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 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 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 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
Taylor Simonian joined the American Red Cross in late 2020 and has since gone on to do incredible things for the Central Valley area. She began her volunteer journey by supporting the Creek Fire relief efforts and helping recruit health care professionals to volunteer with the Red Cross as a Volunteer Recruitment Team Member. By … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Meet Taylor Simonian
"We can't thank you enough"Clare Drake The Washburn Fire was not originally included in the Drake family's travel itinerary when they began their once-in-a-lifetime trip across the pond from Portsmouth, London. Soon after they checked in to their hotel in Yosemite, their plans quickly changed once the Wawona area was quickly evacuated by a historic … Continue reading A Trip of a Lifetime: American Red Cross Volunteers Help UK Family Displaced by Washburn Fire
Learn why blood transfusions from donors who are Black may provide best outcomes Seventeen-year-old Demarus Torrence loves comics and sci-fi movies, and like his favorite superheroes, he’s awfully brave himself. Demarus lives with sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorder, which affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. What is sickle cell disease? Sickle cell disease makes red blood cells hard and sickle-shaped … Continue reading For patients with sickle cell disease, blood transfusions are essential
By Jasmine Segal, Red Cross Communications Volunteer Noah Tyler U. Tabbay began his American Red Cross journey in 2015 at Pacifica High School in Oxnard. He started by assisting the Red Cross Club as Vice President, then went became an active youth volunteer, aiding the organization with on-campus blood drives. But it doesn't end there. … Continue reading From Blood Donor Ambassador to Youth Board Member: Meet Noah Tyler U. Tabbay
Red Cross Central California Blog 