Red Crossers Visited Communities Across Kentucky to Help #EndHomeFires for Sound the Alarm

A Red Crosser installs a smoke alarm
in a home in Madisonville, KY

This November, our Red Crossers visited communities across the Kentucky Region to make homes safer before the winter season by providing fire safety education and installing free smoke alarms in homes that needed them as part of our Sound the Alarm campaign. Thanks to the work of our volunteers and partners, we are proud to announce that we:

• Made 480 homes safer across Kentucky
• Installed more than 1,250 smoke alarms in homes that needed them
• Provided fire safety education to more than 1,200 of our neighbors

We are so thankful for the partners and supporters who made this possible! It is thanks to the efforts of our community that we could achieve our mission. Special thanks to Lexington Fire Department for their ongoing support of our Sound the Alarm campaign for the past several years.

Red Crossers prepare for a day of installing
smoke alarms in Eastern Kentucky

We would like to thank the following community partners for their help as we work to #endhomefires:

Western Kentucky Chapter

• Ohio Co. Fire Assoc.
• Ballard Co. FD
• Calloway FD
• Cuba FD
• Salem FD
• Goreville FD
• Alton Fire Department

South Central Kentucky Chapter:

• Franklin Simpson FD
• Glasgow FD

Bluegrass Area Chapter

• Corbin City FD
• Georgetown FD
• London City FD
• Madison Co. FD
• Nicholasville FD
• Shopville FD/Pongo FD
• Scott Co. FD
• Swiss Colony FD
• Winchester FD
• Woodford FD

Eastern Kentucky Chapter

• Cumberland City FD
• Harlan City FD
• Lynch FD
• Middlesboro FD
• Bath Co. FD
• Hazel Green FD
• Hazard City FD
• Lewis Co. EMA
• Menifee Co EMA
• Morehead City FD
• Benham FD
• Coon Creek FD

Louisville Area Chapter

• Pleasure Ridge Park FD
• Franklin Co. FD
• Simpsonville FD

Donate Blood to Help Patients in Need This Holiday Season

Noah Crockett

When Noah Crockett was born in August of 2014, his moms, Susan and Lindsay, noticed that he was jaundiced and that his skin was a different complexion, but they thought he had olive skin. In October, a friend told them that it was not normal for the whites of Noah’s eyes to be yellow. She said something didn’t seem right and that the couple should take Noah to the doctor.

At 2 months old, Noah seemed fine. He showed no signs of distress. A complete blood count (cbc) test was done with their primary care doctor, and Lindsay and Susan were called an hour later.

“[The doctor] called and said you all need to get to Kosair downtown, his hemoglobin is only at a 5,” recalled Lindsay. Hemoglobin is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. A healthy hemoglobin level is 13 or 14. “We were freaking out at the time, thinking ‘how could this happen?’ We went through a fertility doctor. We paid extra money for a blood test. We had no history of a blood disorder.”

The hospital did 3 back-to-back blood transfusions on Noah. The doctors had no clue what was going on but assured the family that they would get his blood back to a sustainable level. 

“His blood was so low for 6 months,” said Lindsay. “We were in and out of the hospitals. At one point, his white blood count was low and we thought he had Leukemia.” During that time, Noah’s tiny body was undergoing constant blood transfusions.

The doctors ended up diagnosing Noah with Spherocytosis. 

“From what we have gathered, it means his blood cells start out as disc shaped but his membranes are so fragile, they break apart into spheres and burst prematurely,” said Lindsay. This meant Noah’s bone marrow had to work harder to produce more cells. His spleen would mistake those cells as waste and attack and eat them. “This was a constant battle for 8 years,” said Lindsay.

The doctors recommended taking the spleen out so his body would no longer attack the cells. The family had a big decision to make, because then that would mean Noah would have no spleen and must undergo surgery. Noah was also a rare case in that he showed no signs of having a blood crisis. 

“He never showed fatigue. Which is great for him but tough as parents. We never knew the signs to look for,” commented Lindsay.

Noah had 17 blood transfusions. With the transfusions came the fear of gallstones. 

“We thought we were fine and never saw any gallstones. Then one day I went to wake him up and he was yellow like Bart Simpson,” said Lindsay. A gallstone got stuck in the main binary duct and caused him to have a crisis. The couple spoke with the doctors, and they decided they wanted to take his gallbladder and spleen out.

