Employee Spotlight: John Matthews, Part 2

John with service members

Less than 6 months on the job, John helped a service member’s family after they had passed away in Iraq. “I worked with the funeral home, the family, and Rolling Thunder,” said John. Rolling Thunder, Inc. is an organization that brings awareness to American Prisoners of War and Missing In Action (POW-MIA) service members. Local chapters have motorcycle groups who escort fallen soldiers. “We have a big Rolling Thunder group in Kentucky. Tremendous group,” said John.

One of John’s favorite memories is delivering birth messages. He delivered 2 messages in Romania and 3 in Poznan. “I designed a birth certificate in Romania…The command was excited taking it to the service member. You can’t send them home unless there’s a medical issue. That was a neat thing they got to do.”

It was important to John to give the service members a sense of home and family while deployed. “I managed to do a makeshift Kentucky Derby party and a book drive,” he said. John’s proudest moment was designing “Billy’s Baseballs” for the entire deployment in Romania.

“There was a kid who, for his bar mitzvah, developed this program to have normal citizens write messages on baseballs of thanks and good wishes to the service members and ship them off. I reached out to Billy, who was a freshman in college at that point, and said would you be willing to send a bunch of baseballs.” Billy agreed and John was able to divide the baseballs among the units on base.

John in Romania

Honoring service members is close to John’s heart. He currently wears 3 bracelets on his arm representing lives of service members. He has a black memorial bracelet for Darrin K. Potter, son of our SAF volunteer, Lynn Romans. Darrin was killed outside Baghdad, Iraq at 24 years old. “Black bracelets are for somebody who has died… Anyone who has passed in combat,” said John.

John also wears two POW-MIA bracelets that are silver. “The tradition (with POW-MIA bracelets) is you wear it until they break, or the service member comes home. If they return home, you are supposed to take it off and mail it back to the family, so they know how many people were wearing the bracelet.”

When John is not deployed, he works from Fort Knox. “[At Fort Knox] I work with the veterans and National Guard. I’m doing yellow ribbon events to send National Guard off to deployment. I make sure the needs are met around here. I also teach international humanitarian law and I work with the youth action campaign.”

We are so happy to have John on our team and helping our service members at Fort Knox and around the world! #SAF

Employee Spotlight: John Matthews, Part 1

 

W. John Matthews III, MPA

Did you know the American Red Cross is the only Red Cross that has the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF)? John Matthews is our Senior Regional Program Specialist and has deployed twice: Romania (Germany) and Poznan (Poland). He has seen firsthand the impact we have. “For many of these foreign troops, they have never seen this in their lives. Everything from the canteen outside my office with snacks and the hygiene items. They are coming up and saying ‘This is free? I can just take some?’ I said yes. That’s why we are here.”

In Romania, John got acquainted with some British troops who started taking notes about SAF. “They were so fascinated with the idea that we’re the ones who do emergency messaging,” he said. John managed over 575 cases of emergency messages through our Hero Care Network while deployed to both countries. The network enables us to provide critical services to military members, veterans and their families all over the world. These vital services include responding to emergency needs for food, clothing, and shelter, referrals to counseling services, and information on veterans’ cemeteries and burial benefits.

With a history in emergency management, John started with our team in 2018. “I had experience working with the military and military families. This seemed like a good fit. I came into the position learning about the oldest arm of the American Red Cross. It’s been a fascinating ride.”

John with volunteer in Romania

Here Comes Santa's Workshop!

L to R: Christina Rivas, Lori  Dowgielewicz and
Jenny Markovich

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Our elves at Santa’s Workshop are gearing up for another magical season of giving. Lori Dowgielewicz and Christina Rivas are the Red Cross volunteer co-leads for Santa’s Workshop at Fort Knox. Lori is a retired veteran and Christina is active duty. They both arrived on base last summer and wanted to see about volunteer opportunities. They found Red Cross and May Giulitto, our Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) Director.

