By Alana Mauger

For the Westermann family – Marty, his wife of 41 years Karen, and his sister Lisa – retirement has been about giving back and helping others. Fortunately, they chose to volunteer for the American Red Cross.

How it started

Lisa Westermann has been a blood donor for most of her life – a habit she started because her parents donated for as long as they were able.

“In my twenties, I saw them donate religiously,” she said.

As she neared retirement from her career as an insurance underwriter, volunteering with the Red Cross seemed like a great way to stay engaged. So in October 2020, Lisa became a blood donor ambassador – someone who helps ensure blood drives run smoothly to provide a positive experience for donors.

“I remember being at a blood drive and thinking, you know, when I retire, I could be one of those volunteers,” she said.

Her brother Marty credits Lisa with getting him involved.

“Lisa told me, ‘Okay, you’ve been retired for a couple of years. You don’t have COVID as an excuse anymore. Now it’s time to start volunteering,’” he recalled.

Lisa’s encouragement led Marty to explore volunteer roles with Disaster Cycle Services, which connected nicely with his decades of experience as a nuclear reactor operator and nuclear operations and security auditor. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air Force National Guard.

First, Marty joined the Disaster Action Team (DAT). He’s the DAT coordinator for Chester County, the volunteer partner for the Chester and Delaware County disaster program manager, and he’s active with the disaster workforce engagement, preparedness and logistics teams.

When Marty threw his hat into the mass care and disaster feeding arena, his wife Karen, recently retired from a career in hospitality, stepped up to the plate.

“Somehow, Marty got involved with feeding and sheltering, and I knew he had no real background in that. So I said yes, I can do this with you,” she recalled.

From there, Karen also started helping install smoke alarms with the Home Fire Campaign.

Like Lisa, Karen was no stranger to the Red Cross. She started donating blood in high school and was even a direct donor for her neighbor’s sister who was battling breast cancer.

Lisa took notice of all the new activities Karen and Marty were joining.

“I was doing blood drives, and these two guys were doing all this stuff, and Marty’s taking all these courses. So at a blood drive, if it’s slow, I’d start taking some disaster courses,” she said.

Soon, Lisa found herself joining Marty and Karen in disaster feeding and smoke alarm installations. Marty also “volunteered” her to help input disaster intake information in RC Care. And she enters all of the Home Fire Campaign paperwork into the national system after smoke alarm installs.

“Marty says I brought him in but then he really got me more involved with a lot of other stuff,” she said.

How it’s going

If there’s a Red Cross activity somewhere in Southeastern Pennsylvania, there’s probably a Westermann nearby. They balance their volunteer work with family time, especially with Karen and Marty’s children and young grandsons, ages 5 months and 5 years. But the Red Cross is a frequent family topic of discussion.

“They’re getting used to when they visit us every once in a while, that I have to disappear for a little bit. They get it,” Marty said.

Karen shared that once their son even asked “if dad was getting PTO for the holiday.” She reminded him, “No, I don’t think so. Remember we’re volunteers, honey.”

What keeps them motivated? For Marty, it’s his fellow volunteers.

“We work with some pretty amazing volunteers. As I get introduced to them, I’m amazed at the backgrounds they have and how they care about their neighbors. It kind of pulls you in. You get a common link,” he shared.

For Lisa, it’s meeting blood donors and hearing their stories and continuing the blood donation legacy started by her parents.

“They’re not only giving their blood, but they’re giving their time,” she said. “Some people come in as couples or families, and they talk about what they do, why they donate. People are pretty amazing.”

For Karen it’s providing comfort in tough times.

“Knowing that food to a lot of people is comfort, by just allowing them to have something in their stomachs, to have that comfort, it’s a good feeling,” she said.

If those aren’t enough reasons to volunteer, Marty has another.

“When I first started, I was so in awe that volunteers run the Red Cross! Like it wouldn’t exist otherwise! And that’s really cool and really neat and really heartwarming. And it restores your faith in humanity, at least for me,” he shared. “It’s good to get out with some good people. And you end up getting more than what you give.”

By Alana Mauger

Like American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, Randy Miller’s first passion is being a nurse. She recalls with great affection the Florence Nightingale Pledge, which she first recited during her graduation ceremony from Montgomery County Community College as a registered nurse in 1982.