Lindsay became emotional remembering Noah’s fight, saying, “A normal spleen is the size of your fist. Because Noah’s was eating his red cells, his took up the whole left side of his body.” Susan and Lindsay discussed the risks for a few days before deciding to go ahead with surgery. “They did a couple more transfusions before surgery. He was 7 years old. It was a 5-hour surgery, and it was so hard to walk away and leave him in the OR. He is a trooper,” Lindsay said. Surgery was successful and Noah is now a thriving 8-year-old boy.

“He’s doing great. His skin is better. He’s always going to have the blood disorder, but the problem of constant hemoglobin issues is gone now,” said Lindsay. Instead of going to the hospital every 2 weeks, Noah goes every 6 months. Susan and Lindsay are hopeful the visits can cut down to once a year. Lindsay reflected on the improvement, saying, “his quality of life is so much better now.”

The Crockett Family

To show gratitude for the lifesaving blood their son received, Susan and Lindsay decided to become regular blood donors. “I never donated before. I guess I just didn’t think about it. We came up with a plan to donate every 8 weeks. Our hope is to reach people like us who never thought about it before and encourage them to donate,” said Lindsay.

Noah’s struggle is not over, but the family is hopeful. “There is a 75% chance that Noah will pass the disorder along to his kids. It breaks my heart that he will have to look at someone one day and tell them that,” said Lindsay. The family is thankful for advances in medicine and the generosity of blood donors. “If this had happened 100 years ago, Noah wouldn’t be alive. Because the doctors would not know what was going on,” reflected Lindsay.

We are in awe of Noah’s fight and resilience. The Crockett family invites you to make blood donation a part of your family plans this holiday season.  Don’t forget kids like Noah. Help them have a future and schedule an appointment. You can schedule an appointment to donate blood by visiting redcrossblood.org

Our Louisville Holiday Hero Donorama blood drive will be held on December 27^th and 28^th at the KY Fair and Expo Center. To learn more or schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org and entering keyword: HERO

Service to Armed Forces and Tiffany Circle Red Crossers Deliver Holiday Cheer at Fort Knox

Kentucky Tiffany Circle Chair, Luly (right), delivers holiday baskets
to Fort Knox. Santa’s Workshop volunteers Amy and Ali (left and center)
help families select toys throughout the season.

Santa’s elves are hard at work making sure families experience the joy of the holidays! Kentucky Tiffany Circle Chair, Luly (right), delivered 12 baskets to Fort Knox for their Santa’s Workshop. The mission of Santa’s Workshop is to provide toys to military families who are financially challenged during the holiday season. With a little assistance from workshop elves, soldiers and spouses shop for the best toys for their children.

Parents begin shopping at Santa’s Workshop around the first two weeks of December. Volunteers like Amy and Ali (left and center) assist parents with selecting toys for their children. We are thankful for the Tiffany Circle members who donated and assembled these baskets. Tiffany Circle is a community of women leaders who advance the Red Cross mission by engaging and embracing women locally, nationally and internationally.

Candy Cane Lane is also offered on base for children of military families assisted through Santa’s Workshop. This gives the children the opportunity to shop for gifts for their parents and siblings. Elves assist them with selecting and wrapping gift items. Volunteers are needed year-round to help shop for toys, restock and organize the workshop.

We are thankful for the many helping hands on base at Fort Knox and around the community. These programs give families a sense of comfort and ease. We know the memories made through the Santa’s Workshop and Candy Cane Lane programs will be cherished for a lifetime!

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

Recognizing the Service of Bluegrass Area Volunteer on National Philanthropy Day

Each November, we honor the importance of working together for the common good and the people who step up to make the world a better place on National Philanthropy Day. This year, we were proud to recognize Bluegrass Area Chapter volunteer Mary Rose Bauer on National Philanthropy Day.

Mary Rose embodies the spirit of the American Red Cross philanthropy as a rock star volunteer, serving communities locally, regionally, and at a division level. Her primary activities include providing care during disasters as a member of Disaster Health Services (DHS), responding to disasters big and small as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) member, assisting with sheltering during disasters, and being an advanced instructor. Mary Rose, as a former nurse and instructor, combines her innate people skills to provide countless hours of Red Cross trainings, empowering others to serve.