“I always thought the Red Cross was just blood drives. In the army, I gave blood as much as I could… Being here, it’s fulfilling. I bring my daughter to volunteer with me. Instilling in her the importance of giving time and talents as a mother is rewarding,” said Lori.

Santa’s Workshop provides toys for military families who are financially insecure during the holiday season. Soldiers and spouses shop our inventory for their children. “Every gift to families is donated by someone else. We take donations all year long… We have 55-gallon drum barrels we sign out to units and take collections in. The units come and do road marches over here and put toys in their ruck sacks,” said Lori.

Santa's Workshop entrance

It's a needs-based program, so it doesn’t matter if you are an E-1 (entry level paygrade) or lieutenant colonel. Shop week is coming up on December 4^th-8^th. The volunteer team is hard at work sorting the gifts and decorating the space. “It’s really inspiring. Coming through the ranks I understand those lower enlisted don’t get paid a lot… Our programs here are phenomenal,” said Christina.

Soldiers and their spouses will walk into a festive space with holiday music and refreshments while they shop. “We are giving each family a basket filled with cookie dough, frosting, a cookie cutter and spatula so they can bake cookies as a family activity. We have been working with the food pantry to get those items donated,” Lori explained. “We are fortunate enough that we have some generous people in our community donate higher price items like bicycles and hoverboards…We had a Nintendo Switch donated. Because we don’t have enough of those to give every family, we use those as opportunities for a drawing.”

Parents with kids 10 and under will also receive a bag with stocking stuffers. Christina and Lori are excited to meet the soldiers and provide them holiday cheer. “It means a lot. Being part of the Red Cross is absolutely amazing. It warms my heart… The parents find appreciation and joy of receiving something for their kids,” said Christina. Christina is also a member of our Disaster Action Team (DAT) on call to respond to house fires, floods and other disasters.

 

Keep Reaching Out Your Hand: Helping Hands at Fort Knox

Our Helping Hands program at Fort Knox can be described as a safe zone for the military community. It’s also a comforting place to welcome kids with special needs and offer them an educational setting. Kelly Iglesias and Barbara Dupree are the Red Cross volunteer co-leads for the Helping Hands Food Pantry and Lending Closet. Their sons, Jesse and Jack, have grown their interpersonal skills since volunteering with them. 

Barbara Dupree (L) and Kelly Iglesias (R)

“This is wonderful. In a place where you don’t really have the transitional service for young adults with disabilities, the Red Cross has offered us an environment where they can get it. It feels like a family here. The boys are supported,” said Kelly. Barbara echoes her feelings, saying, “It’s nice because they have been able to speak on their behalf and advocate for themselves. I love the people that are here.”

Barbara came from Italy with her husband who has been in the Marine Corp for 25 years. She wanted to find job training opportunities for Jack. “We’ve had many opportunities to volunteer with different organizations, but we have always gone back to Red Cross,” said Barbara. Kelly got emotional sharing her story, saying, “The Red Cross helped when my dad passed away, we had to get back to Guam.” Our team was with Kelly every step of the way, communicating the messages. “After going through that hardship- I came here and found a family. The Red Cross was here when I needed it.”

The food pantry offers two programs. The first is a drive-thru grocery service for active-duty E-6 and below. “We give about 25 grocery items that we put into bags,” said Kelly. The second program is emergency relief. It’s not rank specific, just anyone having a hard time- including veterans, retirees and widows. “We’ll give them bags of food that should sustain them for a couple of weeks. All the way up to cleaning supplies, diapers and wipes for babies, at no cost,” said Barbara.

The lending closet offers supplemental household appliances like toasters, microwaves and crockpots. “There are usually tears of joy when they leave, and they give us a hug. It makes you feel good,” said Barbara. The team reflected on their impact, remembering a mother. “She just moved here with her husband and 6 kids. When they got into their house, it was infested…They were [temporarily] homeless and displaced, living in a motel. They realized there was a food pantry on post that services the military community. We were able to help.”

