Volunteer Highlight - Priscilla Johnson

By Kevin Sandell, American Red Cross communications volunteer

Over her seven year period volunteering with the American Red Cross, Priscilla Johnson seems to have done it all. She has served in media relations, biomedical services, a community volunteer lead and government liaison, caseworker, and with the Disaster Cycle Services. The work, she says, gives her the opportunity to strengthen ties and help vulnerable populations.

“It’s so satisfying helping those vulnerable people and families,” Priscilla said. “My volunteering gives me the opportunity to make new acquaintances, learn new skills, strengthen ties to our beloved community, and broadens my network to people of common interest.”

The Lexington, Kentucky native, who serves with the Bluegrass Area Chapter under the American Red Cross Kentucky Region, said many people believe her many jobs with the Red Cross are paid positions.

“Most folks think it’s a paid opportunity job and not a volunteer, because I give it my heart and 100% commitment,” she said. 

The Red Cross does a good job of treating her with dignity and recognizing and awarding her volunteer work, she says. She was inspired to serve with the Red Cross after her brother started working with the Red Cross Wheels Service to drive patients to and from their medical appointments. Recently diagnosed with cancer, he used the opportunity to keep his mind busy and distracted from his diagnosis. Although her brother eventually succumbed to cancer, Priscilla said the Red Cross “helped prolong [his] life,” as he loved serving other patients as a Red Cross volunteer. 

“[It] makes me tear up every time I think of this opportunity he was given,” Priscilla said.  

The personal connection to the Red Cross means a lot for Priscilla. 

“I have a strong passion for the Red Cross because I believe that my volunteering can continue to make positive impact on the community and around the world while also gaining valuable experience and skills,” she said. “The personal connection and passion for the cause affords me the eagerness to contribute and keep coming back.”

Serving with the Red Cross is important for others to consider because it “truly provides the sense of purpose and teaches valuable skills,”  and gets people out of their comfort zones, she said. “I'm a people person and I know I can sleep good at night knowing I tried to help someone.”

Third-Generation Volunteer, Rebecca Cartmell, Heads Disaster Response in Mason County

By Kelly Carroll, American Red Cross volunteer

Rebecca's mother 
and daughter

Rebecca Cartmell has been volunteering with the American Red Cross practically since birth. Her grandmother and mother were both volunteers, and she recalls going with her mother to board meetings and blood drives, where she took donors’ temperatures and transported typewriters into and out of the buildings. When Rebecca was young, a tornado hit her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky, and her mother helped with the recovery efforts. 

Later, as an adult, Rebecca was recruited to serve on the local Red Cross board. She was employed by the organization for a period of time. Currently, she is the Mason County Disaster Action Team Lead, a completely volunteer role. When a disaster occurs—such as a flood, home fire or storm—she contacts the people affected on behalf of the Red Cross and helps in their recovery.

Rebecca and her daughter before
a Pillowcase Project presentation

Rebecca tries to contact families within two hours, and often within 30 minutes, to “find out what their needs are and see what we can do to help.” Often, with a single-family fire (the most common type of disaster), Rebecca arrives when the fire department is still on the scene and “the people are standing on their lawn.” The Red Cross provides resources and services and also connects facilities to other organizations that can help.

Rebecca acknowledged that the grave nature of her work with the Red Cross can be “emotionally taxing,” but was quick to point out the sense of accomplishment she gets from the role. “You feel good about helping other people,” she said.

In her many years of service to the Red Cross, Rebecca has served in many ways. In addition to disaster response, she has canvassed neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms in homes, taught CPR, visited schools for “The Pillowcase Project,” a disaster preparedness program for elementary-aged children, and facilitated communication with people deployed in the armed forces.

Rebecca’s family legacy of serving with the Red Cross continues with her 33-year-old daughter, Ellen Cartmell, who currently serves on the local board and disaster action team. In the past, Ellen worked for the Red Cross in Washington, D.C., and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. Through innumerable acts of service, big and small, their family has served through the Red Cross for four generations and counting!

