Author Archives: American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Scholarship winner is blood donor advocate and community service role model

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By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

The American Red Cross grants Sickle Cell Fighter High School Scholarships to the nation’s top 10 high schools that host at least one blood drive and collect the most productive units from donors who self-identify as African American. One of the 2023-2024 recipients is Charles F. Brush High School in Lyndhurst, and their scholarship recipient is Meredith Davis-Cooper.

Meredith Davis-Cooper

Meredith graduated from Brush High School in 2024 and is now studying architecture at Kent State University. She graciously took time from her busy schedule to speak with me.

I asked Meredith how she became so active in community service. It began with her family, which is involved with several committees, church and worship groups, and counseling. This continued at Brush High School and the National Honor Society (NHS), as community involvement is a major initiative with both organizations. In addition to blood drives, Meredith and other students held several food drives last year.

“I’m always open to the community,” Meredith said. “I love staying involved. It brings me joy.” She has also learned she is quite adept at it.

Meredith’s skill in assisting community efforts was clearly seen with Brush’s three blood drives last school year. As the school’s National Honor Society president, she helped recruit and schedule students and donated blood herself.

I asked Meredith how she was so effective convincing others to become blood donors. She said knowing Red Cross facts helped, especially the critical need for blood donations in the African American community to help fight sickle cell disease. And her status as NHS president, a top 10 student, artist, and athlete were key. Meredith said her leadership and ability to fit in everywhere garnered trust and helped her persuade others to donate.

Meredith’s former NHS adviser, Mrs. Jill Strainic, concurs. She said, “It helps to have a role model like Meredith on our recruiting team. She’s an excellent student and leader, but by stepping up and donating blood herself, she takes ownership and is a great ambassador for the process. Meredith also brings this amazing sense of enthusiasm and confidence to everything she does. When she talks, students listen.”

In addition to her studies, Meredith works as a volleyball coach. She played volleyball in high school and competed in swimming, shot put, and discus. She is also an accomplished artist, creating abstract sculptures, some of which have won Gold Key awards and honorable mentions from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Meredith said art is how she developed her interest in architecture.

While Meredith is just getting settled in at Kent State and her demanding major, she plans to continue helping the community and donating blood, whether in Kent or at home. She also hopes to play or referee volleyball next year, and would like to study architecture abroad.

After graduating, Meredith hopes to eventually have her own firm and create innovative, striking buildings. She is especially inspired by Zaha Hadid’s work.

Meredith is extremely grateful for the Sickle Cell Fighter scholarship. She said she had been stressed about paying for college, and the award was a “shocking surprise.” It helped “seal the deal” so she could begin her university studies and prepare for her future.

The Red Cross is currently offering sickle cell trait screening for donors who self-identify as Black or African American. To schedule a blood donation, please visit redcrossblood.org.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

A knife, a belt, and a life saved

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Rich Colarik knows his way around a knife. He’s been a butcher for nearly four decades. But you can never be too careful. He learned that the hard way, when a knife he was holding slipped from his hand and severed his femoral artery a couple of inches above the knee.

Chris Colarik, left, Red Cross Regional COO TIm O’toole, and Rich Colarik

Fortunately for Rich, he was with his family, including his son Chris, a Madison middle school teacher in Lake County, Ohio, who has received a certificate for First Aid training from the American Red Cross.

As blood began to flow from the wound, Chris took action. He called 9-1-1 and sent his 8 year-old son, Easton, to retrieve a belt. He then used the belt Rich had been wearing to fashion a tourniquet and slow the bleeding.

The Colarik Family

“Chris remembers that his hands were turning white by how hard he was holding the belt,” said his wife, Melissa. She also said the siren from the ambulance was one of the best sounds he’d ever heard.

As the responders applied a proper tourniquet, Rich began to experience shock. “Chris smacked him in the face and held his head and said, ‘stay with me’,” said Melissa. Rich was then loaded into the ambulance and taken to a hospital for emergency surgery.

He has since recovered.