“If the programs didn’t exist, I think it would be devastating. We have numerous foster families here…That come in and need additional help because they are helping foster kids,” Barbara commented. The volunteers have also helped individuals escaping domestic violence. “I remember a mother who packed up her kids and fled. She was so grateful for our help. Between Warrior Warehouse and here, she received clothes and toys for her children… She was like: ‘All this food for us?’ I said we will find a way for you. Come back if you need more,” said Kelly.

With the help of Jesse and Jack, these ladies work countless hours giving back. All they ask in return is for the word to be spread about the services on base. “We don’t just help families on base. We want more people in the military community to know they can come here,” said Kelly.

 

#FeatureFriday May Giulitto, SAF

  

Our work with Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) at Fort Knox is remarkable. At the heart of the work is the volunteers who exude kindness and goodwill. Leading these volunteers fearlessly is none other than May Giulitto, our SAF Director. 

Anyone who knows her would probably describe May as relentless, welcoming, and witty. “Wherever the Red Cross was, it was always near and dear to my heart,” said May. May is a retired military dietician, doing 6 years active duty. She met her husband, Colonel Dean Giulitto, while serving. Dean served for 30 years as a family practice doctor. Both of their children are in the military as well.

May would volunteer at Red Cross clinics, hospitals, or blood drives wherever Dean was stationed. They moved to Fort Knox close to his retirement, and that’s where her journey as a director began. “I went to the Red Cross here. I wanted to see what they had… There was really nothing being offered but emergency messages. This job came open and they encouraged me to apply,” said May.

She recognized the need for innovation, stating, “We must make this a place where people will come and gather and volunteer. There’s no program for them to volunteer for, except for casework.” May’s mind was racing with ideas, and she decided to revamp.

Her first idea was Santa’s Workshop. “At Fort Hood, I helped with Santa’s Workshop. That was over 3,000 kids,” May replied. The mission of Santa’s Workshop is to provide toys for military families who are financially insecure during the holiday season. With a little assistance from workshop elves, soldiers and spouses shop our inventory to find items for their children.

The Helping Hands Food Pantry and Lending Closet were inspired by her volunteers. The food pantry is a drive thru stop for groceries and essential items. The lending closet is household appliances and dishes. “My volunteers will tell me there’s a huge need. And I say let’s do it. All of this is because of volunteers,” said May.

Warrior Warehouse was created through conversations with May and another volunteer. It’s a program for active duty E6 and below to shop on the last Thursday of every month. Over the weekend, veterans and retirees have a shopping day. It’s a warehouse full of essentials from clothing, hygiene items, furniture, and baby car seats. “We see a lot of young soldiers that don’t have a lot. They don’t have family that supports them. We’re here to help,” May commented.

The final program initiated offers business attire to retirees. “I had my volunteer come to me. She said we need this program for retirees. We need suits for them to go to job interviews. When I got out of the military, I had no civilian clothes,” said May. In partnership with Heroes Care, May and her volunteers were able to secure 400-500 name brand suits for men and women to wear to job interviews. There’s currently closets full of suits, dresses, shoes, and jewelry to help retirees feel prepared for the next phase of their life.

“Red Cross in a lot of military bases only does casework. I feel like our Red Cross in Kentucky has supported more soldiers that are financially insecure,” said May. “We have all these programs. And each program supports soldiers who are in need. But it also provides our military families a place to give back and volunteer. We also support the other side: veterans and retirees. Not just here on base, but anyone within a 100-mile radius of Fort Knox.”

While she wants all the spotlight on the volunteers for their work, the reality is May is a key reason that SAF in Kentucky thrives. She had a vision of a blossoming Red Cross at Fort Knox, and she’s achieved that and more. #ServicetotheArmedForces #MilitaryFamilyAppreciationMonth #VeteransDay