Volunteer Appreciation Month - John Sternberg

John Sternberg has a long history with the Red Cross. John did community service with the Red Cross during his high school days, and estimates that he’s donated over 5 gallons of blood since age 18. After he retired from the Department of Health and Human Services, he decided to get involved as a Red Cross volunteer.

John, right. Photo courtesy John Sternberg.

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. He recently got a new job, so he has not been able to deploy as much as he’d like, but he was able to respond to the train derailment in Eastern Kentucky last year and has qualified to become a sheltering supervisor during disasters.

“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.”

Last year, John also got involved with our Hands-Only CPR initiative. Hands-only CPR, or compression-only CPR, is a method of providing quick life-saving measures to someone suffering a cardiac event that only involves providing chest compressions. This process encourages the quick push of blood throughout the body, to ensure the heart is getting the blood it needs to function. John and other hands-only CPR instructors provide instruction across the Kentucky region, including at offices, schools and health fairs. Hands-Only CPR courses do not provide a CPR certification, but they can help familiarize beginners with the signs of a cardiac event. While they do not take the place of a full CPR/First Aid course, Hands-Only CPR courses provide the basic tools a person can use to help gain precious time for someone experiencing a cardiac event until help arrives.

John is a coordinator for the program, and both teaches hands-only CPR courses and recruits and manages hands-only CPR instructors. Part of what made John agree to take on the role was a grant the American Red Cross Kentucky Region received from LG&E KU to support teaching hands-only CPR in communities that need it.

Since the start of the hands-only CPR initiative, the Red Cross has trained more than 500 people across the state in hands-only CPR, 90% of which is youth. The South Central Kentucky chapter has also taught the program in different languages and represented 15 different nationalities.

As a certified First Aid/CPR instructor, John’s happy for the chance to reach communities and train more people with the initiative: “The nice part is to get to the areas where they can't make the monetary or time commitment to do the full CPR course.”

Moving forward, John wants to see the program grow and recruit more hands-only CPR instructors.

Thank you, John, for all you do! If you are interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday

A better night’s sleep for Fort Knox soldiers, courtesy of Tempur-Pedic and the American Red Cross

By Kevin Sandell, American Red Cross Volunteer

A good night's rest is a proven way to improve health and wellness. It’s especially imperative for U.S. service members as they serve and protect America at locations around the world.

Capt. Kyle Hinzman, commander of the 34th and 905th Military
Police Detachments on Fort Knox, secures a new mattress
atop a vehicle at the American Red Cross’ Warrior Warehouse
on post, Feb. 9. 

Tempur-Pedic and the American Red Cross Kentucky Region partnered to donate 80 new mattresses to U.S. service members and families stationed at Fort Knox, the large U.S. Army post south of Louisville. The in-kind donation from the Lexington, Ky.-based mattress manufacturer allowed soldiers and families in need to receive a new mattress at the Red Cross Warrior Warehouse on post. A group of military police soldiers stationed at Fort Knox even helped load the mattresses into each vehicle waiting in line.

For Yvonne Plough, the Red Cross’ Volunteer Engagement Lead at the Warrior Warehouse, seeing soldiers volunteer to help those in need is a tangible way to pay it forward. “[This is] soldiers helping soldiers. We all had a consideration at one point where we needed help, so when we receive help, we should give it forward,” Plough said.

Tempur-Pedic donated the queen-sized mattresses to the American Red Cross to distribute to service members or their families on Fort Knox, and has done so for several years, according to John Matthews, a Red Cross Senior Regional Program Specialist. The Red Cross works with unit chaplains and commanders to nominate enlisted service members E-6 and below in their units to receive a new mattress. Soldiers in the paygrades of E-1 to E-4 are junior enlisted service members, and soldiers in the paygrades of E-5 to E-6 are noncommissioned officers who typically manage junior enlisted service members in day-to-day operations. Each nominated soldier must verify they will not resell the mattresses, nor will they receive more than one mattress per year. 