Melissa said, “With my husband’s knowledge and training from his Red Cross certification he was able to save his father’s life.”

Lifesaving Award

Chris was presented with a Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action, which is awarded to individuals who step up in an emergency and help save or sustain a life using lifesaving skills. “This award is bestowed upon individuals who stepped-up during an emergency,” said Tim O’Toole, Regional COO of the Red Cross of Northern Ohio. “These recipients truly embody the mission and values of the American Red Cross.”

Madison Firefighter Mike Maskal, Chris Colarik, Easton Colarik, Rich Colarik, Madison Fire Lieutenant Mike Brewer

The Lifesaving Award was presented at Madison Fire District Station 3, where Rich was reunited with two of the firefighters who responded that day – Mike Maskal and Lieutenant Mike Brewer.

It was a heartwarming reunion.

Get Trained

Red Cross training gives people the knowledge and skills to act in an emergency and save a life. A variety of online, blended (online and in-person skills session) and classroom courses are available at redcross.org/takeaclass.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Back in good ol’ 1955

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By Mary Falconer-Williams, American Red Cross volunteer

Volunteer Bill Dreyer first spotted the poster announcing that the American Red Cross would be hosting a blood drive on the Kent State University campus in 1955. Bill attended the drive, donated a pint, and from that point on was a firm believer in the power of donating blood, and gave every chance he could.

Bill Dreyer, Red Cross volunteer

“I know that my donations mean so much to those individuals who are fighting an illness or have been in an accident,” Bill states. Individuals like his mother, who received several pints in 1999.

A humanitarian at heart, Bill joined the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club in the fall of 2000 and shortly afterward began volunteering with the Red Cross helping in the refreshment area (canteen), at registration, and as a bag labeler. And in 2010 his passions combined when the Lions Club and Holy Family Catholic Church in Stow hosted a blood drive. And Bill has been instrumental in growing the impact of that first drive. The co-sponsored event has hosted drives six times a year, ever since!

65 pints of lifesaving blood were collected at the drive held on September 3, 2024.

Though he is now unable to donate blood due to medical reasons, Bill proudly notes that he has donated 278 pints of blood throughout his life.

“It’s really not hard, and the staff are gentle. Come in and see us, we’ll show you around,” Bill invites those individuals who haven’t ever donated or haven’t in a while. To find a drive near you, go to redcrossblood.org and tap “find a drive.”

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Non-stop disasters – non-stop responses

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Regional Red Cross executive reflects on most recent deployment

By Todd James, Executive Director, American Red Cross of North Central Ohio

Todd James in Iowa, June, 2024

I recently returned from a disaster relief operation in southwest Iowa, an area devastated by massive flooding in June. You’re probably trying to remember if you had heard about flooding in Iowa. You probably did, it was big news for a few days. But as is always the case, something else happened and the news moved on to cover the story of the day. Well, the cameras and reporters may have moved on, but for the people of Siouxland, as they call the region, moving on will be a long, hard process. I am so proud of the American Red Cross responders who left their own homes, jobs and families to rush into the devastation to offer shelter, comfort and hope, and I am honored that I had the opportunity to serve with them.

A month after the flood waters receded, with the help of the Red Cross, the community was able to focus on long-term recovery. What does that look like? It’s different for every family but all will need the help of many partners, non-profits, governmental agencies and the business community, working together. Our Red Cross long-term recovery team will continue to collaborate with these partners, helping and guiding them on how to come together to best serve those on the road to recovery.

The Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago to help families and communities struggling with more frequent and intense disasters. In 2023 alone, the U.S. experienced an all-time high of 28 billion-dollar plus disasters that ravaged communities and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee from severe storms, floods and wildfires.

This was my 41st disaster deployment and I have seen first-hand how disasters are happening more frequently and causing more damage. There is no more down time between big disasters, time when our responders can catch their breath, come home and focus on the great work the Red Cross is doing in their community. Now we are constantly responding to these large-scale disasters, as well as the thousands of home fires, storms and other disasters that happen every day but don’t make the headlines.

