Describing Ann Christmas as a volunteer requires words such as disciplined, dedicated and intensely hard-working. She is also as candid as glass. What led her to volunteer 22 years ago for the American Red Cross? “I was a young, stay-at-home mom and was bored,” Ann Christmas admits. She hasn’t been bored since.

Born in the Boston area and raised in New England, Ann moved to Florida when she was 12. That’s where she eventually married and had her son. In 2004, three hurricanes badly damaged her home near Daytona, Florida. The roof was replaced between Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. At the same time, her son was dealing with severe medical conditions, and she suddenly found herself walking that road as a single parent. “So, I moved to St. Louis for one reason: to recover by living with my dad,” Ann recalls.

When not at work at The Fabulous Fox Theatre, she serves as the Missouri and Arkansas Red Cross Region’s CAC Function 2 Lead. In that role, Ann oversees and accounts for Client Assistance Cards (CACs) across all 189 counties in the region.

Essentially, she manages the delivery, tracking, and auditing of thousands of debit cards, resources that are critical to the Red Cross’s ability to quickly provide financial assistance to disaster clients. Through this work, she and her team help ensure that hundreds of families receive the support they need when they need help most.

Twice a year, Ann shifts into audit mode, spending 20 to 30 hours each week for six straight weeks completing detailed CAC inventory audits to ensure every card is accounted for, and properly documented. This often means calling 60 to 100 volunteers on a single weekend. “In reality, we track thousands of cards because we must be able to account for every single CAC. It’s essential that our records always match the exact location and count of cards in the field. Accuracy isn’t optional. It’s critical to maintaining trust and ensuring help reaches those in need without delay.” 

Ann also serves on a national Red Cross team responsible for developing the “how-to” guides and policies that leadership relies on to ensure CACs are properly monitored in accordance with bank requirements.

During disasters, like the May 16, 2025, tornado that hit the St. Louis metropolitan area, volunteers are deployed to assist with maintaining and distributing CACs to those who were affected. Ann does whatever it takes to make sure these volunteers have what they need. Even while she continues to work her full-time job at the theatre, Ann coordinates and delivers CACs to responders, meeting them wherever possible to get the cards into their hands quickly. At times, volunteers have even come to her home to pick up CACs so assistance can reach clients without delay.

Although her focus is on accounting and numbers, Ann says she really enjoys helping people directly most of all. “For years I responded to disasters, something I no longer do because of my role as the Regional CAC Lead. But I do get involved during disasters if they are local,” Ann shared. “I found myself jumping into an Emergency Response Vehicle to help distribute food and other supplies during our tornado response. I have also met volunteers from other regions at the airport to get them to disaster sites. I step in wherever I see a need, doing whatever it takes to support both volunteers and the people they serve.”

Her work was especially important during last year’s tornado response. The storm left many homeless or without electricity or natural gas. That May, one of Ann’s most heartening and exhausting moments came when she organized a food and supply drive at The Fabulous Fox Theatre, which is close to the hardest hit area. Through a Broadway show run, the theatre turned into a collection site. Ann worked with the marketing team to spread the word encouraging guests attending one of the 14 Broadway shows to bring donations of food and supplies to the theatre. Emails went out to every ticket holder for those performances, helping turn the guests and employees into a powerful force for community support.

“I really love it when the community pulls together and reminds us that helping one another is at the heart of recovery,” Ann said. “I thought we would end up with just a small collection of food and supplies. But the public’s response was so amazing that the donations went to LOVEtheLOU down the road from the Fox.”

In fact, LOVEtheLOU became an American Red Cross hub during the response and continues to play an active role in helping the community rebuild. This nonprofit organization was founded in 2009 out of a deep love for the City of St. Louis. It has been committed to investing in the community through a variety of programs, including a mentoring initiative that supports and empowers the city’s youth.

When it became quite clear that Ann’s trunk wasn’t going to be big enough to move

the donations, the Fox Theatre staff approved the rental of a U-Haul. In the meantime, as part of her routine, Ann stopped at the Red Cross Disaster Response Headquarters on her way to work a few times a week for more CACs and to pass out hugs to friends working the disaster relief efforts. One of those mornings, she told a Red Cross staff member what was going on.

Who showed up to help when the food and supplies had to be moved? The American Red Cross with a large van to help Ann move the donations from The Fabulous Fox Theatre to LOVEtheLOU. A perfect example of community partners being brought together by one volunteer’s love for helping their community.