By Kaitlyn Connolly, American Red Cross

Beth Ann Keeton has been a steadfast force within the Red Cross for 50 years, touching thousands of lives across the United States and beyond. Her unwavering commitment is evident every day in North Carolina, where she works with the Volunteer Services Engagement Team, guiding countless employees and volunteers through trainings on Volunteer Connection. While she calls Greensboro, North Carolina her home chapter, nearly everyone in the region has sat in one of her virtual classes, learning from her expertise and passion.

But Beth Ann’s journey didn’t begin in a boardroom or a classroom, or even in Volunteer Services. Her initial love for the Red Cross started with a simple, powerful inspiration: her mother.

“She loved the water,” she remembered, “and she wanted to make sure we all knew how to swim. Because she’d lost her dad to a heart attack and no one knew CPR, she wanted to make sure we did.”

Beth Ann is one of five children. She said when she and her family would head to the pool, her mother had to make sure five children came home. These skills would shape Beth Ann’s future in profound ways.

“So my first experience with American Red Cross was learning swim lessons in Monheim, Germany,” she said. “Fast forward to when I was 14, as a youth I could become a volunteer. I was at Fort Knox, Kentucky by then, and I was then in the pool with all the little ones teaching them to swim”.

But this was only the start of her commitment to the Red Cross.

A LIFELONG COMMITMENT ROOTED IN MILITARY LIFE 

Growing up in a military family and later marrying a man who dedicated his life to military service, Beth Ann found a natural alignment with the Red Cross mission.

“It always recommitted me to staying with the Red Cross. It’s a great organization—one of the best in the world.”

Her passion for the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program runs deep. As a young military wife who had returned to Germany and was volunteering for the Red Cross, she witnessed firsthand the emotional toll of emergencies on military families, especially those far from home.

“We had several young military families that came in at the time I was there to have emergency communications,” she said. “They heard a family member was ill, or family in the United States heard a member in Germany was ill. There once was a young couple that had just delivered a baby, and at that point it wasn’t determined if the baby would live, and all she wanted was a call from her mother. I was able to help her get in contact.”

PIONEERING HERO CARE 

One of Beth Ann’s proudest accomplishments was helping launch the Hero Care Center, a vital initiative that expanded emergency services for military families. She said she was in the room during the very first meeting and watched it grow into the expansive system we see today.

“We built our team from eight to more than 90 members. Then it expanded across the country and to our overseas locations as well. I was there from the very start.”

Her leadership helped shape a national system that now supports families across the U.S. and overseas, ensuring timely and compassionate emergency communication for active-duty military members, veterans and their families.

EMPOWERING WOMEN THROUGH TIFFANY CIRCLE 

Since joining Tiffany Circle a little more than a decade ago, Beth Ann found a new way to give back.

“I came in with an advantage because I knew an awful lot about the Red Cross and have served with the Red Cross around the world,” she said. “Coming into Tiffany Circle just enhanced the experience of being with women who are like-minded and want to support the organization. Adding the network to people I can reach out to, that’s what I find as an advantage.”

She says she enjoys being part of a philanthropic network of women supporting the Red Cross, and she encourages those who want to join Tiffany Circle to find a good mentor.

“They’ve got wonderful networks built among the women to talk about Tiffany Circle and talk about the Red Cross and the need to support at whatever level an individual is able to do.”

Within the organization, she enjoys women helping women explore the many ways they can contribute, whether through leadership, fundraising or hands-on volunteering.

“You might be a corporate president, but say, ‘I want to do sheltering.’ Find your fit and use your influence.”

LOOKING AHEAD: RED CROSS EVOLUTION AND A LEGACY OF SERVICE 

Beth Ann has seen the Red Cross evolve over decades, always striving to be more efficient, compassionate and community-focused.

“We’ve consolidated our brick-and-mortar, but our volunteers are out there. They just need to be seen.”

Her vision for the future is simple yet profound: that the Red Cross continues to educate communities and expand awareness of its vast services.

“Too many people only think of blood drives or CPR. They don’t know the full scope—or that they can volunteer in so many ways.”

When asked about her own legacy, Beth Ann shares her lasting hope:

“I hope people remember me as someone who was proud to be a volunteer, who served the mission and upheld our principles and values.”