To equitably meet the growing and unique needs of disaster-affected families and communities, the Red Cross is enhancing our large-scale disaster response and recovery services, expanding financial assistance, strengthening local partner networks, and growing our disaster workforce. This effort includes fortifying the critical infrastructure and technology that enables 24/7 response to disasters across the country.

The need to help during disasters has never been greater. Please, join us to provide
relief and hope when it matters most. Help people affected by disasters big and small,
including climate-driven crises, by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief at
redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767). Our volunteers are at the heart of our mission and represent 90% of our workforce. Click here to sign up for opportunities to help. To help make sure your family and community are ready for a disaster before it happens, click here.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Sonata in B Positive (B+)

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A blood donor story told in the spirit of film noir

By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

Tim Poe, Red Cross volunteer and blood donor

I shut off the car’s engine and reached for the bottle. This was the place. Looking at the glass and sandstone medical building bristling in the late-July afternoon, I unscrewed the cap and took a long swig. This wasn’t some liver-pummeling swill, though, nor even a dainty-derby aperitif. It was the good stuff: water, straight from the tap. I knew I’d need it; they’d told me so. They also told me to get a good night’s sleep, but the ghosts of nexuses past, present, and future rattling chains at bebop tempo in my brain had other ideas. But I had slept some, had drank plenty of water, and was here to do some good. I stepped out of my dented ride and gazed at a sky blue enough to make Monet weep. But today’s theme was red. I headed toward the building, prepared to lose some blood.

I had plenty, after all, and others needed it. Today I was a blood donor.

Cots, computers, snacks, beverages, people bustling, many wearing shades of red. I’d found the room. A Blood Donor Ambassador welcomed me with a smile and scanned the fuzzy square on my phone. I had completed the RapidPass that morning.

The two donors preceding me said they always gave together, as often as possible. O negatives, universal donors. Today they were donating whole blood. Next time, Power Red. These two were cool. I was humbled, in the presence of greatness.

Another groovy person called me over, verified the information I had provided earlier, asked a few more questions, checked vitals, and drew blood to check my iron, a large drop of crimson emerging from a finger. My mind wandered from iron to the irony of my blood type, which sounded like a happiness mantra: “Be positive.” Better suited for a life coach or morning weather reporter, not a mug who’d spent his formative years breathing blue notes through saxophones followed by a lifetime thinking of novel ways to describe dusks, dawns, dramas, drunks, and dreams.

My mental meanderings paused; time to get on a cot. Even in summer, I’m pale, nearly translucent with easily visible veins, a phlebotomist’s joy. A groovetastic phlebotomist in a cerise shirt handed me a squeezy then worked a scanner, tubing, bags, and swabs with the deftness of Bill Evans pressing piano keys into song. The scent of iodine sent a jumbled reel of hospital memories rolling through my mind. But those were times of need. Now to give, help someone going through something similar. I wondered if that someone’s personality matched “be positive.”

The needle. A pinch, the frosty tubing turned garnet as my blood flowed into unseen bags below. I resisted the urge to peer over at them, instead squeezing the foam every few seconds, my other hand with the phone, taking a photo, then scrolling in hope of finding some good news.

Soon came beeps and the return of the phlebotomist. With a flurry of clips, tubes, samples, cotton, and a candy red bandage wrap, I was done. I stood up, walked to the snack table, selected a blueberry granola bar, a bottle of spring water, and awaited the slight light- headedness to subside.

Shortly later I walked back down the hall, proudly wearing my bandaged arm, greeting others, possibly with a little “be positive” swagger. Because today, I did some good. Today, I was a blood donor.

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

Red Crossers: Humanitarians every day and everywhere

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Recognizing Red Cross heroes on World Humanitarian Day

By EILENE E. GUY, American Red Cross volunteer

What is a humanitarian?

According to the dictionary, a humanitarian is someone “involved with improving people’s lives and reducing suffering.”

So, on this World Humanitarian Day, I’m lifting up the American Red Cross for being one of the foremost humanitarian organizations in the world. And saluting its roughly 285,000 volunteers and paid staff for being humanitarians of the first order.

