Blood Services Exceptional Volunteer of the Year: Kim Lowe

Kim is the definition of dependable. Month after month, she completes critical volunteer recognition tasks without needing reminders, ensuring that each volunteer feels seen and celebrated."

Kim is self-motivated and takes full ownership of her role, Kim ensures that birthdays, anniversaries, and milestone follow-ups are handled thoughtfully and on time. Her dedication makes a lasting difference in the volunteer experience."

Compassionate and organized while balancing work and family life, Kim still finds time to support the Red Cross mission. She stepped up in a time when traditional volunteer opportunities weren’t available in her area, finding meaningful ways to serve behind the scenes.

A true ambassador of appreciation, Kim’s work directly strengthens the sense of community among our volunteers, ensuring that no one’s contributions go unnoticed. Whether sending messages of encouragement or recognizing service milestones, her impact on morale and volunteer retention is immeasurable.

Communications Department Exceptional Volunteer of the Year: David Guth

David brings his passion for writing and storytelling to every project, ensuring that the incredible work of the Red Cross is seen, heard and understood. Through his words, he captures the heart of our mission and shares it with the world.

Engaged and dedicated, David is always looking for ways to get involved and stay connected. Whether lending his expertise to a new initiative or seeking out meaningful stories to highlight, he consistently goes above and beyond to support the Red Cross.

Even with a packed schedule, David found time to capture a partner’s mission moment during a chapter board meeting, making sure their story was heard and celebrated. His commitment to sharing the voices and experiences of those we serve is invaluable.

Disaster Services Exceptional Volunteers of the Year: Pat and Ron Gilbert

Pat and Ron have gone beyond disaster response. They’ve helped build resilience in our communities. Through their work teaching Prepare with Pedro and installing smoke alarms in at-risk neighborhoods, they’ve helped keep families safe before disaster even strikes.

As Disaster Action Team members in the Greater Kansas Chapter, Pat and Ron have traveled over 2,000 square miles responding to house fires and providing comfort and care to those in need.

Some of the hardest-hit areas are often the most difficult to reach, yet Pat and Ron consistently step up to ensure that families in north central Kansas receive the assistance they need. Their commitment to traveling longer distances — sometimes over 50 miles one way — has truly made a difference.

Service to Armed Forces Exceptional Volunteer of the Year: Harold Coverdell

Harold is an active-duty service member with the Soldier Recovery Unit (SRU), a unit dedicated to supporting soldiers recovering from injury. Yet, his own recovery has never stood in the way of his passion for serving others. With steadfast devotion, he continues to deliver the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross, ensuring his fellow soldiers feel supported and cared for.

A leader in support and engagement, Harold has played an integral role in welcoming newly arrived soldiers and their families through the weekly socials welcoming new families to base, fostering a sense of belonging and connection. He also created the SRU Red Cross Movie Nights, an initiative that brings comfort, care and community to patients each Thursday.

In every pocket of free time, Harold finds new ways to give. Whether assembling laundry kits for deploying soldiers, collaborating with the SRU chaplain to expand volunteer opportunities, or stepping up to recruit another volunteer to continue SRU programming after his own service ends, his commitment is unwavering.

Harold’s dedication extends beyond Fort Riley. Prior to his assignment here, he volunteered for the Red Cross while deployed in Kuwait, leaving such a lasting impact that his former station manager said we are ‘very lucky’ to have him now.

Volunteer Services Department Exceptional Volunteer of the Year: Daniella Beers

Daniella is a force of nature when it comes to supporting the Red Cross mission. She has recruited members, guided the University of Kansas Red Cross Club to consistent engagement, and ensured it remains an active and thriving organization.

Beyond leading the KU Red Cross Club, Daniella has played a vital role in mentoring other clubs as they form, helping shape the Regional Red Cross Club Leadership group that is just beginning in our region.

Every month, Daniella leads club meetings, coordinates members for service events and finds new ways for volunteers to make an impact. From organizing a food drive for the VA Center in Topeka to spearheading the Sound the Alarm event in Lawrence, she transforms vision into action.

Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership: Janet Stallard

This award is reserved for individuals whose dedication, expertise, and leadership truly embody the spirit of service and humanitarianism that Clara Barton herself demonstrated.

Janet is the Workforce Engagement Coordinator for the Greater Kansas Chapter, a role in which she has set the standard. Her process for training and engaging new volunteers has strengthened our workforce, and her strategies are so effective that regional leadership often calls on her to share them with others.

Janet’s commitment extends far beyond her role. She dedicates additional hours ensuring chapter volunteers are ready to respond to severe weather events, increasing our ability to respond in times of crisis.

Janet has deployed both inside and outside our region, bringing invaluable expertise to disaster operations. When she was deployed in January to assist with shelter resident transition during the Los Angeles wildfires, she worked tirelessly to secure safe and stable housing for affected families. Janet took it upon herself to find and secure a replacement home for a family who lost their trailer home in the fires, ensuring the new home exceeded their expectations. Her follow-through ensured their long-term stability, and today, that family credits Janet for their successful recovery.

Janet’s impact is felt through not only her own actions, but also through those she has mentored and guided. She is the go-to person when new volunteers have questions, ensuring they receive support, direction and encouragement. Recently, she inspired a longtime friend to join the Red Cross, supporting them through their training and transition into recovery work — proof that her leadership extends beyond her own service.