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.
The smoke grew thick and dark as flames of the Cedar Fire began coming down the side of black mountain towards Marcela Freerks’ home early Saturday morning. Freerks, 68, was having trouble breathing from the smoke when her son encouraged them to leave their home and seek housing at a Red Cross shelter. In the … Continue reading Community Spirit Shines Through Wildfire Relief Efforts
The American Red Cross is helping thousands of people in Louisiana affected by the devastating flooding there, likely the worst natural disaster since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. More than 7,000 people spent Tuesday night in Red Cross and community shelters, and thousands more are without power in hot, humid conditions. The state has been hit … Continue reading Local Red Cross Supports Louisiana Flood Relief Efforts
In the aftermath of the Erskine Fire, Edythe Catalano was one of the hundreds of people assisted by the Red Cross after having to evacuate her home. When the fire initially broke out it quickly spread and consumed dozens of homes in its path. Catalano’s South Lake home was one of hundreds endangered by the … Continue reading Edythe’s Story
The Erskine Fire began of the afternoon of Thursday, June 23, 2016, evacuating thousands of Kern River Valley residents and destroying more than 280 homes. While the Red Cross was providing relief and comfort to the impacted families on Friday, July 1, the Deer Fire broke out in Bear Valley Springs, near the mountain town … Continue reading Local Red Cross Responds to Multiple Fires in Kern County
An ideal Father’s Day for John Parsons would usually be sleeping in and reading the newspaper. But on this Father’s Day, John and many more volunteers like him, are instead giving their time to volunteer on the American Red Cross Sherpa Fire response in Santa Barbara County. The father to three children and three … Continue reading Fire on Father’s Day: Dads Volunteer for Sherpa Fire Response
There are 19.3 million military veterans in the United States as of 2014, and California is home to the largest veteran population in the nation with nearly two million. That means there are countless people and organizations like the Red Cross working hard every day to support our local veterans and their families. Two of those … Continue reading Heroes Series: Serving Those Who Serve Our Country
Central California volunteer and registered nurse Eleanor Guzik has devoted over 4,000 hours since 2012 to serving others through the American Red Cross. On March 9, 2016 Guzik was honored with the Ann Magnussen award, the highest honor of individual nursing achievement in the American Red Cross. From disasters to teaching other volunteers, Guzik has … Continue reading Local Volunteer Honored with National Nursing Award
The following blog post is written by guest writer Brian Bullock and was originally published by Pacific Gas & Electric Company. The Red Cross is proud to be celebrating a 40-year safety partnership with PG&E. Like a lot of PG&E employees, Beverly Jones has sat through her share of Safety Minutes prior to meetings where … Continue reading Heroes Series: Health and Safety Hero Beverly Jones
Several southern states have been hit with severe storms this month, and Red Crossers from around the nation are coming together to provide relief for thousands of residents affected by flooding and tornadoes. So far seven local volunteers from the Central California Region have been deployed to help. These are some of the stories of … Continue reading Images from the Field: Southern Flooding
Since May of 1881, American Red Cross volunteers have been helping people prepare for the worst, assisting those affected by natural disasters and providing life-saving blood for patients in need. In honor of the heroes who perform these acts of selflessness each day, in 1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the first March is Red … Continue reading Celebrating Red Cross Month
Red Cross Central California Blog 