Soldiers from the 34th and 905th Military Police Detachments
at Fort Knox, Ky. haul new mattresses from inside the
American Red Cross Warrior Warehouse, Feb. 9.

According to a Tempur-Pedic press release from January 2023, the company has donated more than 228,000 mattresses to charities since 2011, including veterans homes and military bases, homeless shelters, fire stations, and the American Red Cross.

A group of eight soldiers from the post’s 34th Military Police Detachment and the 905th Military Working Dog Detachment volunteered to help move the mattresses from inside the warehouse and load them into each waiting vehicle. For 1st Lt. Davis Johns, the Executive Officer for both detachments, the chance to volunteer with the Red Cross helps others understand their profession better.

“I feel like it’s part of our job being military police,” Johns said. “Our job is to protect and serve the people of the installation, and this is just one of the ways we can do that, even if it’s not in a law enforcement capacity.”

The commander of both detachments, Capt. Kyle Hinzman, said many of the detachments’ soldiers have volunteered with previous Red Cross volunteer opportunities on post, and relished the chance to do so again distributing mattresses. He said at least four soldiers in the unit have earned the military’s Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal in the last two years for their volunteerism efforts.

Soldiers with the 34th and 905th Military Police Detachments
at Fort Knox, Ky., load a mattress into a waiting vehicle during
 a free mattress distribution event at Fort Knox, Feb. 9.

“Doing something like this gives a [better] view that we can be part of positive support to the community as opposed to just showing up at someone’s house when they’re having a really bad day,” Hinzman said.

As she and the other soldiers loaded mattresses into vehicles, Staff Sgt. Joann Cassitty, an operations noncommissioned officer with the 34th MP Detachment, said she and her soldiers are “always ready to help.” She called the American Red Cross’ programs on Fort Knox “amazing,” and wished that every installation had comparable services.

By day’s end, all 80 mattresses were claimed - tied onto vehicle roofs or slid into trunks, much to the visible satisfaction of those receiving one.

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

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

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.

Kentucky Red Cross Honors Missy Hall as Volunteer of the Year

Every day, the Red Cross relies on volunteers to achieve its mission, and day-in and day-out, Melissa “Missy” Hall goes above and beyond to make sure that mission is fulfilled.

Missy (second from right) receiving
the Volunteer of the Year award

Missy, who joined the Red Cross in 2019, volunteers not just as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer, but also as a mentor and leader for other volunteers. She is always quick to answer the call to service and has served a number of roles to support the Bluegrass Area Chapter. 

In the past year, Missy has logged more than 470 volunteer hours, responded to more than 45 home fires and served on 3 disaster deployments. She has never wavered in her willingness to respond to the call of action, and for these reasons we are proud to announce her as a recipient of this year’s regional Volunteer of the Year award.

Missy showed exemplary support to the Red Cross mission when she was deployed to the flood response in central and eastern Kentucky this spring. She initially assisted the response by conducting damage assessments in impacted communities, and was then asked, despite having no logistics or supply training, to continue her deployment as the Supply and Procurement Manager. Missy quickly took the required training and coordinated with the outgoing manager to get on-the-job training before successfully taking on the role. She also agreed to continue assisting the response until it ended – for a total deployment of one month.

In addition, after spending a 12-hour day doing damage assessment for this response, Missy received a call on her way home one evening regarding a multi-family fire. Without hesitation, Missy drove to the fire scene to assist the impacted residents.

Missy consistently puts the mission of the Red Cross at the forefront. She truly displays a superior commitment and responsibility towards mission and the needs of the people we assist. Missy is an amazing Red Crosser with a true servant’s heart and we are proud to support her nomination!

Kentucky Red Cross Honors the Life of Debra “Granny” Smith

Today, the Kentucky Red Cross honors the life of one of our volunteers, Debra “Granny” Smith. Debra passed on Tuesday, September 7. Debra has been a beloved volunteer with the Red Cross Eastern and Bluegrass Area Chapters since 2015, and gave more than 5,000 volunteer hours to the Red Cross.

