An Indiana Region Red Cross Volunteer is deploying to California this week to assist those impacted by wildfires in southern California. Volunteer Toni Colter is available for virtual Zoom interviews on Tuesday, January 14 between 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

To coordinate an interview, please reach out to Janie Bohlmann at (317) 771-9600 or
Isis Chaverri (317) 914-5774.

Toni will join more than 350 Red Cross disaster workers in California, including one other volunteer from the Indiana Region. On the ground, Toni will work as a member of the casework and recovery planning team. She joined the Red Cross in 2024 and previously deployed to Tennessee and North Carolina to assist those impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The Palisades and Eaton fires are among the top five most destructive in California’s history, destroying about 12,000 structures according to preliminary CalFire assessments. On Monday morning, nearly 900 evacuees woke up in Red Cross shelters, and many are struggling after losing everything. The American Red Cross is working to ensure no one faces this heartbreaking time alone and is coordinating closely with our partners to provide food, shelter emotional support and other critical services.

Click here to access California wildfires b-roll.

HOW TO HELP Families are depending on the Red Cross for assistance now, and we need your support. Please help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from these disasters.

About the American Red Cross Indiana Region:
The American Red Cross of Indiana Region serves 6.9 million people in 104 counties in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio through its five chapters: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Greater Indianapolis (Regional Headquarters). The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit us at Redcross.org/Indiana or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @indianaredcross. LinkedIn: American Red Cross of Indiana.