.
Her Red Cross experience started with someone banging on the door of her apartment at about 10 p.m. in December 2025 and telling her and her two sons to get out because the building was on fire. They escaped with a set of car keys and little else, then stood in the cold, shivering and watching the firefighters battle the blaze.
“I remember the apartment manager saying, ‘Come to my office,’” Sibyl said. “That is when the American Red Cross showed up.”
Red Cross Disaster Action Teams respond to fires to give those who lose their homes immediate comfort, counseling and goods that stabilize their lives. They gave Sibyl and her son care packages that have basics, such as toothpaste, soap and deodorant. They also gave her a debit card to help meet immediate needs, including a place to stay for the night and some clothes the next morning. “You don’t realize until you are standing in the cold alone that a fire leaves you with only what’s on your back,” Sibyl said. Putting a daily life back together is not an easy task, but Red Cross gave her a stable restart to build back upon. Raising money for the Red Cross by running will let her pass on to others the kind of help she got.
“They may not be in Atlanta, but I’ll be able to give help to someone going through that,” she said.
Izzy, a 26-year-old California transplant, had a similar experience last January.
It began with the smell of something burning and an apartment neighbor’s scream shortly before 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. She opened her door to see the neighbor across the hall with her door also open.
“I could see the flames behind her,” Izzy said. Things happened in a blur and ended with Izzy, neighbors and pets standing outside with an Amazon delivery driver, who had spotted the smoke and called the fire department.
“One of the first people from the fire department was collecting information (from us) and said the Red Cross would be reaching out. … I thought it would be Monday or Tuesday, but by the time the fire was out … I was getting calls from the Red Cross,” she said.
“I had no idea what the Red Cross did. I know the big picture, but not how it might impact me,” Izzy said. She soon found out. Red Cross volunteers walked her through the steps of what to expect and things she would need to do and gave further help.
“I had no idea what to do,” Izzy said. “They gave me a chance to sit and process and gave me advice.” And they gave her a debit card to get necessities while she recollected her life.
“I didn’t have a toothbrush, pajamas, anything,” she said.
“To have somebody show up like that, and it was no questions, just, we are here to help you; we are going to get your feet touching the ground a little bit. They were there for me,” she said.
The Big Sur International Marathon was not unknown to Izzy. Her mother Caron works for the American Cancer Society. That nonprofit is also one of the organizations that runners can choose to sponsor. Runners can also choose to run shorter sections, rather than the marathon, and Izzy had done that before moving to Atlanta.
Next year, it will be a different mission.
“I’m running because I want to help the Red Cross continue doing for other people what they did for me,” she wrote on her online fundraising site. “Because, unfortunately, there will always be another family standing outside a burning home. Another person who doesn't know what to do next. Another morning when someone's entire life changes in a matter of minutes.”
“And I want the Red Cross to be there for them.”
Sofia Knoblauch, a regional events manager for the Red Cross in San Francisco, said the nonprofit added the marathon to its list of fundraising events in recent years and helps notify Red Cross supporters of the events.
“We have runners from all over the country,” coming to support the Red Cross, she said.
Runners have to pledge to raise $2,500 each to run, and Red Cross development team members help them. All three women have fundraising pages on the haku app, which helps organizers manage and market events such as the Big Sur race.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
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