Debra was recruited as a volunteer by her granddaughter, Bluegrass Area Chapter Disaster Program Manager Amanda Shotton, and began volunteering wherever she was needed. Eventually she settled into the Duty Officer role supporting our Disaster Action Team (DAT). She also worked closely beside her daughter, Eastern KY Chapter Disaster Program Specialist Melissa McGill, to ensure there was volunteer coverage for the chapter.

Debra (center) with Melissa (left) and Amanda (right)
volunteering at a Sound the Alarm event

Debra could be counted on for many roles within disaster services, including Disaster Action Team Intake, Duty Officer, and providing preparedness education and administrative support to the chapters. During just this past year, Debra was instrumental in making sure Red Cross services continued during the pandemic as well as during the many disaster responses Kentucky faced, including the recent flooding in eastern Kentucky.

Due to her extensive experience, leadership abilities and dedication, Debra served as a leader and mentor to volunteers throughout the Region. In the Eastern Kentucky Chapter, Debra helped guide both new and experienced DAT members. Within the Bluegrass Area Chapter, she served as a mentor helping train responders in the roles of both DAT member and DAT Duty Officer.

Debra also worked closely with her daughter and granddaughter as part of her disaster team role and on our home fire and preparedness campaigns. She attended Sound the Alarm events, Pillowcase Project presentations, delivered smoke alarms, input forms from events and more. While preparedness programs were paused for much of the 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Debra continued to strengthen our community ties by working closely with fire departments and county dispatchers.

Debra’s continued contributions to the Red Cross, the Kentucky Region and both the Eastern Kentucky and Bluegrass Area Chapters were an ongoing example of the best of Red Cross volunteers, and for those reasons, earlier this year she was nominated for a Clara Barton Award in both chapters. The Clara Barton Award recognizes meritorious service in volunteer leadership positions held over a period of years. Her dedication to the Red Cross mission and service delivery on behalf of individuals and families rose above the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and her positive attitude, love of the mission and willingness to help regardless of the area of responsibility, embodied and exceeded the characteristics honored by the Clara Barton award.

Debra’s dedication to her community and family is indicative of the kind of person she was: Someone who was always willing to help those faced with tragedy and disaster. She was an exemplary volunteer, a dear friend and has left a lasting mark on the work of our disaster services. She will be greatly missed.

Credit to: Zach Stokes and Jim Mistretta

Kentucky Colonels Help Fund Wheels Bus

The Red Cross Kentucky Region recently received a grant from The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels to help fund a Wheels bus. We are extremely grateful for their support in this important paratransit program.

The American Red Cross Wheels Paratransit Program, in partnership with Lextran, is a shared ride transportation service for disabled and elderly residents of the Lexington-Fayette County area. The service is designed to meet the needs of those who are unable to use Lextran’s fixed route by providing economical and accessible transportation.  Each bus can accommodate two wheelchair passengers and eight ambulatory passengers, traveling almost 50,000 miles per year.

The Wheels program operates 365 days a year and provides more than 200,000 trips annually, traveling almost two million miles per year. It provides disabled and elderly residents with a safe and reliable mode of transportation, giving them independence to travel throughout the Lexington-Fayette County area for critical doctor appointments, to pick up groceries, or for social events. This program not only provides an important service for residents with disabilities, it provides stable employment opportunities for Wheels program drivers.

The Wheels program has helped thousands of residents become mobile, but demand for the service has steadily increased by over 3% during the last five years. Our current fleet of 45 Wheels buses plays an important part in helping us deliver the Red Cross mission every day. Maintaining updated, fuel-efficient models is important to the program. 

My Story Monday: Sally Higgins – Disaster Cycle Services

Our volunteers are always ready to respond, whether by offering support when disaster strikes, helping with lifesaving blood collection or working behind the scenes to support our vital mission. This week, we’re spotlighting Sally Higgins, a Bluegrass Area Chapter disaster volunteer who has been with the American Red Cross since 2001.

