Note: To celebrate National Volunteer Week, we are featuring profiles of some of the volunteers who help the Red Cross fulfill its mission in Northern Ohio

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross volunteer

April 22, 2020- Successful nonprofits can often trace their success back to a strong and dynamic board of directors. Such is the case in Findlay, Ohio, where Michael Epps, a commercial lender with Waterford Bank, N.A. has long been involved with the local American Red Cross chapter, serving eight years as a board member and two years as board chairman.

“Mike Epps is a passionate, strong volunteer leader for the North Central Ohio Chapter,” said Todd James, executive director of the chapter. ”He started volunteering with the chapter’s annual Oscar Night gala more than 10 years ago.”

Mike Epps

“I first got involved as a community participant with the fundraiser during its second year in Findlay,” recalled Mike. Serving in a variety of roles from fundraising to logistics coordinator, he eventually chaired the committee for six years.

“We had a really great dynamic committee and were able to grow that into one of the more well-known, well-attended and, candidly, well-funded philanthropic events in town. A couple years ago, we raised more than $100,000 on that one event.”

“There’s a lot of competition for the philanthropic dollars within this community, so we felt good about that,” stated Mike, “but also we got a lot of feedback about how much joy people had at the event and how it raised awareness of the Red Cross mission.”

If you want to help your local community, but unsure of how you can help the Red Cross, well do not worry because there is a role for everyone to play to help the Red Cross mission. The most urgent needs are blood donor ambassadors, blood transportation specialists, disaster responders and virtual volunteers. Find our more at https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer