Volunteer Appreciation Month: Crystal Gordon

If your health or career keeps you from being able to volunteer in person, we have plenty of virtual opportunities! Just ask Crystal Gordon, our Red Cross Region Disaster Casework Lead. “I got diagnosed on my 31st birthday in 2009 with Multiple Sclerosis… When I got my health straightened out, my friend pulled me into [volunteering with Red Cross]. She said ‘I think this would be a good fit. You don’t have to go anywhere; you can do it from home and a computer,” said Crystal.

Crystal has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Eastern Kentucky University. Her friend knew her skills would come in handy. She began volunteering in 2016 when Louisiana was getting overwhelmed with hurricanes and dangerous weather. “The Red Cross needed virtual casework workers. I went through the training,” said Crystal. She then started doing casework for the Red Cross Kentucky Region. “I started out helping people after home fires. Then I moved up to casework supervisor… I was the supervisor for the Louisville area.”

Crystal has been working to build a robust casework team ever since. “I have a wonderful casework team. We have strong support throughout the region. That makes a world of difference,” said Crystal. Where Crystal needs it, they cover for her. “On the days where the weather is going crazy, I know I’m going to be more susceptible to pain. [The team] understands. They step up and they help,” said Crystal.

She has trained her team to listen closely for the needs of families after a tragedy. “I try to be upbeat and encourage them to do what they can to help themselves. Some families say, ‘I don’t know where to start.’ You give them a starting point and a focus of what they can do. It helps them pull out of that overwhelming devastation mindset,” said Crystal. Crystal’s goal is to connect families after a disaster with financial assistance and getting a roof over their head.

“I’ve made people cry happy tears. I try to go above and beyond of what I can do. I try to get them the extra funding if it’s there. That’s the greatest feeling in the world,” said Crystal. “I’m there in their worst moment of their life... Sometimes I feel helpless, but I can try to be there for them. Try to get them some type of help. In that perspective, it makes me feel good. Most people can’t do that,” she said.

Crystal believes volunteering is a truly lifechanging thing. “I think it’s important to volunteer because it’s a different feeling… You can’t put words to it. The gratification and appreciation in a family’s voice after you help them is hard to describe. If more people volunteered, they would find a balance in their busy lives.”

In her free time, Crystal loves connecting with nature, reading, and spending time with her family. Crystal and her husband have been married for over 25 years. Her son, Austin, is getting married next year and they are excited to welcome Erin to their family. Crystal has 4 dogs and 2 cats and has been babysitting for a local family for 5 years.

Thank you, Crystal! Your work in Kentucky has helped families pick up the pieces of their home and rebuild.

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

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Amy Grimm

We all need reminders of the kindness in the world. For folks in Kentucky, you don’t have to look far. Just head on base at Fort Knox to see what Red Cross volunteers do for military families. Amy Grimm leads with a servant’s heart and wakes up with a mission in mind. She is the Helping Hands Warrior Warehouse Lead and Creator. Helping Hands is a Red Cross program available to provide food, household items, and clothing to assist military families with a financial need.

“I started volunteering with Red Cross 8 years ago, helping with Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) and casework,” said Amy. She then had a brilliant idea that has changed lives. “The Helping Hands location had to move. I asked the Fort Knox football team to come help… I used to run football and baseball boosters,” said Amy. She spoke to the Red Cross SAF Region Director, May Giulitto. “I said ‘what do you think about the Airman’s Attic? It’s a thrift store for the young and listed… What do you think about starting one for the Army?”

May and Amy brainstormed about what to call the new location. The name “Warrior Warehouse” was born, and the journey began. “This could be our groundbreaking thing. I grabbed my volunteers and said, ‘hey let’s start this thing,” explained Amy. As people moved, this was a great place for them to drop donations of furniture and clothing. “It turns into blessings for someone else who doesn’t have anything,” said Amy.

Amy and her fellow Red Cross volunteers help sort and process donations. The last Thursday of the month, there’s a free shop for active-duty military members. The last Friday of the month is open to Veterans, retirees, and dependents. The last Saturday of the month is their “yard sale” open to the public for anyone who can get on base. The team accepts cash donations for the Friday and Saturday shops.