Mary Rose serves as the Kentucky Regional DHS Lead and the Central Atlantic Division DHS Deputy Adviser for Central Atlantic Division DHS Regional Leads, serving multiple states. She has been assigned to 8 National Level Disaster Responses, totaling more than 200 days of volunteer service dedicated to National Responses. Locally, she has served as the operations assistant director position where she lead the entire operations department. She has served more than 100 cases for people in need, continues to serve regularly as duty officer covering 52 counties, reaches out daily to clients to assist with health service needs, and mentors other volunteers. Mary Rose is also a key part of the Region’s Integrated Care and Condolence Team (ICCT), providing outreach and support to clients who have lost a family member to a disaster. Mary Rose embodies the mission of the Red Cross to prevent and alleviate human suffering and extending a hand to our neighbors in their time of need.

We were proud to honor Mary Rose on National Philanthropy Day, and we appreciate her and all her efforts to serve the Red Cross mission. Thank you, Mary Rose, for your continued dedication!

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

Recognizing Denise McGillian, South Central Kentucky Chapter Volunteer, for Receiving our Regional Clara Barton Award!

 

Denise, receiving the Clara Barton Award

Each year, the Kentucky Region honors the work of several key Red Cross volunteers who dedicate many hours in service to the Red Cross and their local communities.

One of those honors is our regional Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership. The Clara Barton Award is awarded to a volunteer who has served in several leadership positions held over a period of years, and who has demonstrated compassionate service and extraordinary achievements that have greatly benefited our community or organization. This volunteer embodies the pioneering leadership qualities of our founder and president, Clara Barton. This year, we were excited to honor Denise McGillian from our South Central Kentucky Chapter as our regional Clara Barton Award recipient! Denise gave more than 1,801 volunteer hours in 2022 and celebrated her 4-year anniversary with the Red Cross in August.

When Denise, a military spouse, first joined our Services to Armed Forces (SAF) team in 2018, she brought with her a wealth of personal military family experience and knowledge. Her first volunteer position at the Fort Knox American Red Cross office was as an office assistant, which she quickly expanded to organizing the office, supervising the main office volunteers and establishing volunteer recognition guidelines. Denise has since expanded her knowledge and expertise throughout the many services offered by our Services to Armed Forces.

Always looking for ways to help, Denise trained to become a SAF Casework Volunteer, working with military families to make sure their needs are met when they are faced with an emergency. Denise completed all the online course training and was quickly promoted to a lead caseworker role. Since then, Denise has worked on more than 1,000 SAF cases.

Denise also developed a training curriculum for both SAF caseworkers and other SAF volunteers, outlining all classes necessary for each SAF position, which serves as an excellent guide as new volunteers navigate the training process. Additionally, with a love and talent for research, she soon developed a comprehensive resource guide and referral list to assist the caseworkers.

Recently, due to Denise’s expertise and knowledge of casework, she was asked by the Division Director for the Central Atlantic Division, which the Kentucky Region is a part of, to assist with casework throughout the Central Atlantic Division. Without hesitation, Denise again accepted the challenge. As part of her role, she now helps review and provide feedback on casework notes to other regions in the Central Atlantic Division, and jumps in to help other regions in managing casework loads.

Denise’s passionate dedication to volunteering with SAF comes from her love of giving back to her community: “We get to help so many people here. It’s just so heartwarming,” said Denise. “I love the opportunity to help our veterans and retirees, especially when they’re on really hard times.”

As a military spouse, Denise knows and sees the needs within our active duty and veteran communities. She is extremely compassionate, knowledgeable, and makes sure she uses all available resources to help meet the needs of the people she helps. For these reasons, we are so proud to name her as our Clara Barton Award recipient!

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

Recognizing Eastern Kentucky Chapter Volunteer, Jamie Taylor, for Receiving Regional Volunteer of the Year!

Jamie, second from the right, after receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award

Volunteers are the heart of the American Red Cross and make up 90 percent of our workforce. While we are grateful for the service of all our volunteers, each year the Kentucky Region honors the work of several key Red Cross volunteers who dedicate many hours in service to the Red Cross and their local communities.

One of those honors is our regional Volunteer of the Year award. We are excited to announce that Jamie Taylor, a volunteer from our Eastern Kentucky Chapter, recently received this year’s regional Volunteer of the Year award!

