The American Red Cross of Nevada is fortunate to have hundreds of extremely dedicated volunteers who help us carry out our mission across the Silver State. In times of disaster, there are usually a few individuals who are outstanding in their willingness to help give comfort and care to people who are most severely affected. During this pandemic, one of our Service to the Armed Forces volunteers--Randall (Randy) Miller--has shown that he will has the heart to go above and beyond for active duty service members, veterans and their families in northern Nevada.

Randy Miller worked in Nevada's higher education system for a total of 28 years. Shortly after he retired in the autumn of 2019, he joined the American Red Cross as a volunteer with the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) so that he could, "give back to those that have risked their life for me. Both my father and father-in-law served during WWll. Now it's my turn to help." 

Randy currently works with the SAF team as a Hero Care case worker and with the VA Sierra Nevada Healthcare System. During his short time as a casework volunteer, Randy has assisted many active duty service members, their families, and veterans with connecting them to local community resources in Northern Nevada. As active duty members are getting ready to deploy, he works with them to fill out Emergency Contact Cards so that the Red Cross can notify their families if something should happen, or notify the service member of a birth, death, illness or accident that has happened at home. He follows up with families to ensure they are aware of resources the Red Cross provides, as well as being the point person to make those links between the military and families in cases of emergencies. At the local VA hospital, Randy volunteers within the Community Living Center to keep the senior vets company during down time. 

Service to the Armed Forces Program Manager BrookeLynn Elder says, "What makes Randy stand out is that he is just so passionate to give back to the community. He's very proactive and is the first person to raise his hand and volunteer for new projects, especially through our COVID-19 response. When he talks to families, he's very calming and makes them feel like everything is going to be ok and that they're in good hands--he has compassion and empathy while still getting the necessary information to resolve cases."