Red Cross Central California Blog
The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.
By Taylor Poisall, Red Cross Communications Karrín Pachecho is no stranger to evacuating. On Wednesday, September 7, the North Fork resident was outside working in the yard when she heard planes flying overhead. "That's when I saw the flames. They were a rock-throwing distance away." "I thought I would do things differently this time. But … Continue reading “The Red Cross is #1 in My Book”
It’s important to know that you may have just two minutes to escape a home fire — which is the nation’s most frequent disaster. That’s why the American Red Cross is preparing families to act quickly through our Home Fire Campaign. “We are the leads for the Home Fire Campaign here in Ventura County,” said … Continue reading A Family That Prepares Together
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
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
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
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
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
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
by Dave Wagner, Public Affairs Volunteer The Miwok have inhabited the Sierra Nevada mountains in and around Yosemite National Park for thousands of years. George Leroy Williams, Sr. lives with his family in the Bootjack neighborhood just south of the Park. I found Williams, a self-described spiritual leader of the Wilton Rancheria Tribe of Miwoks, … Continue reading Finding Shelter, Each In Their Own Way
by Dave Wagner, Public Affairs Volunteer Sisters Sally McCalla and Marion Chappell live on properties next to each other in the Sierra Nevada community of Lush Meadows. When the fast-moving Oak Fire bore down on their neighborhood, they evacuated together to the Red Cross shelter at the Mariposa Elementary School. Vacationing in the greater Yosemite … Continue reading Sister Act
Red Cross Central California Blog 