Kasra Yaghouti began volunteering for the American Red Cross as a blood donor ambassador in 2020. Just one year later, he took on additional responsibilities as Engagement Lead for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region.

“I'm so appreciative of everything I've learned – all the incredible people that I've met,” he said.

On March 8, 2025 the Red Cross honored Kasra during the Celebration of Volunteers ceremony, where he won the Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer award for Philadelphia County.

“I was ecstatic to win this award,” he said. Kasra felt thrilled to have been chosen “among such amazing volunteers” who have dedicated years of their life to the Red Cross.

“My goal is always to help others in need,” he said.

In that spirit of helpfulness, Kasra is a dedicated blood donor, having contributed both whole blood and white blood cells through the Red Cross, with plans to continue donating in the future.

In 2021, Kasra co-founded a newsletter for blood donor ambassadors called “The Beat,” which will soon merge with the “Volunteer Voice” newsletter after nearly 30 issues were published. During the pandemic “The Beat” gave volunteers a chance to connect with one another during social distancing.

“Hopefully, the newsletters allowed them to understand that their dedication and support means so much and it goes such a long way towards saving lives.”

Kasra also hosted bi-monthly online meetings for blood donor ambassadors to talk to each other and ask questions, which was especially helpful during the pandemic when people couldn’t meet in person.

He studied biology at Temple University and furthered his education with a post-baccalaureate program in health sciences, working toward his goal of becoming a nurse practitioner in dermatology.

He currently works as a dermatology medical assistant and this fall will begin nursing school. Although his free time will be limited because of an intense course schedule, Kasra said he won’t ever neglect the Red Cross.

“I love volunteering with the Red Cross. It’s always been one of my passions. It’s such a wonderful organization to be involved in -- so welcoming. There’s always opportunities to help. I think I’ll always be a volunteer.”

The Red Cross needs more volunteers like Kasra to support ongoing blood collection efforts and disaster operations. Blood donor ambassadors and blood transportation specialists are two of the biomedical volunteer positions the Red Cross needs the most.

When you become a Red Cross volunteer, you will receive free online training to teach you what you need to know and help you learn new skills. If you would like to volunteer, find out how at redcross.org/volunteer.

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- Written by Jenny Farley