By: Te’Ambera Ware

Thirty years ago, Marcia Bauer was aware of the American Red Cross but had no idea how she would spend so many years volunteering for them. In 1996, her husband James came across a full-page article in the Dallas Morning News that Albina Young, the dedicated and active leader of the Production Room Ladies, was retiring.

Back then, James said Marcia would be well-suited for the job.

“I didn’t know much about the program, but it sounded like something very interesting to me,” she recalled. “I also had no idea it would last this long.”

While every volunteer at the Red Cross leaves their own mark on the organization, Ronald Green, director of Service to the Armed Forces and International Services, emphasized the rarity of Bauer’s role, noting that the North Texas Production Room has had only two leaders in its 100-year history.

After 30 years working in the production room, Marcia Bauer officially retired her needle. Bauer’s friends, loved ones, and her Red Cross family gathered on Feb. 19 to celebrate her retirement.

Green described the gathering as a "Red Cross reunion," a term he said he uses whenever the broader Red Cross family comes together to mark a milestone.

"We have nothing but smiles today, because we're here for a great occasion, a very momentous occasion," he said.

Bauer honored her team of volunteers, noting that dedication extended well beyond the walls of the production room. One volunteer continued knitting baby caps from home, sending them in batches of 50 during the COVID pandemic. Others contributed from as far as Atlanta, Illinois, Houston and North Carolina.

Bauer has been volunteering in the North Texas Region Production Room ever since. Her work includes managing, sewing, knitting, crocheting and creating, touching the hearts of those she and they may never know or meet.

"I did something I loved every day,” Bauer said. “I loved the people I worked with, and I realized that the American Red Cross was a guardian of people's donations to make sure that things are going where they need to go. It's a good organization to volunteer for."

Describing her volunteer journey, Bauer recalled making quilts, fleece blankets and items patients could hug, such as pillows and specialty items for Beads of Courage, a program in which patients at Children's Hospital received a bead for each day of hospitalization as a keepsake.

“We made items for Parkland Hospital [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit], like gowns, booties, and burial items for what we call ‘disasters’,” Bauer said. “Some didn’t have anything to wear or [clothes to] take their babies home in. So, we made those as well.”

The Production Room team hand-made other items for children and veterans, such as:

• Positioners to keep babies from rolling out of beds
• Sleepers and caddies for walkers and wheelchairs
• Lap quilts and burn unit blankets
• Bathrobes, knit catheter covers and fidget pads for the Dementia Unit
• Adult bibs, knit caps and scarves

Bauer recalled that the Production Room, “also made items for Scottish Rite and the Ronald McDonald Foundation.” Looking back, Marcia described her years of service as rewarding and meaningful.

"Marcia, your legacy is woven, quite literally, into the fabric of the American Red Cross,” Braddy said. “You have stitched together decades of compassion and changed countless lives along the way. You have demonstrated what it means to lead with heart, to serve with humility and to show up for those who stood up for all of us."

Braddy presented Bauer with a plaque recognizing her 30 years of service and dedication to the Red Cross mission.

During the event, Bauer honored her team of volunteers, noting that dedication extended well beyond the walls of the production room. One volunteer continued knitting baby caps from home, sending them in batches of 50 during the COVID pandemic. Others contributed from as far as Atlanta, Illinois, Houston and North Carolina.

When asked why this volunteer program matters, Bauer said, “During World War II, every Red Cross in the United States had a production room and wanted things the soldiers needed, like bandages, for instance.”

“Albina Young went out into the community and asked, ‘What can we hand-make for you to comfort your patients?’ And that’s where it all started,” she said.

After Bauer joined the Production Room, the program expanded. “Many people who were retired from other jobs usually volunteered, mostly women, but also men like Albina Young’s husband, and a couple of men were looking for some way to give, had a connection, and were sewers, knitters and crocheters willing to serve,” she said.

As she steps away, she carries with her memories of services performed, relationships built and people helped.

“Mostly, what I am leaving with is the memory that every sewer just loves sitting at the sewing machine and imagining the joy it’s going to bring to someone else’s life.”

"Always remember that there are things that you can do. Whatever talents you have, those can be used to bring comfort to someone," Bauer said.

During Red Cross Month this March, you can join our mission in making a difference. Become a volunteer, give blood or make a financial donation when help can’t wait. Visit redcross.org to find your way to help today.

About American Red Cross Month

The American Red Cross recognizes March as Red Cross Month, a national tradition that began in 1943 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first proclamation — and each U.S. president has followed ever since.

During this month, the Red Cross celebrates the people and community partners who step up when needed to help their neighbors. Join more than 30,000 supporters for our 12th annual Red Cross Giving Day to help provide shelter, food, relief supplies and emotional support to disaster survivors.