Sally Higgins

Sally began her Red Cross journey as a first aid instructor, but became interested in disaster response after volunteering to bring water to firefighters responding to a wildfire in Colorado, where she was living. After her retirement in the fall of 2018, she deployed to Florida during the Hurricane Michael disaster response and was called upon to manage a shelter team as a shelter supervisor. Shelter supervisors guide and support the day-to-day activities within a shelter, including assisting shelter residents and supervising other volunteers working at the shelter.

She came back from the experience enthusiastic about disaster response and ready to hit the ground running, taking disaster training and sharing many ideas of how she could assist with preparing Kentucky Region chapters locally. Sally has since deployed to seven disaster responses across the country and in the Kentucky Region.

Always willing to help where she is needed, Sally has also taken on multiple on-call shifts outside of the Bluegrass Area Chapter, and in the Louisville Area Chapter she has been a champion of the disaster action team (DAT). DAT volunteers respond to local, personal emergencies like home fires, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“One of the most important things about being a disaster volunteer is understanding the people we help and where they’re coming from,” said Sally.

Sally has taken her experiences as a DAT member and turned them into a willingness to onboard, mentor, and engage other volunteers. She works to increase our volunteers’ opportunities to grow as DAT responders, and takes new volunteers under her wing.

Since Sally’s retirement, she has branched out into new roles and excelled in leadership, setting examples for other team members. She has earned the position of Emergency Management Agency Team Member because of her efforts working with Emergency Management Agencies. She is also a Clara Barton Award recipient, an award that honors a volunteer for service in Red Cross leadership positions over many years.

Thank you, Sally, for your commitment to the Red Cross mission and for the time, care and integrity you extend to your fellow volunteers!

You can learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer by visiting redcross.org/volunteertoday.

National Volunteer Week: Bluegrass Area Chapter

Next in our Volunteer Week line up, we're recognizing just a few of the wonderful volunteers from our Bluegrass Area Chapter:

DEBRA “GRANNY” SMITH, Evarts. “Volunteering with the Red Cross is something I can do with my disability. I enjoy giving back.”

“Granny” Smith (far left), keeping it in the family!

Debra “Granny” Smith is an extremely active volunteer with Disaster Services, changing hats often in her roles. Debra is active with our disaster action team (DAT), which provides emotional support, financial assistance, and information to help families begin the process of recovery after disasters. She also volunteers with the Home Fire Campaign, Pillowcase Project and with workforce engagement. Most recently, she won a competition for completing the most online disaster training in the Bluegrass Area Chapter!


PRISCILLA JOHNSON, Lexington. “Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.”

Priscilla’s work with the Red Cross encompasses several lines of service, including resource development and Disaster Services as a disaster action team member. She is involved with the Pillowcase Project, a preparedness education program for grades 3-5 that teaches students about personal and family preparedness and safety skills, local hazards, and basic coping skills. She also acts as a Community Volunteer Leader in the Lexington and Frankfort areas.

DAN THIES, Columbia. "My reason for being a Disaster Cycle Services volunteer is that it gives me a sense of purpose to be a team member working with other dedicated Red Cross volunteers, assisting others and meeting the mission of the American Red Cross. It provides to me a great sense of satisfaction to see the positive results of our immediate assistance to our clients."

Dan (rear right) accepting his Clara Barton Award in 2019

Dan is a treasured disaster volunteer for the Bluegrass Area Chapter. He is an extremely active disaster team member, and an active participant with the Home Fire Campaign, Pillowcase Project, and recovery team. Last year he was awarded the Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership.

Our Red Cross volunteers are community heroes who give their time to help others. Join their ranks and be part of our lifesaving work! Visit redcross.org/volunteer to find an opportunity near you.

