Volunteer Ken Marks is a Community Connector for the Home Fire Campaign

By David Olejarz, regional communications director

To commemorate Black History Month, the Red Cross is celebrating team members and how they’re making a difference in the mission.

When Ken Marks retired after 43 years in public service in state  government, no one would have faulted him for kicking back and enjoying the fruits of his labor. But it was a conversation with his wife that would decide the next chapter for Marks. It lasted about one minute.

“I’m not a TV watcher and the honey-do-list was done before I retired,” he said, laughing. “It was a good opportunity for me to do what I enjoy doing.”

What came next is what has defined his career and who he is as: A beacon of light.

Since joining the American Red Cross as a volunteer in 2019 – a few months fresh from retirement – Marks has been instrumental in growing the Home Fire Campaign in the East Central Bay Chapter through his community outreach efforts. Under his leadership, the number of smoke alarm installations increased 34 percent from 2022-2023. That resulted in nearly 250 homes made safer. The chapter has also seen a significant growth in children and young people learning about home fire safety under Marks.

From knocking on doors, to setting up community events, to collaborating with the local fire department, Marks has left an indelible mark every step of the way. His easy-going nature, combined with exceptional  communication and listening skills (“to hear the voices of the community and what the needs are,” he likes to say), make him the ideal volunteer for a humanitarian organization like the Red Cross.

Marks started as a disaster services associate. He is now the preparedness lead coordinator.

“I like it because it’s something like I was destined to do,” he said. “It gives me an opportunity to get out and have an impact that you can see.”

He takes personal joy in serving the very Flint community he grew up in and resides in today. He has been married for 42 years and has two children and two grandchildren. He is the second youngest of eight siblings.

“Being in poverty slowed me down, but it didn’t stop me from wanting to give back and share the things I learned,” said Marks, who earned a bachelor's degree in community education at the University of Michigan.

Marks credits a gym teacher in elementary school with planting the seeds that would foster his interest in a career in community education with the Michigan Department and Health & Human Services. The teacher also served as a community relations director after school, and with a young Marks in tow, they would canvass the neighborhoods and talk to families. The interpersonal skills Marks would later develop were cut during those canvassing experiences. 

After coming on board at the Red Cross, Marks was eager to immerse himself in the Home Fire Campaign. His supervisor at the time, Annette Swain, now program manager for Workforce Engagement, gave him the runway to strategize about community outreach.

“It required going back to my roots of community education, which was knocking on doors and saying, ‘this is what we have to offer. This is an opportunity to not only get smoke detectors in your home, but also learn how to be safe in the event there’s a fire,’” he said.

“The program started to take on a life of its own. People that I knew started calling, saying we hear you’re doing something at the Red Cross, and we haven’t been part of that in the past.”

It was the beginning of a widespread community education effort. Marks has led workshops about home fire safety for seniors, students, community organizations and churches. During a meeting with a classroom of seniors, he demonstrated how to use a fire extinguisher simulator. That led to Marks approaching the local fire department with an idea for collaboration. For those who participate in Red Cross fire safety and simulator education, they receive a fire extinguisher for their home courtesy of the fire department.

Early on in his outreach efforts, Marks acknowledged pushback from a community that has gone through decades of economic strife and government mistrust. The Flint water crisis is still fresh here, nearly 10 years later. 

“The pushback was from a lack of knowledge,” Marks said. “People didn’t know what the Red Cross does. The only thing they knew about us was blood (collection services). That was another bridge in the gap of helping them understand what the Red Cross is about and what the mission of the Red Cross is.”

Marks said dialogue helps “you bridge that gap.” During discussions with community members, he makes it a point to explain the breadth of Red Cross services.

“Community members would see us pull up (in neighborhoods) in Red Cross cars and they would say, ‘hey, I need some smoke detectors.’ And we’re like, OK, we’ll come over. It has created that gel to bring back the community and restore the community to its original greatness,” he said.

While Marks and his team have made enormous strides assisting the community, he admits challenges remain. Naysayers persist. “If you’re not part of the solution, then there’s no reason to complain about the  prooblem,” Marks said. “How can we help engage you, and what do we need to do, so we can actually serve you.”

He keeps things in perspective and stays true to the mantra he lives by: Faith, family and future.

“I focus my attention on those things, because that’s how I was brought up,” he said. “My future is to continue to do the things that you enjoy doing because you’re not doing it because you have to, you’re doing it because you choose to.

“My philosophy is about not how long you live, but how you live long. If you enjoy what you’re doing, then you’re going to have that longevity.”