“You know, I still have my Florence Nightingale lamp that we carried when we graduated,” she shared.

Decades later, when Randy became the first nurse to receive the Beacon Award at Kennedy Health, she shared part of that pledge and how it called to her.

Randy is a board-certified psychiatric nurse, and she recently became a certified grief and loss educator. For most of her 41-year nursing career, Randy served as nurse manager in hospital psychiatric units. She also was an active part of a community Suicide Prevention Taskforce and was a first-responder in schools when there was a traumatic loss of a child.

When she retired in 2021, Randy searched for a way to continue serving the community. She soon found the Red Cross and became an active member of the Disaster Action Team (DAT), which provides immediate emergency assistance to those impacted by home fires and natural disasters.

She enjoys the unique teamwork aspect of the Red Cross, where volunteers and staff work together.

“It’s an unusual setup that 90% of the workforce are volunteers. It’s one of the things that keeps me going with the Red Cross – being part of a team, and we’re all bringing something different to the table,” she said.

Her work with DAT led her to join the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health team, which Randy now leads. She’s also part of the Red Cross Integrated Care and Condolence Team (ICCT), which is comprised of credentialed Recovery, Disaster Health Services, Disaster Mental Health and Spiritual Care volunteers and staff. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, ICCT mobilizes to support individuals and families impacted by home fires or natural disaster-related fatalities.

Soon after Randy received her certification as a grief and loss educator, she recalls sitting with a mother who had just lost her daughter in a home fire. The mother showed Randy pictures and shared stories about her daughter.

“It was just so powerful for me to sit with her and witness her grief, to just listen,” she said. “That’s the biggest thing you can do for someone in grief.”

While much of the Red Cross Disaster Mental Health support is done virtually, Randy and a few other volunteers also meet with clients at the Red Cross House – a one-of-a-kind disaster recovery center in West Philadelphia that provides support to clients in a safe and comfortable environment. Families get their own room and key with a bathroom and three meals per day while they develop a recovery plan with a Red Cross caseworker.

At the Red Cross House, Randy and her team meet with individuals and families who are referred to them as part of the DAT intake or recovery processes. She enjoys the ability to meet with people in person, to “just sit with them and be present with them.” She also takes the opportunity to eat meals with families who haven’t been referred, just to check in with them and see how they’re doing.

“When you’re sitting with someone and listening and allowing them to tell their story and witnessing their grief without trying to fix it, you’ve just created such an opening for their healing. You give them hope by your presence,” she shared.

In addition to her work with DAT, ICCT and Disaster Mental Health, Randy is part of the Red Cross Mass Care and Preparedness teams. She is also a Disaster Cycle Services basic instructor, teaching Psychological First Aid.

“Being of service is really a privilege. It’s exhilarating and so positive,” she said. “I wish that more people my age would realize that they can contribute. Plus, the Red Cross has so many different opportunities.”

By Jenny Farley

For the past 18 years, Mary Noll has volunteered for the Red Cross. She has deployed at least 30 times, helping out after disasters at home and throughout the country. Now, her service and dedication have been nationally recognized with the prestigious Bob Hasmiller Award as the disaster services volunteer of the year. She received the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Mary said she felt humbled by the award and shared the credit with her fellow volunteers. “I owe a lot of the award that I got to the people that I work with. I’ve had a lot of good people that have taught me and as a result I’ve turned around and tried to teach others what I’ve learned.”

In 2022, Mary volunteered 3,800 hours. “That’s almost two full time jobs,” she said. Mary has several roles with the Red Cross including instructor, mass care and many logistical jobs that help keep the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV) on the road during a disaster.

She is a Red Cross fleet and facilities volunteer partner, transportation lead, a National Fleet Operations (NFO) administrator and the specialty vehicle operator lead for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region.

“When I go out on national responses, I go out as an admin so I assist the mechanics in inspecting and repairing and servicing anything that is on the disaster relief operation.

So we keep as many vehicles as possible functional.”

Those vehicles are critical to providing people with the help they need to recover from a disaster, like the one that inspired Mary to begin volunteering.

“I’m a Katrina baby,” she said. During Hurricane Katrina, Mary said she was sitting on a couch in Atlanta, on her birthday, watching the devastation and misery of the storm on the news. What she did next changed her life.