Lives Saved in Fayette County Thanks to Home Fire Campaign

It’s a fact: Early warning from a working smoke alarm can cut the risk of death by home fire in half.

For one Fayette county family, that statistic hits close to home. Late one night in early December, Cassie Bell and her family woke to the shrill sound of their smoke alarms warning them of danger.
Alerted by the alarm, Bell went downstairs to find her kitchen filled with smoke and a fire burning from the toaster. The family’s cats had jumped on the toaster, triggering it to heat up and catch fire to mail that had fallen on top of it.

The Bell Family

“I was able to put out the fire with a throw blanket,” said Bell. “I can only imagine if we had not had those smoke detectors installed and the fire given the opportunity to grow.”

Just a year earlier, Red Cross volunteers and local firefighters had visited the Bell home to install free smoke alarms as part of our Home Fire Campaign. The Home Fire Campaign was launched in 2014 in an effort to reduce the number of lives lost to home fires by installing free smoke alarms and providing fire safety education in at-risk neighborhoods.

Volunteers helped the Bell family create an escape plan and review a home fire safety checklist. Before their visit, the family did not have working smoke alarms. Bell had been told of the free smoke alarm program by a former fire department paramedic after a local fire fatality. Determined to make her home safe for herself and her daughters, Bell scheduled an appointment with the Lexington Fire Department, a partner of the Red Cross, to have them installed.

“I 100 percent know those alarms waking us up saved my house and my family,” Bell said. “We live on a very limited budget, and I know if we had to have made those expenses, I might have made the wrong decision in [not] getting them installed. Thankfully, the American Red Cross, the fire department and kind individuals who donated took that worry off our plate.”

Over 500 lives have been saved in the United States since the start of our Home Fire Campaign, including 57 lives in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

Join us in making our community safer across Kentucky and Southern Indiana at soundthealarm.org, or visit redcross.org/givingday to help us help the families who have been impacted by a home fire or other disaster.

#MyStoryMonday: Eugene McCord

Written by: Gabby, Holy Cross High School Intern

Eugene McCord is the epitome of what it means to be an American Red Cross volunteer. His dedication to service does not go unnoticed. Eugene has been a part of Red Cross since May 27, 2014 and has served more than 25, 209 hours. He is on pace again this year to reach up to 10,000 volunteer hours. Eugene is always one of the first to raise their hand to volunteer when there is a call for help. He is usually the first to arrive at the site and is usually the last to leave.

This year, Eugene has taken on more responsibilities and leadership roles in the Bluegrass Chapter. He is currently serving as the Territory 5 Disaster Program Manager Volunteer Partner, and is the Territory 5 Disaster Action Team Coordinator. In these roles, he has since developed a Disaster Action Team training program for new trainees, engaged in several disaster preparedness exercises, represented Red Cross at countless community meetings and functions, and deployed in sheltering and case work.

In addition, Eugene has supervised canteen services, created and hosted new volunteer orientations, and has served as a mentor for any volunteer wishing to expand their Red Cross experience. Eugene is also a former Bluegrass Volunteer of the Year award winner.

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross here.

Bluegrass Area Chapter Sounds the Alarm about Fire Safety

Written by: Barry Bronson, Bluegrass Area Chapter

Nearly 200 Red Cross volunteers handed out smoke alarms and helped educate Lexington residents on fire safety Saturday, all part of the Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign.

It was all hands on deck Saturday as volunteers received marching orders for the
Lexington Sound the Alarm campaign for the Red Cross. 

One volunteer team heard what many of the volunteers and fire fighters would hear in the course of the busy day.

“I’ve lived in this house for 17 years and have never known if the smoke alarms were working or not,” said Ms. June Jones when volunteers installed two smoke alarms in her northside home. 

The team visiting Ms. Jones included Manny Mora, Kevin Lum, Rosie Gray and team captain Kathy Hoff. Ms. Hoff has been a Red Cross volunteers for 49 years!

Kevin Lum and Manny Mora help install a smoke alarm Saturday.

