Out of the Ashes, Hope Remains

By Barbara Wood, Red Cross Volunteer The story Aaron and Heather told me last month as they sat outside a Red Cross shelter in Mariposa eating dinner pierced my heart. They and two of their four children had lived for the past year in a very, very special complex, at the top of a dead-end … Continue reading Out of the Ashes, Hope Remains

Why I Volunteer: Meet Lucca Lorenzi

By Lucca Lorenzi, Public Affairs Volunteer In the fall of 2021, my grandmother passed away after years of living with Alzheimer’s. She grew up in Lyon, France during World War II, and her father was taken captive by Nazi soldiers for helping thousands of Jewish citizens flee from the city of Lyon during nazi regime’s … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Meet Lucca Lorenzi

Blood Donors are Heroes for Babies

By Eddie Zamora, Kern County & Eastern Sierra Chapter Executive Director The smallest patients need the most specialized care Kim Cantrell has been donating for years at Edwards Airforce base in Kern County with the American Red Cross. After donating blood at a previous blood drive at Edwards, she received a notification and a t-shirt … Continue reading Blood Donors are Heroes for Babies

Mariposa evacuees found it hard to leave the Red Cross shelter 

By Barbara Wood, Red Cross volunteer Phyllis Grin and her grandson spent a week in a Red Cross shelter in Mariposa after they were forced to evacuate by the fast-moving Oak Fire, but she said they found it hard to go home when they were allowed to return. When the evacuation orders for their neighborhood … Continue reading Mariposa evacuees found it hard to leave the Red Cross shelter 

Red Cross Nurses Save the Day 

By Barbara Wood, Red Cross volunteer  Red Cross volunteer nurse, Barbara Pease, of Sunnyvale said she was thrilled when a match between a break in her busy life and the need for help in a disaster allowed her to pitch in after the Oak Fire broke out in Mariposa County on July 22. “I don’t … Continue reading Red Cross Nurses Save the Day 

It’s Our Pets That Make Us Human

By Dave Wagner, Public Affairs Volunteer When thousands were forced from their homes near Yosemite National Park due to the fast-moving Oak Fire, almost 100 humans landed at the Red Cross shelter in nearby Mariposa. Along with them came another 100 family members - pet cats and dogs, and an assortment of birds and reptiles. … Continue reading It’s Our Pets That Make Us Human