“I just said, what am I doing sitting here when I should be there?” She signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross and was immediately deployed to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. “Basically, Ground Zero,” she said.

Mary fed people out of the back of an ERV for nearly a month and spent Thanksgiving with grateful residents in an empty lot in the middle of the Lower 9th Ward. “They said,

‘You’re part of our family and we need you to sit down and have dinner with us.’ So it was the most meaningful Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. Even to this day it makes me cry.”

Helping people survive after one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history, taught Mary how important it is to cherish what you have because “you never know how much you have to lose until you lose it.”

Mary coped with her own immense loss when she kept volunteering with the Red Cross during the pandemic. “The Red Cross was there for me when my husband was diagnosed with a blood cancer,” she said.

After years of donating blood themselves, Mary and her husband Peter suddenly needed blood for Peter to fight cancer.

“Toward the end, he was getting 10 units of one type of blood product or another a week. If it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have been around, as long as he had.”

Peter died of his rare cancer after a lifetime together and nearly 47 years of marriage. Mary credits blood donations with helping him live longer, giving them more time. Peter had a volunteer spirit too. The week before he died he helped move donated mattresses into the Red Cross House in Philadelphia.

The Red Cross House is the only one of its kind in the country. It’s a place for people who have lost everything in a fire or other disaster like a building collapse, to temporarily live while they rebuild their lives. Mary has volunteered there helping guests at the front desk when they first arrive.

If you are interested in volunteering for the Red Cross, Mary has some advice. “You get more out of it than you can ever put into it. People are so grateful that you’re there in their darkest hour.”

Mary plans to keep volunteering and sharing the Red Cross mission, with the memories of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters she has deployed to, never forgotten.

“That’s why I’m still here. I go out and I take care of people. People say why do you do it? And I say because if something like that happened to my family, I’d want somebody to do it for them.”

By Terri Seydel

Life experience can very often spark an interest in volunteer work. Shawn Curnew is a great example of how people can apply their life experiences, interests, and passions to help others.

Shawn’s early career as a Marine, including a re-enlistment after 9-11, has given him valuable first-hand knowledge of the needs of active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Since becoming a Veteran, he’s been intentional about finding ways to continue serving his country and community.

He initially started volunteering with the Travis Manion Foundation, an organization that strives to support and empower veterans and families of the fallen. The alliance with that foundation opened many opportunities for Shawn to partner with other humanitarian organizations, such as the Wounded Warrior Project and the American Red Cross.

It was through this network of humanitarian organizations that Shawn Curnew responded to the call for military veterans to help with the intake and care of Afghanistan refugees as they began arriving at U.S. Army bases in 2022. He deployed as a Red Cross volunteer and worked alongside other volunteers and translators for two weeks at Fort McCoy Army Base in Wisconsin to provide basic necessities and supplies to the refugees.

Shawn describes this deployment as ‘an amazing experience’ and has many memories of his interactions with the refugees. One special memory was when he witnessed a heartwarming reunion between an Afghanistan mother and her young daughter. They had been separated during their evacuation from Afghanistan, and neither knew if the other had made it out of the country alive.

Back at home, he also volunteers as a firefighter and an EMT in his local community. But his experience working with the Red Cross helping refugees left such an impression on Shawn that he decided to continue his work with the Red Cross as a Service to the Armed Forces volunteer. In this role, he educates and connects active service personnel and veterans to the many services available to them and their families.

According to Shawn, “it’s a great feeling to serve something bigger than yourself.”

By Jenny Farley

Before a Red Cross volunteer can deploy to a disaster, there’s a lot of work behind the scenes. The mission is to get people to the right place and make sure they are taken care of so they can do their number one job – helping people recover and rebuild their lives.

One of the volunteers who makes that happen is Mary Hughes. She has volunteered for the Red Cross since 2013, and now works as a regional deployment lead in our Southeastern Pennsylvania region.

Mary helps volunteers get ready to deploy by ensuring they “know what to bring, that they are prepared, and that they know how to assess the situation.”

She tells them what to pack and reminds them that on a deployment the minimum time commitment is two weeks away from home and may be longer. She also advises them of hazards or severe weather conditions they may face so they can stay safe.