Any funds raised by the shops goes back to support the Fort Knox American Red Cross Soldier Support Program. This includes services like the Helping Hands Food Pantry, Santa’s Workshop, Candy Cane Lane, the Loan Closet, and more. “It feeds my soul because I can give back,” said Amy.

One family Amy helped was moving from Alaska. They had 3 kids, 2 dogs, an SUV, and a trailer. They wrecked in North Dakota. “On the Fort Knox spouses page, the wife posted… She said I can’t get ahold of my command. I need uniforms, boots, and some items for my kids,” said Amy. “Their SUV was totaled. They were not able to recover items… We were the in between. We had [the items] ready to go by the time they arrived. We set this family up for success even though they just had the worst week of their life.”

It's hard work and long days, but Amy and her team love what they do. “It’s what wakes us up. Every one of our volunteers gets up and says: who can I help today and who can I serve?” Amy emphasized that her husband is her main support and cheerleader. They have been together 14 years and he reminds her to “[volunteer] until it’s not fun anymore.”

When she takes breaks and steps away from base, Amy loves to travel and go on hikes. She recently hiked the Appalachian Trail. Thank you for your volunteerism, Amy! We know you have touched the lives of many. 

Interested in learning more about our SAF work on base? Go to redcross.org/kentucky. Follow the Fort Knox Warrior Warehouse Facebook group at: Fort Knox US WarriorWarehouse

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Cathy Palmer-Ball

Cathy, right. Photos courtesy Cathy Palmer-Ball.

Cathy Palmer-Ball has worked with the American Red Cross in some capacity for 17 years. She decided to volunteer with the Red Cross because its mission was close to her heart.

“The main thread running through all I do for Red Cross is that I've always been in a helping role during my career,” said Cathy. “[T]his enables me to continue that work. It lets me give back to our community and people in their time of need.”

A Louisville Area Chapter volunteer, Cathy started out in blood services. She was also a Board Chair and a member of the WHEELS program advisory board for 10 years before she paused her volunteer career to raise her children and work full-time.

When she returned to volunteering in 2017, she returned to blood services and began volunteering with disaster services as she was retiring from a career in Social Work. Cathy loves being an ambassador at blood drives, greeting donors, managing the schedule, signing volunteers in, and working in the canteen.

“The most interesting part of this role is meeting new people and getting to know them and to show appreciation for the great gift of their blood donation which is always in great need!” said Cathy.

Cathy volunteers in several ways as a disaster volunteer. She deploys to disasters across the country to help with feeding, sheltering, going door-to-door in disaster-impacted areas providing damage assessment, and driving an Emergency Response Vehicle when needed. Most recently, Cathy has become a part of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) and responds to home fires in the Louisville Area Chapter. She is also the regional volunteer lead for onboarding and placing new volunteers, and participates in Sound the Alarm events, where Red Crossers install smoke alarms and provide information on fire safety and prevention to residents.

One of the most memorable experiences Cathy has had with the Red Cross was when she was deployed for three weeks to a Wisconsin army base to work with refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and we made it work as we went,” said Cathy.

As the Onboarding/Placement Regional Volunteer Lead, Cathy encourages others to volunteer however they can. She recruits volunteers often, and points to being able to help people during a low point in their lives as a reason to volunteer.

“I'm proud to be a Red Cross volunteer and I respect all volunteers and staff for their dedication, hard work and commitment,” said Cathy. “I wish everyone in a position to do so, would volunteer in some capacity.”

When she isn’t volunteering with the Red Cross, Cathy enjoys hiking with her friends and her dog, reading mystery novels, and going to brunch with her mother, friends, and daughters. She loves nature photography, traveling, and volunteers with the children at the Norton Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Thank you, Cathy, for your compassion for others and your dedication to the Red Cross mission!

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

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Helen Brown

Meet Helen Brown, a Community Volunteer Lead (CVL) and Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer with the American Red Cross Western Kentucky Chapter. Helen is no stranger to volunteering. She volunteers with FEMA through Hopkins County Emergency Management, and with her local police department and Citizens Police Unit. She was introduced to volunteering with the Red Cross when a tornado hit Providence in Webster County, Kentucky in 2002.

