When Hurricane Debby moved up the East Coast in August, bringing torrential rainfall to Steuben County, the Red Cross was there. Volunteers staffed shelters in Corning-Painted Post and Hornell and conducted damage assessments in the wake of the storm.

The community of Dansville, NY held special events this summer to honor American Red Cross founder and former Dansville resident Clara Barton. One way to commemorate her was the creation and dedication of a huge mural on the side of a downtown building.

A new blood donation site in Fairport offers individuals an opportunity to donate platelets and other blood products in addition to whole blood. Nearly one half of all platelets collected are eventually used by cancer patients to assist with clotting.

Memorial Day marks one of the several occasions that Service to the Armed Forces volunteers honor those who served our country. Volunteer Bob Pecoraro, a retired Air Force Reserve officer, described what makes serving members of our military so special.

After months of renovations, the Clara Barton Chapter #1 site, a crown jewel in the history of the American Red Cross, reopened for visitors. A mid-July event brought out many members of the Dansville community and Red Cross to honor the shared history.

Red Cross SAF Mobile Special Darla Roote spent six months on a deployment to a U.S. Military base in Poland. Darla left in February to help bring activities and a piece of home to nearly 1,200 men and women living on three U.S. military bases in Poland.

Disaster Action Team member John Rudolph displayed his caring/holiday spirit when he assisted a family after their home fire. Rudolph didn’t even stop to change when responding to the fire call, eventually greeting the impacted family dressed as Santa.

When southern states were hit with major hurricanes Helene & Milton, displacing thousands from their homes, WNY Red Cross volunteers sprang into action. Over 50 regional volunteers deployed in the first weeks after the storm, providing shelter and food.

The Red Cross’ ongoing Home Fire Campaign continued to show great impact as the number of lives saved in WNY since 2014 rose to 53 lives. This year, volunteers installed over 2,400 free smoke alarms in area homes, helping reduce the risk of fires and deaths.

During FY 2024, the Red Cross of WNY responded to more than 750 disaster events – helping 1,200+ families.  It also provided almost 2,700 services to active & retired military and their families, and held nearly 5,000 blood drives, collecting over 107,000 units.