As the world’s largest humanitarian network, the Red Cross responds to about 65,000 disasters a year, most of them home fires. Mary has deployed several times herself.

“Where I send people out on deployment I could also deploy and I’ll be on the other end as staffing, receiving people.”

Throughout her years of volunteering, there is one family Mary can’t forget. A father had gone to work while his son attended school. During the day, a fire killed the man’s wife, who was the boy’s mother.

The Red Cross helped the man afford to get his wife’s ashes back to their home country and coordinate with the foreign embassy to make the arrangements.

“It all changed in an instant for them and hopefully the Red Cross, their help in some way, was a positive for him, even though it was a very unfortunate circumstance.”

  Each disaster is unique but there is a common thread that ties them together.

“The clientele are all different, but they all have the same need and desire – to kind of get back to normal.”

Mary first volunteered for the Red Cross in high school as a switchboard operator. She temporarily stopped volunteering after she said she may have cut off one too many callers.

The desire to help people never left, and when she retired from her work as a civilian employee for the Navy and the Air Force, she drove by a Red Cross office and her life changed.

“It didn’t take long for me to figure I was not going to sit home and watch TV.”

Mary said her favorite part about volunteering for the Red Cross is “even though I’m an introvert, it’s the people interaction and assisting people.”

The Red Cross responds to a disaster every 8 minutes, and that couldn’t happen without volunteers like Mary, who often work out of public view.

“I think it’s pretty important because if there aren’t any behind the scenes people then it’s hard to get the volunteers out there, especially with all of the things that they have to consider when they’re deploying.”

Mary’s service has even inspired her husband to volunteer, after he overheard her coordinating for the Red Cross on a call.

“I was on the phone with somebody and all of a sudden, he was a man possessed. He took all the classes, and now he seems to enjoy volunteering himself. There’s something for everybody.”

By Terri Seydel

As founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton set a high bar of commitment with her spirit of humanitarianism and disaster relief. And now, nearly 150 years after she founded the American Red Cross, the organization honors her legacy by recognizing modern-day volunteers dedicated to helping people within their communities.

Of the many dedicated Red Cross volunteers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Debbie Tevlin stands out with 13 years of serving her community and inspiring other volunteers.

As her teenage children were busy with their own lives, Debbie found that she had free time and chose to begin volunteering with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Over time, as the DAT team took on more responsibilities, Debbie leaned in to help cover many of the emerging needs. The roles she has filled within the Disaster Cycle services have included DAT responder, DAT captain, Montgomery County Workforce Coordinator, Regional DAT lead, Course Instructor, Duty Officer, and seven deployments as a shelter supervisor for natural disasters in the United States.  

Through all these experiences, Debbie’s favorite part of volunteering is helping disaster victims take the first steps to a healthy recovery. She believes it’s important to ensure victims feel safe and supported during the chaos and trauma of a disaster.

Aside from the official responsibilities, Debbie’s core passion and talent is in championing other volunteers’ success. She has made it her mission to help her peers use their skills and grow through their experiences. She takes great joy in seeing other volunteers rise to the level that they can supervise and mentor other volunteers and celebrates their achievements and the value they bring to their community.

Debbie leads by example in her belief that every volunteer deserves committed mentors to help them be their best self and make a significant difference in their community.

By Jenny Farley

“We meet people on the worst day of their life.”

As a Red Cross volunteer, Danelle Connolly has spent the past thirteen years helping people recover from a lot of worst days.

Danelle deployed at least ten times in the United States as part of the Disaster Action Team and the International Care Condolence Team. After Hurricane Maria killed thousands of people, she spent three months in Puerto Rico helping families endure the grief of losing loved ones and attempt to rebuild their lives.

Danelle has used her professional skills and talents as a bilingual psychologist and social worker to help people start over after they have lost everything, including hope.

“Isn’t that really the human spirit? When you have put yourself in that position to see people thriving even though they should give up – that’s the basis of life. That’s survival,” she said.

Seeing the aftermath of something horrible and watching survivors triumph has profoundly impacted Danelle.

“I’m so grateful that my life includes people sharing their deepest moments with me.”

Being part of the Disaster Action Team is an “amazing thing to watch,” according to Danelle and it has led to deep bonds within the Red Cross.