Jamie has been a Red Cross volunteer for 6 ½ years. In the past year alone, Jamie has gifted the Red Cross more than 250 volunteer hours as part of our Disaster Action Team (DAT). Whether it was a home fire 20 minutes from his back door or 3 hours and counties away, Jamie always accepted the call and stepped up to help people in their time of need in his Red Cross vest and with a smile.

Jamie also single-handedly developed and grew the Eastern Kentucky Chapter Logistics team, working his way through training and in-person responses to become the Chapter Logistics Lead. He volunteers to showcase our Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle at local festivals and parades and supports additional volunteer recruitment efforts. He also regularly volunteered at all the local blood drives and recruited for the DAT team while volunteering.

In addition to his service here in Kentucky, Jamie has served more than 690 hours while being assigned to multiple disasters across the country. Our Volunteer of the Year fulfilled varying roles during those disaster responses. He supervised shelters during wildfire responses in California and the middle Tennessee floods, worked as part of the feeding team during the Western Kentucky tornado response, and distributed emergency supplies while responding to the Oklahoma tornadoes. During the summer flooding in Eastern Kentucky, Jamie cut his vacation short to return to Kentucky to help with sheltering his community. After that, he raised his hand to help people in Florida by distributing emergency supplies after Hurricane Ian. Since becoming a Red Cross volunteer, Jamie has deployed to nearly 70 disasters. His goal is to eventually deploy to 100.

When asked why he joined the Red Cross and why he keeps deploying, Jamie replied: “I just really like to help people!”

We are so proud to name Jamie Taylor as the Kentucky Region Volunteer of the Year!

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

A Life of Service

We want to take a moment to honor the life of Bob Adelberg. Bob was a husband, father, and Red Cross volunteer. He served his country as a Lieutenant Commander in the US Coast Guard Reserve. Bob was a member of the University of Louisville Athletics National Anthem Committee, held 7 minor principal roles for the Kentucky Opera, and served as Kentucky 3rd District Republican Chair from 1984-1990. 

Bob singing The Star-Spangled Banner
 at Slugger Field

We are privileged to have witnessed Bob’s commitment to giving back as he was a Red Cross volunteer for over 55 years. His impact on the community was undeniable and we will miss him. During his time volunteering, Bob saved at least 3 lives on separate occasions using CPR/First Aid, was a lifetime board member, and was a deserving recipient of many awards. Bob won the Red Cross Ina J. Porter Leadership award, the Seasoned Saint Volunteer Award, and the Volunteer Leadership award for Blood Services. He was a member of 8+ additional Board of Directors throughout his life.

Please join us in offering condolences to Bob’s family. We are thankful for the many years of service he gave to helping others.

Bob, heading out on an Emergency Response Vehicle to help
with feeding

#TeamUp4SickleCell to Help Patients During Sickle Cell Awareness Month

“I was born with sickle cell. I wasn’t diagnosed until 11 months old, but I’ve known my whole life. I’m the only person in my family with it.” Quin Peake is the oldest of 3 girls in her immediate family. Her mom is one of 14 children, and her dad is one of 8 children. Both of her parents have the sickle cell trait, which is how Quin got sickle cell anemia.

After sharing her story, Quin can easily be described as resilient and brave. “I remember one year alone needing 23 pints of blood. Sometimes I would get hyper transfused, and get 3 units of blood instead of one,” said Quin. She grew up in Southeastern Kentucky in Neon where deadly flooding hit in July. Her family is okay, but their house and cars were damaged.

Quin receives most of her treatments at UK Hospital. She attended college at University of Kentucky and started volunteering with the blood center. “I started sharing my story more and discussing it. Now I’m an advocate for research, funding, and blood donation,” commented Quin. Her hematologist is a professor at UK and invites her back to classes when they are studying sickle cell. She enjoys answering questions and providing insight from a patient perspective.

One doctor predicted that Quin has received well over 500 pints of blood in her life. At 41 years old, she is hopeful for the future of medicine, saying, “There’s not a universal cure for sickle cell- although there are good things in the works. Things like gene editing, bone marrow, and stem cell. There’s a promise.” She is dedicated to learning all she can about the disease and is still educating herself to this day.

