When John Gareis began his career with the American Red Cross, there were elevator operators in the building that housed the offices in Cleveland. Blood collected from donors was stored in glass bottles – not the plastic pouches used today. “And there were no electronics,” John said, pointing to an old typewriter on display in the lobby of the current Red Cross offices in Cleveland.

If the computer systems that exist today were common then, John may not have been hired.

“I saw a notice posted on a job board at CSU (Cleveland State University),” John said. He was  studying business management at the time and needed a part-time job. “They asked me if I had good handwriting. I said, ‘I guess so,’ and I got the job.”

48 years later, John is retiring from the Red Cross, following a storied career that began in the records department, where he was tasked with writing blood donor information by hand.

“It was only supposed to last a couple of weeks,” he said with a wry grin.

“I met John in December 1986,” said Darlene Morris, the current manufacturing director at the blood laboratory in Cleveland. “I had started at Red Cross the month prior, and he was hosting our Christmas party! He had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around.”

John eventually transferred from Biomedical Services to Humanitarian Services and led the Wayne County chapter headquartered in Wooster. “Whenever there were any disasters or fires, John was always there to help,” said Greg Long, who served as the chapter chairman of the board. “He always had whatever was needed to assist the families and first responders.”

Greg said John worked hard to create and develop the Festival of Trees, a legacy fundraising event. And he worked with John to help build a new chapter headquarters building in downtown Wooster. “John put together a blue-ribbon campaign committee and we raised the money, 1.8 million dollars, and built the new chapter house.” Construction was completed in 2008.

John has weathered many changes in structure and operation at the Red Cross and is ending his career as the regional preparedness manager. Renee Palagyi, who worked closely with John for several years at regional headquarters in Cleveland, first met John in 2006, when she was a Red Cross volunteer in Ashtabula County. She served on a committee focused on disaster preparedness and response. “I was immediately struck by the wide base of knowledge John had, not just in disaster but in overall chapter function, fundraising, Service to the Armed Forces, and so much more,” she said. “Such an easy-going guy who was willing to share what he knew with the entire group.”

Arguably, John’s most significant contribution to the Red Cross involves the development of Operation Save-a-Life, an initiative to make homes and families safer with free smoke alarms. It began in 1992 in partnership with the Cleveland Division of Fire and served as a model for the national Home Fire Campaign, a highly successful initiative that is credited with saving more than 2,000 lives since being introduced nationwide in 2014.

“The success of the lifesaving smoke alarm program is truly a credit to John and his desire to get it done,” said Renee. “For so many years our region was the gold standard in this program and that must be credited to John, who didn’t just lead it; he was out there installing alarms, teaching families how to be safe and pulling together incredible teams across the region for large scale installations.”

John is quick to note he wasn’t involved with the creation of the smoke alarm program, but he speaks of it with pride. “We started it. It went national because of the work done by our staff, our volunteers and our partners to make it such a success,” he said. “We wear that as a badge of honor, and we continue to be a national leader every day.”

Regional CEO Mike Parks also shared his high praise for John.

“John’s contribution to the American Red Cross over the past five decades cannot be overstated. His knowledge and expertise, especially when it comes to preparing communities and families for potential disasters, has resulted in a more resilient Northern Ohio,” he said.  “His inspiring leadership of the Home Fire Campaign has created safer homes, families, and communities. Thanks to his tireless efforts, the Northern Ohio Region continues to set an example for the rest of the country when it comes to smoke alarm installations and homes made safer.”

His retirement is not the end of John Gareis’ Red Cross career; he plans to continue sharing his expertise as a volunteer.

“I feel honored to have worked alongside John for the last eight years and look forward to continuing to do so as John moves into a volunteer role supporting our training team,” said Emily Probst, regional disaster officer.

Mike Parks shared a similar sentiment. “I wish John the very best in the future and am comforted in knowing he will continue to provide his valuable service to the Red Cross as a volunteer.”