“I wouldn’t meet people like this in my own little world if I didn’t do this. A lot of us have incredible friendships because of the work we do.”

Now, at 76 years old, she enjoys mentoring new volunteers.

“You get somebody to volunteer – they are just amazing people. They come from all walks of life and they do it with joy.”

During Women’s History month, Danelle reflected on being a woman who has great passion for the opportunities the Red Cross has provided.

“When I found the Red Cross, I found myself. I found out what I really loved and what I loved was really raw. Raw emotional experience. The ability to actually feel the desperation but come out of the other end with hope. I think that the Red Cross life is reaffirming.”

Danelle loves to travel throughout the world with her sister and enjoys yoga and swimming. Her time with the Red Cross has left her with humble gratitude for her own life.

“The reason you do it is because you can. You can give to others. When push comes to shove, you’re getting more.”

By Jenny Farley

For most of us, finding one passion in life that excites us can provide a lifetime of reward. Ellen Silverberg-Brennan has several, including a long track record of giving blood, volunteering and doing intricate needlework.

Ellen started volunteering for the Red Cross after witnessing the organization in action.

“I had been with FEMA for many years and had seen the Red Cross working at disaster locations,” she said. She saw the Red Cross provide food, shelter and clothing to people who had lost everything.

The Red Cross recently awarded Ellen an Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer award for her work as a blood donor ambassador and an onboarding and training specialist.

“It made me feel great,” she said.

Ellen had a background in training and had donated blood since college in the 70’s, so becoming an ambassador was a “natural transition.”

Blood donor ambassadors help donors through the process of giving blood. Ellen speaks to volunteers who want to become ambassadors, describes what the job entails and then arranges a training session.

At donation sites as a blood donor ambassador, Ellen registers donors when they first arrive. She then makes sure donors go to the refreshment area after they are done, and she keeps a watchful eye on how they are doing.

“I tell them liquids are mandatory and snacks are optional,” she said.

After years of experience volunteering, Ellen is still impressed by the accomplishments of the Red Cross.

“The fact that the Red Cross provides 40% of the blood that’s donated in the U.S. That’s incredible!” Ellen said.

When Ellen decided she wanted to do more to help, she started donating platelets. Patients fighting illnesses like cancer critically need platelets to help their blood clot.

The process takes longer than a routine blood donation but to donors like Ellen, it’s worth it.

“I started donating platelets because it made me feel special. There are very few platelet donors compared to whole blood donors. It made me feel like I had gone the extra mile.”

Ellen has also volunteered at a Red Cross shelter. She said, “The shelter exposure makes you realize how fortunate you are that you have a house to go back to.”

During her time spent at a shelter, she paid special attention to the pets, especially the cats.

“I stopped at each enclosure, petted the cats and fed them some treats,” she said.

Ellen’s love of cats is on display at the Philadelphia Zoo, where she has volunteered as a docent for the past 13 years. Admittedly, these cats are bigger. The zoo has lions, tigers, leopards and even a jaguar. She gets to stand near the cats (when they want to come near), separated by glass.

“I really interact with the people. I love sharing what I know about the cats and answering people’s questions.”

Ellen does needlepoint projects that often feature cats. She learned how to needlepoint as a child, continuing a long tradition from her mother and her mother’s mother.

Her most complex piece involved 396 one-by-one-inch squares, “unique in color or pattern,” each with its own design.

“It’s practically a life project,” she said.

It takes a special kind of artist to meticulously piece together that many squares, and a special kind of person to give blood and volunteer.

Just like every stitch matters in needlepoint, every drop of blood matters in a donation.

Ellen said everyone should know the variety of services the Red Cross offers and that volunteers make up the majority of the workforce.

She said she would tell people, “donate to the Red Cross because of the value of the work that’s being done.”

By Alana Mauger

American Red Cross volunteer Terri Sirocka works behind the scenes to help ensure other volunteers have a positive experience. Her dedication earned her the 2022 “Helping Hand” award last November as nominated and voted by her fellow volunteers.

Terri began her service in 2019 as a Blood Donor Ambassador, but soon the COVID-19 pandemic led her to seek out a virtual role as a member of the regional Volunteer Services screening team.

When someone applies to become a Red Cross volunteer, the application and vetting process includes working with a member the screening team to help determine the best volunteer role for them.