Quin knows the red flags that come along with sickle cell. “I can tell [when I need a transfusion] because my energy is low.” With the massive amount of transfusions she has received over the years, her body has built up antibodies and antigens. Due to this, it can be hard to find a blood match for Quin. “I am most likely not going to get transfused immediately,” she said. “It will likely be a day or 2 later while they try to find a match. With the antigens in my body, [the blood will] need to be closely compatible. My donor will probably be African American because our anatomy is similar.” 

Quinn is dedicated to sharing her story and letting people know the need for blood is always there. She has had neighbors in her town giving blood because of her story. She attends sickle cell conferences with the medical community and sessions for patients. It can be a complicated disease to understand and navigate, and Quin continues to be an inspiration to those around her.

One in 3 African American blood donors are a match for people with sickle cell disease. We are encouraging all donors who identify as Black or African American to schedule an appointment to give blood. You can schedule your appointment by going to redcrossblood.org. #TeamUp4SickleCell #BlackBloodDonorsNeeded

Breathitt County Resident Gives Back

Carter Jackson and his family had to act fast once the floods occurred in Breathitt County. “I remember waking up and the water had risen in my neighbor's backyard...I got scared, and 10 minutes later water was inside homes,” said Carter. 

Knowing the situation was alarming, Carter went to check on the town. “They were fleeing people by the bus loads to get out. We had to walk two miles back to get our pets.” Carter’s dad and brother went back to assist with evacuations. At that point, the conditions were dangerous. “We helped disabled neighbors out of their homes,” said Carter. 

Carter’s family returned to their home briefly to assess the damage and clean up. They shared their supply of water with neighbors. In the first several days the family didn’t have electricity, so they stayed with Carter’s grandmother in Lexington. 

Carter learned the Red Cross Emergency Operations Center was being staged in Lexington and decided to help. He volunteered in the kitchen, offering food, snacks, and drinks to the Red Cross workers. We love seeing a friendly face and appreciate Carter’s kindness!  

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

Father and Son Deploy and Reunite in Kentucky

By Edgar Zuniga

“I knew it would happen eventually,” said Joe Poplawski, Red Cross New Jersey Region Disaster Program Manager. Joe has deployed about a dozen times over the last couple of years, but it’s the first time he has worked with his dad, also named Joe Poplawski, on a deployment.  

JoPop, left, with his father, Joe Poplawski

The elder Joe, who lives in southwest Florida, has deployed half a dozen times as a Red Cross volunteer, from Texas to California. Son Joe, who goes by JoPop at the Red Cross, credits his parents for his commitment to service. “They were always very charitable. I wanted to keep giving back. I joined the Red Cross and they hired me,” JoPop said.  

It’s truly a family affair. “I’ve tried recruiting my wife because it would be nice if we could deploy together,” the elder Joe said. But JoPop’s wife and kids are Red Crossers, so there are three generations of Poplawskis active in the Red Cross!  

Both JoPop and his dad make it a point to see each other multiple times a year, but seeing each other on this deployment has been special.  JoPop is deployed as the Deputy Assistant Director of Recovery and his father is doing shelter work, including driving our emergency response vehicles in eastern Kentucky. The love and pride between father and son is evident to everyone who interacts with them. It is thanks to Red Crossers like JoPop and his dad that we can respond to disasters when people need it the most.  

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org.

Legacy of Volunteerism in Perry County, KY

Honoring his namesake, Brenda Fletcher – granddaughter of Roy G. Eversole – says her grandfather would be so proud to know the elementary school that bears his name was being utilized as an American Red Cross shelter to care for those who were impacted by the recent Kentucky floods. “He was really dedicated to the people of the mountains,” explained Brenda, as she reminisced about her grandfather’s legacy in the community.

Brenda, right, speaks with Red Crosser
Misty Thomas

Roy G. Eversole was the superintendent of Perry County for approximately 25 years, according to Brenda, who said when the elementary school was built the community chose to name the school in honor of their dedicated leader, her grandfather. “He had many opportunities to leave but he would not leave…these were his people and he wanted to take care of them,” stated Brenda as she described his dedication to his volunteerism to Red Cross and how important her grandfather found the work to be for his community.