Helen, left. Photos courtesy Helen Brown.

“I went with a church group [to help] and saw all of the Red Cross personnel there,” said Helen. “I was amazed by how they were organized and handling everything.” While she was there, someone noticed her interest and asked if she would be interested in volunteering with the Red Cross.

Since then, Helen has deployed to national disasters and has responded locally to help with single and multifamily fires in Hopkins County. She is also a blood donor and drives an hour to Owensboro to donate at blood drives. Helen has volunteered more than 1,100 hours in various volunteer roles with the Red Cross.

Recently, Helen has also spent time volunteering as a CVL in Hopkins County with Misty Thomas, the Executive Director of the Western Kentucky Chapter, and fellow CVL Vivian McNeil. As a CVL, Helen mans the Red Cross office in Madisonville twice a week and helps Misty share information about the services the Red Cross provides with the Hopkins County community. “I get out into the community, into the organization club meetings, and make it well known in Hopkins County what’s available,” said Helen.

Helen has volunteered in multiple roles during disaster responses, including assisting with information and planning for damage assessment, outreach through external relations, and in mass care roles like sheltering, feeding, logistics and procurement. While Helen prefers to work behind the scenes, one of the things she says she enjoys most about volunteering is helping people in their moments of need.

“99% of the time I'm behind the scenes. It's not about me, […] it’s about me helping somebody,” she said. “It’s how I try to give back. I try to let people know that there are people who care.”

One of the things that sticks with Helen the most about her volunteer experiences is the appreciation from the people she helps. On a past deployment, Helen assisted with flooding in Eastern Kentucky, where she helped provide meals to a little girl and her family.

“Her snapshot is always in my mind,” she recalled. “She was so appreciative. […] And the joy, the appreciation that people will show even in their darkest hour, you know they're appreciative for what you're doing for them.”

Some of the most important things about volunteering, for Helen, are being able to reassure and comfort the people she meets, working to find them the information they need to move forward and letting them know that there are people that care.

Despite her wide experience as a volunteer, Helen stays humble: “I don't feel like I do a whole lot in my volunteer work, but I feel like it's my small way to give back, because I've been blessed.”

Helen thinks it’s important for others to volunteer because it helps with community preparedness. “It gives the community the ability to step in and care for one another,” she said. “It’s neighbors helping neighbors. There are always multiple areas that you can help.” 

When Helen isn’t volunteering, she’s spending time with her family and friends, including her multiple grandchildren. She enjoys reading, music, and traveling with her life partner.

Helen, your dedication to the Red Cross mission and our community inspires us! Thank you for everything that you do! If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Richard Peters

As a firefighter of 20 years and a Hardin County native, Richard Peters thought volunteering with the American Red Cross South Central Kentucky Chapter was a perfect fit after he retired.

Photos courtesy Richard Peters

“When I left the fire service, I still felt the need to help folks out in their worst times,” said Richard. “As a firefighter, we relied on the Red Cross for client assistance and also to be there for us and our folks with the canteen services they provided.”

Richard has been volunteering with Red Cross in Elizabethtown for going on four years. Starting out, he was doing intake for residents impacted by disasters and volunteering as part of canteen services. As time went on, he moved into the role of Duty Officer. “As the duty officer […], I field the calls from the National Red Cross line and assign them to the local case workers.”

Richard also helps maintain the fleet that is assigned to the chapter office and makes sure that they are kept ready for service. He helps train new volunteers to fulfill the Red Cross mission. “I have learned that everyone learns at different paces and are willing to do different aspects of the job,” said Richard.

For Richard, volunteering is interesting because of how different each situation can be.

“Everyone reacts differently to a stranger coming in to help,” he said. “Dealing with the emotions of each individual that is involved can be a challenge, but it is a very rewarding challenge in the end.”

One of the most memorable things Richard has experienced with the Red Cross was responding as the tornado that went through Bowling Green, KY in 2021.