“I look at the profile of the prospective volunteer, then I call them and we talk,” Terri explains. “I find out what their background is and what they’re interested in and what their availability is. If all goes well, I refer them to the supervisor in the area they choose. From there, they go on to another interview and training and hopefully get going with the Red Cross.”

Terri went through that process herself back in 2019 soon after she retired from the insurance industry.  The reputation of the Red Cross led her to the organization.

“The Red Cross does so many good things,” she shared. “I feel like I’m contributing and get a sense of accomplishment.”

In addition to her work on the screening team, Terri recently stepped into a new leadership role as Montgomery County coordinator with the recruitment team. These are the volunteers you see out at community events, providing Red Cross information and recruiting new volunteers.

“We staff tables at local fairs and festivals with flyers and little giveaways,” she said. “We try to recruit new volunteers, to let them know that the Red Cross is not just about blood donations – that there’s so many different areas that the Red Cross is involved with.”

As coordinator, Terri looks for events and opportunities for the team, then helps schedule the volunteers to staff the tables. She relishes “just knowing that I’m helping out somewhere.”

“Even though I’m not on the front lines, like with the Disaster Action Team, I’m still helping to get other volunteers out there,” she said. “Because if we don’t continue to get volunteers out there, it’s not going to work.”

When she’s not serving the Red Cross, Terri is active with her local community library and is a member of two book clubs.

By Terri Seydel

Ten years ago, Jayne Cabnet was searching for ways to make acquaintances and create ties to a new community when she relocated to Pennsylvania. Today, she’s searching for people for an entirely different and very important reason!

As she settled into her new community, Jayne decided that volunteering would be a positive way to meet people with similar interests and joined the Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team case worker. This work allows her to partner with other volunteers to connect local disaster victims with basic needs such as housing, food, and emotional health services. Even though most of this work is done over the phone, she has made many lasting connections with people she meets through the Red Cross.

Over time, Jayne became interested in natural disaster recovery as she watched the Red Cross respond and help people across the United States. She learned of the Red Cross Reunification service that reunites missing victims with their loved ones after major disasters and enlisted to join that team of volunteers.

Reunification volunteers are deployed virtually, working from unaffected areas to ensure they have uninterrupted power, internet, and phone service to perform their searches. This team uses critical thinking and detective-like skills with the clues provided by family members or close friends of missing people.

In 2022 Jayne was virtually deployed as a reunification volunteer for disasters in California, Kentucky, Florida, and Pittsburgh and is now serving as a Mass Care Reunification Supervisor. Jayne and her teammates work in 12 hours shifts during these deployments, gathering information and searching for missing people. They use personal details such as place of employment, hobbies, and religious or volunteer affiliations as clues to where a person might go to seek refuge during a disaster. 

Recently, Jayne helped reunite a young coffee shop employee with her family after a severe flood. Using Google Maps research to look for likely shelters, Jayne noticed a police station near the coffee shop.  She called the station and verified the missing woman was indeed there seeking refuge. This story shows how Red Cross volunteers often partner with other rescue teams and first responders to help communities recover from disasters.

A decade of volunteering has made a significant impact on Jayne’s life. She began her volunteer journey hoping to make new connections and do some good within her new community. All these years later, she’s now connecting with other communities and helping people across the country.

By Judith Weeks

Transportation Specialist Bob Duaime has been delivering blood for the American Red Cross for 40 years!  “Blood is in my Blood” he proudly exclaims!

I wanted to learn more about what these dedicated drivers do and Bob invited me to join him on his run. I arrived at the loading dock at the American Red Cross Hub in Philadelphia and met Bob who was loading two large boxes containing platelets into a Red Cross Van. Today’s trip was from Philadelphia to St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading then on to the Hershey Medical Center, then back to Philadelphia. All in one day we traveled 210 miles in a little over 4 hours, one of the longer routes. Bob or another volunteer makes this trip every week.

As we headed out from Philadelphia, I asked “how did you become involved with the Red Cross.”  He told me, in the 60’s his father regularly donated blood and it “stuck with him”.  His father’s employer gave employees time off to donate blood and donor’s families could receive blood when needed.

