Red Cross Volunteer and His Therapy Dogs Offer More Than Relief Services to Veterans

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By Lucca Lorenzi, Public Affairs Volunteer As a Marine Corps veteran, Allen Eager not only values service to his country, but also serving those who have served. Eager and his two puppy pals, Desi (Doxen-Dalmatian) and Blue (Doxen-Dapple), have been serving the Service to the Armed Forces and Alliance of Therapy Dogs for three years.  … Continue reading Red Cross Volunteer and His Therapy Dogs Offer More Than Relief Services to Veterans

Why I Serve: Meet Shirley Bahr

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By Abby Oldemeyer, Public Affairs Volunteer Like many people that find their way to the American Red Cross, Shirley Bahr started searching for a way to give back to her community after she retired. Having already seen the positive impact the Red Cross had within her own community, she applied and began volunteering in 2017. … Continue reading Why I Serve: Meet Shirley Bahr

Why I Volunteer: Helping Others, ‘It’s a Beautiful Thing’

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Cynthia Fisher, middle, with Ashley Bonnoit, left, and Jennifer Samaritan at the French fire in August 2021.  By Dan Santos Most people try to avoid the scene of a disaster. Cynthia Fisher — like many American Red Cross volunteers — sees an opportunity to provide safe shelter, food, and comfort to the victims.  “I’m living my best life when I can help somebody get their life … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Helping Others, ‘It’s a Beautiful Thing’

A Volunteer’s Sense of Belonging and Purpose at the Red Cross

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By Carolyn Gargano, Red Cross Volunteer and Photos by Fran Collin, Red Cross Volunteer With unstoppable wind gusts, the Alisal Fire raced down the mountain burning homes, impacting both the 101 freeway and the Amtrak train route along the Northern Santa Barbara coastline. Quickly residents were evacuated, train passengers stranded, and our primary freeway closed. … Continue reading A Volunteer’s Sense of Belonging and Purpose at the Red Cross

A Token of Kindness

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Taylor pictured with her parents, Jan and Jack Poisall, at the Heroes for the American Red Cross event in 2016. By Taylor Poisall, Red Cross Communicator My dad, Jack Poisall, didn’t speak a lot about his experience in the Army, but he would reminisce on jumping out of planes and his dog Fairbanks, named after … Continue reading A Token of Kindness

Serving Those Who Serve Our Nation

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Every day, men and women answer our nation’s call to serve in the armed forces, and the American Red Cross stands by these heroes and their families from the day they enlist throughout their military careers and beyond. These heroes and their families assume great responsibility and face daunting challenges unique to military life, including … Continue reading Serving Those Who Serve Our Nation

‘It’s Not a Race,’ and Everybody Wins

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Written by Dan Santos The idea for a unique American Red Cross fundraising event got rolling in 2014 at a neighborhood barbecue.  That’s when Diane Krehbiel and her husband Kevin Delson, both of whom were active bicyclists, met up with Ken Bauer, an American Red Cross board member at the time. The Westlake Village residents combined their interests to conceive what would become Ride for the Red, which raises funds … Continue reading ‘It’s Not a Race,’ and Everybody Wins

Brotherhood Found at the Red Cross

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John Martinez, Felix Rodriguez and Jose Martinez are known as The Triplets. By Taylor Poisall, Red Cross Public Affairs A lifetime of service and a duty to serve their community are two things these three volunteers share -- but the similarities don't end there. Born seven days apart in the community of Rio Grande Valley … Continue reading Brotherhood Found at the Red Cross

A Patchwork of Service

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Pictured on the left is Debby Dailey with fellow Red Cross volunteer Marion Chappell By Lucca Lorenzi, Public Affairs Volunteer Debby Dailey’s helping hand has sewn an incredible quilted patchwork of volunteer service, and she has left an inspiring impact on the hearts of veterans and those impacted by disasters in her community.  Dailey, a … Continue reading A Patchwork of Service

Why I Volunteer: Meet Patti Shiflet

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Patti Shiflet, standing on the far right of the image along with other Red Cross volunteers

Patti Shiflet standing on the far right with fellow Red Cross volunteers. By Abby Oldemeyer, Public Affairs Volunteer When Patti Shiflet started talking to an American Red Cross Volunteer at her community center during a personal preparedness meeting, her first thought was to ask how she could get involved. When I asked what motivated her … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Meet Patti Shiflet