Volunteer Manny Mora installed an alarm along with Kevin Lum.

Learn more about our Sound the Alarm campaign at soundthealarm.com/kentucky.

#MyStoryMonday: Karen Scott and Griff

Karen Scott and her infamous dog, Griff, represent the Red Cross Bluegrass Area Chapter with warm fuzzy hugs and wet noses at their local Veterans Hospital PTSD unit. Griff, a trained PTSD dog, goes above and beyond volunteering his time at the Leestown VA. 

PTSD does not go unnoticed with the Red Cross, especially not with Griff and his uncanny ability to know which patients need extra attention. Not only are soldiers ready to see Griff each week, but also the staff who spoil Griff with many pats and kinds words. Karen states “the visits will never stop,” and she can tell how appreciative veterans are by being polite and thankful for the visits. The Red Cross is grateful for Karen and Griffs weekly PAWSitive visits!

If you would like to find out more about joining the Red Cross as a volunteer, please visit www.redcross.org/volunteer

National Volunteer Week: A Life Well(s) Lived

On a quiet street, in an unassuming house in Lexington, Kentucky there resides an extraordinary man. His name is Wilson Wells, and he has been volunteering with the Red Cross for 65 years and counting. His is the kind of service to mankind that doesn’t get a lot of fanfare (although he has a whole room wallpapered with certificates and accolades), but essentially all of his days on Earth have been dedicated to helping others.

In 1952 in Hinckley, Minnesota Wilson was the pastor of an Episcopal church. He was 28. The Red Cross visited him to ask if anyone in his congregation would like to volunteer for disaster relief. He supplied them with several names; no one bit, and so Wilson stepped up until they were able to fill the gap. Thus began his lifelong service with the ARC.

As one can imagine, Wilson has seen a lot. He has helped with fires, flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes in Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, West Virginia, Iowa, Illinois, California and Kentucky. He has worked disasters in the Virgin Islands and Guam.

Guam holds some of his most memorable experiences where without access to electricity or showers, the men and women were separated, each bathing in the ocean on separate sides of the island; and, although sometimes all the people had for shelter were tarps supplied by the RC, they would insist on feeding him and his fellow volunteers. Also while there, he was introduced to Ham radio. No phones were in usage, and so these wireless radios were used for all communication purposes. He was inspired to become licensed in Ham, and is very active with it to this day. He is on-air every Wednesday night at the headquarters for the Bluegrass Chapter of the Red Cross, and on Sunday nights, mans a statewide disaster service in Frankfort where his messages are relayed all over the Southeast U.S.

Wilson “day jobs” were also altruistic in nature. After his service in WWII, he gained a degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota and worked at the VA in their psychiatric department. He also attended Seminary School and was the pastor of the aforementioned Episcopal Church. He came to Kentucky to study nursing at Eastern Kentucky University and became Director of Nursing at Appalachian Regional Hospital in West Liberty, Kentucky. He has been active in ROTC, the National Guard and the Reserves. He has volunteered for the Kentucky Foster Care Review Board, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Wilson is now 93 and going strong. At present, through the Bluegrass Chapter of the Red Cross, in addition to his Ham radio work, Wilson volunteers at the front desk of the Lexington VA Hospital every Friday afternoon, and he helps with their program called No Vet Dies Alone, which provides a human touch when a veteran’s family or friends cannot be there for them at the end of their lives.

To quote Tom Brokaw, who authored a book called The Greatest Generation about men and women from Wilson’s era, “Heroes are people who rise to the occasion and slip away quietly.” While Wilson’s life is too big to be boiled down to one quote, this is precisely what he has been doing for decades.


If you are interested in volunteering for the American Red Cross, visit our website at www.redcross.org.

The Mapping of a Disaster

David Hall is a 12-year veteran volunteer with the American Red Cross, and through his particular knowledge of maps and expertise in computer programming, he has worked himself into his self- described dream job - mapping disaster sites as a member of the Red Cross’s Disaster Services Geospatial Technology Unit.