Our first stop was St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading. Bob parked the van and loaded one box of platelets onto the hand truck and wheeled it to the Blood Bank. Cheerfully greeted by the supervisor, the units of platelets were logged in and placed in the storage refrigerator.

Leaving St. Joseph Medical Center, Bob drove through beautiful farming country on the back highways to Hershey Medical Center. He delivered the box of platelets to the Blood Bank, logged in the delivery, picked up empty boxes and we returned to Philadelphia. A very pleasant trip!

Bob has delivered blood from Newark New Jersey to Newark Delaware, and from Hershey Pennsylvania to the eastern shore of New Jersey. For Bob, “representing American Red Cross Blood Services, I feel so appreciated when making a delivery”. He enjoys driving and visiting all the locations and hospitals. Most of his volunteer time is completed in solitary settings. Satisfaction is unique because he works by himself, “under the radar.”

Bob is remarkable because he volunteers for many organizations! He is a retired math teacher, tutoring high school students and teaching math at Bensalem’s Holy Ghost Prep School. Among his many activities, he is proud to have been a founder of an overnight camping program for children at risk. Bob, one of nine children, was raised in Northeast Philadelphia in a traditionally sized one- and one-half bath, three bedroom Philadelphia house!

By Maria Marabito

As part of National Volunteer Week, we are celebrating Volunteer Services’ Exceptional Volunteer Maureen C. Zug. Maureen has committed her time, talent and energy toward serving her community and strengthening opportunities for diversity and inclusion.

Volunteering was a big part of her family legacy, Maureen described. “My parents always encouraged all five of us siblings to be involved in volunteer activities from an early age, chiefly through scouting and school.”

Maureen’s first encounter with the American Red Cross was through a first aid course offered in conjunction with an inner city-based enrichment program. She attended a two-week program to learn basic first aid in order to instruct younger children in the program about safety practices and caring for everyday cuts, scrapes and burns.

Honoring her family legacy, Maureen has since served in various roles for the Red Cross, from stamping envelops to serving as a board member. Throughout her life, her dedication to helping others has never wavered.

“Volunteering just feels good!” she remarked. “I enjoy meeting new people locally and across the Red Cross footprint.  Although I am home-based, I encounter inspirational, friendly Red Crossers via video and phone calls. I am so privileged to work with such dedicated, talented folks!”

Despite her passion for service, Maureen’s volunteer work was paused for nearly a decade as she worked to overcome significant health issues. When she was ready to return to active service in 2020, many organizations turned her down due to ongoing mobility limitations. Not the Red Cross, though.

Inclusion in volunteering is essential, and the Red Cross welcomes people of all abilities and backgrounds. After seeing an ad about the Red Cross in an AARP magazine, Maureen immediately contacted the Red Cross and started volunteering with SEPA as a home-based screener, and then as a recruiter. Maureen has now been a part of the Red Cross for two and a half years.

“Without inclusive occupational and professional opportunities, society as a whole loses out,” she said. “I understand the talents and outstanding contributions of those with disabilities.”

In addition to her work with SEPA, Maureen has filled other home-based roles including Volunteer Recruiter/Community Outreach for the Philadelphia Chapter; a SEPA: The Volunteer Voice Newsletter Contributor and DEI Board Committee member; and an NHQ Team Resource Group: The Ability Network Membership co-chair.

“As a disability advocate within the regional SEPA DEI Board Committee, I see myself as a catalyst or connector for information or resources which helps the board move forward,” she described. “The board supports inclusive recruiting practices which have enabled the Philly and DelVal Chapters to reach out most recently to the Neurodiversity Community with volunteer opportunities. Recruiting with other disability communities will surely follow.”

When asked about her service, Maureen highlighted the support she has received from her loved ones, describing her husband George as a “big behind the scenes supporter.” Maureen also recognized Anne Arnold, Bill Thawley, La Valle Warren, Lynn Cohen, Ned Bloom, and Susan Kalkhuis-Beam as colleagues, friends and mentors.

“SEPA has become a second family to me.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve!” Maureen remarked.

By Jackie Faiman

American Red Cross volunteers often find their niche and stick to it. There is the Blood Ambassador who greets donors at the door at every blood drive. Or the dispatcher who fields emergency calls year after year.