“Seeing the diversity in one town and not having an idea that there were so many different nationalities living in the town,” Richard explained. “I remember sitting and talking with an individual that had twin babies and having to have everything I said repeated through an interpreter.”

For Richard, volunteering with the Red Cross means being willing to lend a hand and being able to lift some weight off someone’s shoulders. “If I am able to assist somebody having a bad day, then I have fulfilled the calling that has been placed upon my life,” said Richard.

When he isn’t volunteering with the Red Cross, Richard enjoys working with people and helping in any way that he can. He has spent many hours with volunteer organizations, from the food bank at his church to being a firefighter, and he tries to make a difference however he can.

“If I can help someone, that is all I am out to do,” said Richard. “I just have the heart of a servant and God had placed a calling on my life to do so.”

Thank you, Richard, for all you do! Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteertoday

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Tracy Counts

This #VolunteerAppreciationMonth, we are taking a moment to recognize our volunteers in the Kentucky Region! Meet Tracy Counts, Community Volunteer Lead (CVL) for the Red Cross Eastern Kentucky Chapter. Tracy has lived in eastern Kentucky for 30 years and works at Morehead State University as a Transfer Advisor and Recruiter.

Tracy began volunteering with Red Cross in 2015, after an apartment building fire. “My husband’s office building was right beside the fire… the police officer said he needed to find somewhere to get these people to safety. I said, ‘I can handle that.’ We turned our church fellowship hall into a shelter. We were the logical choice because of space and proximity. We housed 41 people in our hall for 10 days. Fed over 70 people for every meal,” said Tracy. She is a proud member and leader of First Presbyterian Church in Hazard, Kentucky.

Photo courtesy Tracy Counts

When deadly floods struck eastern Kentucky in 2022, Tracy was up all night. “It was hell on earth. When people were showing me where water lines rose in their house, I couldn’t believe it,” said Tracy. “[The church] started taking donations for clothes and supplies. Friday evening, Perry County had no water. We had to open church for sheltering. We ended up with 29 people who were rescued by the national guard. They had been out in elements for 2 days, almost 3. All of them had been rescued by helicopter.”

One thing Tracy tries to do is let people know about Red Cross resources. “Appalachia tends to be self-reliant. I let them know that it doesn’t hurt to reach out. As a friend of mine has told me: let people love on you,” said Tracy. The church is now the clothing and household supply drop off point for the long-term recovery program for Perry County. Their latest program is helping people restore their canning and gardening.

“I have cleaning buckets and supplies in my car. I have dropped them off at places that looks like it needed it… We have worked with areas to put on fall festivals so the kids would have something else to think about. We have done laundry detergent drop off at laundry facilities that were open, and donated pet food to animal shelters,” said Tracy. She says the most important thing is sticking together and understanding Appalachian culture. “Your neighbors helping you and understanding your values is the biggest blessing you can have.”

Tracy is honored to work with the Red Cross because of the quick response we have. “In eastern Kentucky, [Red Cross] are going to be the first ones there. They will help. No one was prepared for this type of catastrophe. Red Cross was the first on scene…. That’s the team environment we all need to be part of. If you want someone to be there with you in that moment, it’s the Red Cross.”

Thank you for your work, Tracy! The work you do continues to impact the lives of people in eastern Kentucky. 

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

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Michael Randles

Michael and Mylie.
Photos courtesy Michael Randles.

 #VolunteerAppreciationMonth We love having new volunteers representing Gen Z! Michael Randles has always felt called to help people during a crisis. “I am a firefighter EMT by trade in Illinois. I went into service straight out of high school. I was 19 years old,” said Michael. He did some volunteering with disaster response and emergency management organizations, like Team Rubicon. Michael worked in the communications and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) divisions at his local counties’ emergency management department.

Currently, Michael is a thriving college student. “I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Fire Arson and Explosion Investigation,” he said. Michael knew he wanted to keep volunteering while at college. “Red Cross has always been on my bucket list. I admire what they do, especially for victims of house fires,” said Michael.