David is affiliated with the Kentucky Region Bluegrass Area Chapter and serves on the Daniel Boone Community Red Cross Board. He has been a “map geek” from a young age, and at his Madison County, Kentucky high school, began taking computer programming classes. He continued to explore mapmaking and computer science at Eastern Kentucky University, and fortuitously some of his classes familiarized him with the software that the Red Cross uses for their mapping. It’s called ArcGIS.

David’s first disaster deployment with the Red Cross was to Hurricane Matthew, which occurred in Fall 2016 and left a wake of destruction from the Caribbean through the Southeast US coastal states. As an example, FEMA is usually first on the scene. They gather a lot of the initial data about where and to what extent the damage is concentrated. They do this partially by heat sensor mapping, to show the epicenters of the damaged areas (in Matthew’s case, multiple epicenters).

When the Red Cross hits the ground, thousands of volunteers working from this initial FEMA data literally go address-to-address to assess the damaged areas. The Red Crossers are evaluating in terms of help needed and/or level of destruction. (In North Carolina alone, 2,174 volunteers were out assessing after Hurricane Matthew!) This information is then fed into a computer to create an Excel spreadsheet. David and team then take the street addresses and geocode them to get the actual coordinates, longitude and latitude, for each address. From this he creates a cleaner spreadsheet with the geocodes, along with more specifics such as Red Cross contacts and phone numbers, specific needs, etc.

With addresses geocoded, the software is able to create a damage assessment map - everything feeds off this map, and from here David begins layering on information; shelter locations, supply inventory locations, specific city transportation maps and much more, can be overlaid onto the original damage assessment map to provide more specifics to assist relief workers in helping victims in a more timely and effectual manner. David confides, before ArcGIS, a lot was left up to guesswork.

David considers mapmaking as much art as science, which speaks to his love for the endeavor. The Red Cross has been utilizing the software since before Hurricane Katrina, but David feels there is plenty of room for improvement, and he is excited about helping to hone ArcGIS’s capabilities to anticipate a disaster’s damage and cut response time down even further.

If you would like to find out more about joining the Red Cross as a volunteer, please visit www.redcross.org/volunteer

Meet Red Cross Volunteer, Rose Ella Smith

Rose Ella Smith started volunteering for the Bluegrass Chapter of the Kentucky Red Cross after losing her husband of 57 years in June of 2015. As one can imagine, after raising five children and working in several factories for over 20 years, all the while caring for her ailing husband whose health issues spanned decades, Rose was lost. At 79, after a lifetime of working and taking care of others, she quickly realized she was not the type to sit back and finally enjoy some “me time”. No, not for Rose; she is a doer and a giver! One of her daughters suggested that she look into volunteering for the Red Cross. She did, and Rose found a new life.

 

She began by volunteering with the Home Fire Campaign which provides and installs free smoke alarms for those in need. She and another volunteer began traveling around the state and found she enjoyed the travel and being of service to the community.

Her next assignment was to help firefighters who were battling wildfires in Eastern Kentucky. She worked with a team that provided breakfast, packed a sack lunch for the field, and served them a hot supper at the end of the day. She and the team also provided clean towels, bedding and toiletries for the shelter where the firefighters were temporarily housed. She enjoyed this assignment even more because by helping folks through a disaster, she could feel she was making a real difference. Rose is on standby at the moment to return to Eastern Kentucky where the fires are still not contained. Should these fires impact families and their homes, she will begin helping families who have been displaced by these fires - setting up shelters and providing food and amenities for them. She is eager for the opportunity.

Talking to Rose, one can feel her enthusiasm for helping others, and the joy that it brings her. In the Red Cross where there are endless opportunities to turn one’s compassion into action, Rose feels she has found a new purpose.

You inspire us, Rose! Thank you for your service to the Red Cross.

If you would like to find out more about joining the Red Cross as a volunteer, please visit www.redcross.org/volunteer