Brenda said she was not impacted by the flood; however, she shared a startling story of her friend who slept through the flood waters rising and awakened after they had receded, “she thought, oh my goodness, my toilet has overflowed.” Brenda said within a few minutes her friend realized the life-threatening situation she had slept through when she saw the water line on the side of her mattress, “She could have drowned.”

Brenda and her sister at Roy G. Eversole School

Learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer at redcross.org/volunteer

Red Cross Helped Daniel’s Family, Now He’s Giving Back As Volunteer in Kentucky

By Edgar Zuniga

Daniel Rosado is carrying boxes in and around the kitchen at the Kentucky Floods Disaster Relief Operation Headquarters in Lexington. He has been feeding Red Cross workers for two weeks since the Red Cross began assisting folks affected by the floods in nearby eastern Kentucky. A Red Crosser with an empty stomach can’t focus on helping those in need so Daniel’s service is essential. It’s one of many roles he has undertaken, ranging from working in logistics to driving emergency response vehicles, back home in eastern Pennsylvania and in deployments since 2017.

“Every deployment is different. This is my eighteenth deployment. You develop that traveling family with the Red Cross,” Daniel said. “I get a good feeling from helping others. I was there one time so I know exactly what the feeling is and if I can alleviate that pain from somebody, I’m gonna do my best.”

Daniel knows the feeling because back in 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit his elderly parents who lived in the Rockaways, a coastal area of Queens, in New York City. It was the Red Cross that provided shelter and assistance to his parents during that time. “The Red Cross helped my family out and I made a promise that sometime in the future, when I was able, that I’d give back. I started donating blood at first and then began working with the Red Cross as a volunteer.”

To those who know him, Daniel is a hero who not only installs smoke alarms back home in eastern Pennsylvania, but has been deployed to Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina, just to name a few. “My family always tells me ‘thank you so much for what you’re doing. To take time out to help others when they need it and not expect anything back,’” Daniel said. “We come out here as volunteers with no expectation, other than to help somebody out.”

Learn how to become a Red Cross volunteer at redcross.org/volunteer.

Disability Integration Volunteers: Key To Equitable Care During Disaster Response

By Edgar Zuniga

All an elderly resident wanted, in one of our Red Cross shelters in Eastern Kentucky, was a talking watch.

“I found him one,” said Angela Smith, Red Cross Volunteer Divisional Advisor for Disability Integration. “Most people wouldn’t understand what the value of that is, but for someone who is visually impaired that could change their whole day. They can tell the time, plan out their day, it also helps people around them to know they are visually impaired.” 

Angela, Red Cross Volunteer Divisional Advisor for Disability Integration.

Disability Integration focuses on ensuring that every shelter meets access and functional needs. Volunteers like Angela, deployed as the disability integration chief to the Kentucky floods, ensure that we are providing services needed, all in accordance to the Americans with Disabilities Act. “If you need a prosthetic leg, a specific kind of wheelchair, if you need language interpreting, if you are hard of hearing or deaf, it is our job to provide you with an interpreter,” Angela said.  

Disability Integration collaborates with the different Red Cross disaster services, from mass care to mental health, and collaborates with community partners. “I call it interprofessional collaboration because everyone works together,” said Linda Connelly, a disability integration volunteer from Florida, also deployed to Kentucky.

“Unless we all work together, the client won’t get what they need, we can’t work in silos.”  

One such example, Linda said, was when she helped locate a bariatric bed for someone staying in a shelter, through Bluegrass Care Navigators, a local medical group practice. The bed was necessary not only for the comfort of the individual, but to ensure he would not develop pressure injuries, worsen skin breakdown, or just fall to the ground. “I think he felt dignified that we cared enough to make him our mission,” Linda said. “If you just help one person every day, that is one more person who has dignity and has what they need.” 

That’s what Bobby Sullivan, a Kentucky disability integration volunteer, did, Angela interjected. Bobby died in late July, but his work in Kentucky set the stage for equitable care in the state during the Kentucky floods response. “I’d like for him to be remembered as a caring, kind and devoted person to the role of disability integration.”  

It’s that devotion to dignity and self-determination, the right of all people to control and direct their own lives, that is at the heart of everything disability integration volunteers do. “Our job is to mitigate access and equity challenges to make sure that everyone is treated the same,” Angela said. “What disability integration does is take care of the whole community.” 

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.