Michael volunteers with our Red Cross Eastern Kentucky Chapter as a member of the Disaster Action Team (DAT), Duty Officer, and Disaster Health Services (DHS). “I do Duty Officer most frequently. That works best for me because I can do it from my dorm room. I get dispatched for disasters in my area. I verify the event, make initial contact with families, and assign DAT responders to work with them,” said Michael.

Deployed virtually for the 2021 western Kentucky tornados and the 2022 eastern Kentucky floods, Michael worked as a Disaster Health Services volunteer. “We filtered through requests of people who had unmet medical needs due to power outages,” he said. His favorite memory is helping an elderly woman after a house fire. “She was 80 years old and lived alone. She needed her dentures replaced… I was so thrilled to be able to call her and say, ‘hey we got the cost approved, make your appointment.”

Michael has loved his volunteer journey so far. “It’s such a great experience to surround myself with people who care about people who they have never met… Beyond helping people, it’s a great way to give yourself life experience, see different perspectives, and learn new skills,” he said. When he travels home, Michael spends time with his siblings, Virginia, Kevin, and Steven. He also works on a hot air balloon crew. Michael loves spending time with his hound mix, Mylie, and is a member of the EKU marching band. “I play trumpet. I’m going to be a section leader next season.”

The Red Cross Kentucky Region loves having such a rising star on their team! Thank you for all you do to help your community, Michael. We will be cheering you on in your college endeavors at EKU!

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

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Chris Schepers

Chris, right, and her husband, Joe.
Photos courtesy Chris Schepers.

For Chris Schepers, family ties lead her servant’s heart. “When somebody needs something, you help them out. It starts at home. It’s not always convenient to help, but you still make it work. It’s not a me it’s a “we”. We are all in this together,” said Chris. While her volunteer journey is new, Chris jumped right in to help during the eastern Kentucky floods. She and her husband, Joe, were staying in Jenny Wiley State Park on a vacation when the storms hit. She heard about the damage to the homes. “My heart went out to these people because your home is the base of your family,” said Chris.

Chris did some research and realized the Red Cross would be a great place to start volunteering. “As soon as I got home, I did trainings for about 2 weeks. Then I get a call and I was asked to deploy to Alaska.” Chris deployed to Alaska after Typhoon Merbok hit. She describes Alaska as an adventure. She deployed to help with sheltering and assisted with Damage Assessment of the homes in the impacted areas. She admired their community, saying “They are so resilient and self-supporting. They embody everything I teach my children. You stick together. They started shelters on their own and did potlucks. One was hurting so they all were hurting.”

Soon after, Chris got a call to deploy to Florida after Hurricane Ian made landfall. She was called on to help with Reunification, a process that seeks to reunite families and loved ones that got lost in the storm. Chris recalls one touching story of a woman she helped. The woman had moved homes and was concerned for her previous neighbor. They had lost contact for about two weeks. “We found the couple in Florida. We got [them] on the phone. And the two were able to talk to each other. Both broke down crying. It was nice to hear the two contact each other.”

Chris and Joe have been married for 35 years. They have 4 children: Andrea, Stacey, Allison, and Patrick. They live in Owensboro, Kentucky within a 5-minute drive of each other. The family is expecting their 9th grandchild and enjoy taking the whole family on camping trips. Chris and Joe have taken their camper to 40 states. Now that she’s retired, they want to plan more weekend trips and explore.

Chris appreciates the mission of the Red Cross and plans to recruit more friends of hers to volunteer. “I have met so many cool people with this adventure. There are multiple people I’m working with that are local, and my kids went to school with their kids. You just want to help other people when they are at their worst. It’s such a neat thing. I can’t talk about it enough.”

Thank you for answering the call and jumping in to help others, Chris! You make our Kentucky team stronger! You can learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteertoday

Volunteer Appreciation Month: John Sternberg

Bluegrass Area Chapter volunteer John Sternberg has a long history with the Red Cross. Originally from Louisville, KY, John did community service with the Red Cross during his high school days by working in the print shop at the Louisville Area Chapter office. John has also been donating blood since he was 18 years old and estimates that, as of today, he’s donated over 5 gallons.