And then there is Elisabeth von Baldas. For more than seven years, Liz has held many roles. Driven by her curiosity and desire to help, she has served as blood ambassador, Disaster Action Team responder, duty officer, emergency response vehicle (ERV) driver, and even photographer.

Liz grew up on several continents; she was born in Brazil to an Italian mother and an Austrian father. The family moved widely, to Zambia and Italy, before finally settling in Pennsylvania. Following college, Liz embarked on a long career as a medical technologist and project manager. When looking to retire, she recalled that colleagues at her company had mentioned the Red Cross, and that ignited her interest.

“The one thing I always tell people about the Red Cross is that there are so many different things you can do. It’s not just helping people in a fire or flood. You can be an IT person, a photographer, a nurse. I personally wanted to do something that I did not do in my working career.”

As a member of the Disaster Action Team, Liz has been present during the first moments of a crisis. When Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, she witnessed the flooding in local communities.

“There were two feet of water [in the homes]. When it receded, there was nothing but mud. We were trying to help people salvage anything that they could.”

Her team provided cleanup kits to several families in Bucks and Montgomery counties.

Liz also emphasizes the important work the Red Cross does in helping to keep people safe. Home fire prevention is a big initiative. As team leader for the Home Fire Campaign for Montgomery County, she canvassed neighborhoods to install fire detectors and recalls installing a bed shaker under the mattress of a young deaf girl. The device would shake the mattress when the fire alarm went off. “

That was something I remember to this day. I went with a partner, and the two of us showed the mother and the little girl. We set it up and then tested it.”

Liz spends her winters in California, and her bicoastal service in the Red Cross gives her a unique perspective. She notes that natural disasters are becoming more common and severe.

“House fires are more frequent in winter on the East Coast. Earthquakes are discussed on West Coast, and brush fires.” Yet she was able to transition her volunteer work smoothly, as the roles, acronyms, and training are standardized.

Liz has made lasting friendships through her volunteering and continues to seek new ways to contribute. When she speaks of the Red Cross, the admiration in her voice is obvious.

“I am still amazed that the Red Cross is 90% volunteer. [The work] makes you appreciate how lucky you are. At least if I can help in some way, it’s fulfilling.”

By Judith Weeks

Blood Donor Ambassador Kathleen Dykers “loves just connecting with the donors at Red Cross Blood Drives. It is such a wonderful experience. Many just want to talk, others come in and they are business-like, and others are nervous and need to be talked to. This is why I keep coming back.”

She volunteered for the American Red Cross in 2020, at the early stage of the COVID pandemic. Kathleen was attracted to Biomedical Services and volunteered to be a Blood Donor Ambassador. Her career as a Medical Laboratory Technologist gave perspective of how important blood donations are. Med Techs, who staff hospital blood banks, are well aware of the critical need for enough blood units for patient care and medical emergencies. Importantly, she is Lead Biomedical Scheduler, finding volunteers for shifts when not covered. For her leadership role Kathleen was honored with the Biomedical Services Exceptional Volunteer Award.

In addition, Kathleen is a dedicated Duty Officer for Disaster Services. “The Duty Officer is so powerful, working with the fire captains and lieutenants dispatching Disaster Action Teams to help those affected by a house fire. Speaking with people who have suffered a lot in a very difficult situation is humbling.”

She admires the committed volunteers who go out and meet with those affected by a house fire or other disaster.  “It is very eye-opening” she explained. Having recently completed Disaster Services Deployment Training she is ready to go when there is an opportunity.

Kathleen is also a member of the Community Outreach Team representing the American Red Cross at community events providing American Red Cross information about donating time, money, blood, and teaching life-saving skills so communities can be better prepared.

The American Red Cross is highlighting women who #LeadLikeClara. For Kathleen, Clara Barton was the founding mother of the American Red Cross giving of herself for humanitarian service. “Because of Clara, the American Red Cross is historically linked with women. So many women have volunteered. Today it is refreshing to see how many have been given leadership positions!”

Kathleen is well-rounded, volunteering for other organizations. She is committed to “Host for Hospitals,” opening her home to a patient or patient’s family while in a health institution in Philadelphia. Right now, she is hosting a woman from New York who is undergoing surgery. Her passion is traveling. She literally has traveled “all around the world”, including Europe, Japan, China, Vietnam, South Africa. In April she’s going to Australia and New Zealand!