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 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
Meet Taylor, the youngest helper at the American Red Cross shelter at Mariposa Elementary School. The ten-year-old from Oregon was in Mariposa County visiting her grandparents when they were evacuated by the Oak Fire late Friday night. “This was my first time evacuating in my whole entire ten years,” Taylor explained. She collected her suitcase … Continue reading People of All Ages Can Make a Difference, Even Ten Year Olds Like Taylor
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
Red Cross Central California Blog 