John (right), with fellow Red Cross volunteers.
Photo credit: John Sternberg

John was a federal agent with the Department of Health and Human Services for 25 years and served as an air marshal for 5 months after 9/11. His career took him to Ohio and Georgia, until he moved back to Kentucky in 1997. After he retired, he decided to get involved as a volunteer.

“I think it’s important to be able to do something when tragedy occurs,” said John. “The best outlet I could find was with the Red Cross.”

He joined the Red Cross Bluegrass Area Chapter in 2021 and began volunteering with the Disaster Action Team (DAT) responding to home fires in the Lexington area.

“I interviewed people over the phone and did training on the computer,” said John. “Then I started meeting with people to do the DAT local responses.”

John has deployed to disasters several times since he became a volunteer. He deployed to the tornado response in Western Kentucky in 2021 and the flood response in Eastern Kentucky in 2022. He has also deployed to Puerto Rico, Florida, California, and Texas to assist with everything from flooding and hurricanes to tornadoes.

John shared that his roles vary when he deploys.

Photo credit: John Sternberg

“I did [sheltering] for like 4 days in Eastern Kentucky, but then switched to distribution of emergency supplies,” said John. “And when they sent me to Puerto Rico, it was actually for damage assessment.”

John went on to explain he usually works in sheltering or logistics during a disaster response. As part of his chapter volunteer activities, John responds to home fires and recently taught his first First Aid/CPR class in the Bluegrass Area Chapter.

When asked why he volunteers, John said it was because he wanted to be able to give back: “I’ve been blessed in my life. To be able to give back and to do something in a time of need, just to be able to get down there and be involved.”

“We need to look out for each other,” John added. “It doesn’t have to be a big thing. It could be collecting money and donating it, it could be to giving your time. There’s always going to be that need, whether it’s a fire or natural disaster, just to be able to help those in need.”

Thank you, John, for your dedication to the Red Cross mission! Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteer.

Volunteer Appreciation Month: Lisa Maples

Lisa Maples joined our volunteer team at a trying time. She was on call the day after flooding inundated eastern Kentucky in the summer of 2022. “Red Cross has on their website to turn compassion into action…The Red Cross volunteers are compassionate people who are working hard to do more than feel sorry for someone. We are turning it into action. I can be a part of that,” said Lisa.

Volunteering for a little over a year, Lisa is motivated to answer the call. She is a retired nurse where most of her time was spent helping emergency services. She enjoyed the fast-paced work of helping people in the middle of a crisis. Once the COVID-19 pandemic spread, she was looking for virtual volunteer opportunities. “I found the Duty Officer position with Red Cross. It was a perfect fit. I get to interact with [individuals and families] in their greatest time of need… I’m doing the same thing I’ve done my whole life, just in a different role,” said Lisa.

Lisa describes the Duty Officer role as detective work. “People call the 1-800 number after they have a fire. That call dispatches to me. I go in and read the information, and then I reach out and see exactly what happened: how many people were involved, if they have pets, have they lost prescriptions or glasses? Do they have a safe place to stay?” She then connects with the fire department in the area to make sure they have all the correct information, then calls the local Red Cross team to go provide on-site support.

“It’s challenging, but I love it!” said Lisa. “It keeps me sharp. I’m looking out for the [families] and getting their needs met. I look forward to the days I’m on duty.” Lisa assists with the Bluegrass Area and Eastern Kentucky Chapters. She was pivotal during the initial response of the eastern Kentucky floods, answering the phones and keeping people calm. “It was total devastation. People had lost loved ones, pets, cars, houses. That day, we were doing what we needed to do. Taking the calls, giving them comfort. It was a hard day but rewarding because I got to be involved in helping folks.”

Outside of volunteering, Lisa enjoys camping with her husband, Greg. Their family has a permanent camp site on Lake Cumberland with a boat. They camp and boat with the whole family: their son, Mike with his wife, Teresa, their 2 grandchildren, Liam and Lucas, and their 2 Norfolk Terriers, Cooper and Keegan.

Learn how you can become a Red Cross volunteer: redcross.org/volunteertoday