The American Red Cross of Central and Southwest Oklahoma hosted Red Cross Connect: A Night of Impact and Inspiration featuring a conversation with Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt to bring together members of the philanthropic community in support of the Red Cross mission.

The Nov. 18 event was hosted by Tiffany Circle sister Mary Blankenship Pointer at the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Her family ties to the Red Cross are at least two generations old.

“My grandmother, Lizzie Blankenship, used to hand-sew quilts for families who’d lost everything in the Arkansas River floods. She didn’t have much, but she gave what she could: her time, her skill and her heart,” Blankenship Pointer said. “Inspired by my grandmother, I decided four years ago to take that same spirit of compassion further and joined Tiffany Circle, a community of extraordinary women leaders advancing the Red Cross mission.”

Today, there are 20 Tiffany Circle members in Oklahoma and more than 1,200 across the country.

Blankenship Pointer led a wide-ranging conversation with Holt, touching on the early days of his political career, his experiences as mayor of Oklahoma’s largest city and the importance of serving your community, especially during tough times.

Oklahoma City has seen those tough times, both historically and recently. The city this year commemorated the 30th anniversary of the bombing attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, an act of terrorism that killed 168 people. Counties that comprise the Oklahoma City metro made it through the COVID-19 pandemic with a noticeably lower death rate than the rest of the state thanks to collective action. And Holt was impressed by the response to a 2024 tornado that leveled a southeast Oklahoma City neighborhood.

Holt and Blankenship Pointer share a favorite quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” said by President John F. Kennedy during his 1961 inaugural address. Holt said the impact of the Oklahoma City metro area’s 1.25 million residents giving what they can of their time or money to local nonprofits would have a huge impact.

“If we all do just a little bit — do what we can, control what we can control, resolve to leave our little corner of the world a little better than we found it — the collective result it has is amazing,” Holt said.

The Red Cross helps one in 65 people at some point in their lives. It could be through a lifesaving blood transfusion after an accident or during cancer treatment. Maybe it’s through CPR training or by being saved by someone the Red Cross trained in lifesaving skills. It may also come from the support provided to service members and their families, starting from the moment they enlist.

In the last year, Red Cross of Central and Southwest Oklahoma volunteers responded to nearly 400 home fires. They installed over 500 smoke alarms across the Oklahoma City metro and helped 235 families create fire escape plans.

The Red Cross supported hospitals by delivering thousands of units of blood products, ensuring lifesaving blood is ready for someone’s neighbor, coworker, parent or child. Oklahoma City is also home to one of the strongest military and veteran communities in the region. The local Service to the Armed Forces team supports families through emergency communications, resiliency workshops and care at VA facilities.

Red Cross volunteers in the area also deploy at some of the highest rates in the entire country.

“So, when we talk about the Red Cross, we’re not talking about something distant. We’re talking about mission, impact, and compassion happening right here, every day, in every corner of this city,” said Loida Haffener Salmond, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Central and Southwest Oklahoma.

The need is growing. The Red Cross now responds to a large disaster every 10 days — twice as often as just a decade ago. That means more displaced families and more lives disrupted.

Oklahoma is an importer of Red Cross national funding and resources. That’s not because we’re overspending but because the need is outpacing our resources.

Red Cross Connect is part of the Kansas and Oklahoma Region’s efforts to build a pipeline of the next generation of Red Cross leaders: board members, Tiffany Circle members, community partners, business collaborators, donors and volunteers.

Because when you step forward, you become the Red Cross in your community.