The Red Cross mission statement is to “prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

Damage done by recent tornadoes in Greater Cleveland and Red Cross responders

Maybe you recognize the iconic red vests on responders at natural disasters – everything from biggies like hurricanes and wildfires, to smaller, localized disasters like the tornadoes, power outages and flooding that hit the Cleveland area this month. Nearly 200 individuals received financial assistance to cover emergency needs in the aftermath of those storms. Some of the Red Crossers were without power in their own homes, but they answered the call to “reduce suffering. ”Or how about manmade disasters, such as bridge collapses, mass casualty events and plane crashes? (Remember the Red Crossers in the movie “Sully,” with blankets and hot drinks for passengers from the airliner that landed on the Hudson River? Those weren’t actors!)

For more than 80 years, the Red Cross has been collecting blood to “reduce suffering.” It began during World War II, first for English war victims and then for our military on the battlefields of Europe, Africa and the Pacific. To this day, paid Red Cross staff (such as phlebotomists and quality assurance lab techs) as well as volunteer donor ambassadors and transportation specialists work to ensure about 40% of the nation’s blood supply for trauma victims, surgery patients and folks who need treatment for cancer, sickle cell disease and other conditions.

Did I mention “improving people’s lives?” The Red Cross trains lifeguards and babysitters; teaches first aid skills and how to save lives with CPR and an AED; and prepares children and their families to cope with sudden emergencies. It’s installed more than 2.5 million free smoke alarms to make households safer from the most common cause of disasters in our country: home fires.

The Red Cross commitment to the American armed forces goes back to our founder, Clara Barton, who earned the nickname “Angel of the Battlefield” for her compassionate service during the American Civil War as well as the Franco-Prussian War in Europe and in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Every day, the Red Cross provides some 1,400 emergency communications and critical community services to members of the military, veterans and their families at home and abroad.

Speaking of abroad, the American Red Cross is a partner with national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies in 191 countries, where we share expertise and guidance in disaster and crisis response and recovery; disease prevention and control; and environmental resilience. Our Red Cross is active in the global Restoring Family Links program that helps people separated by conflict or disaster reconnect with their loved ones. (I know: We helped a teenage Haitian adoptee in Berlin Heights find his half-sister who had been adopted in France. Small world!)

Today, every Red Crosser can be proud to call herself/himself a “world humanitarian.” If you’d like to explore volunteer opportunities on this team, please visit NEOvolunteer@redcross.org or call 216-431-3328.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Safely Back to School

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By Mary Falconer-Williams, American Red Cross volunteer

Why is it that as soon as the 4th of July comes and goes, it feels like no time passes before the bus arrives one morning to pick up my kiddos for school?

Back to school is upon us once again. Along with those $0.50 crayons, pencils, and blunt tipped scissors, the Red Cross is recommending that you equip your school aged children with these safety tips.

First time or younger students
If your student is younger or going to school for the first time – start with their phone number. My children have never known a landline, so my cell phone serves as the primary phone number that they all know. Many school districts will collect this information, as well as other emergency contacts, at the beginning of the school year but this comes into play when they are outside of the school grounds and need to contact a parent.

Secondly, teach them their address. I have had the most luck getting my children to remember our address(es) by making it into a goofy little song and singing it over and over. We moved the summer before my son, now 13-years-old, started first grade and he can still tell you our old address. In song form. Additionally, this is a great time to reinforce how to dial 911!

Finally, remind your children not to talk to strangers or accept rides from someone they don’t know. A rule we follow is that either a parent or teacher will tell them if they will be picked up by someone different from normal. This gives them only 3 people that could let them know of a change in plans.

Students who walk
If your child walks to school, teach them to:
● Walk on the sidewalk. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing traffic.
● Stop and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming.
● Cross the street at the corner, obey traffic signals and stay in the crosswalk.
● Never run out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Students who ride the school bus
If your student takes the bus to school, teach them to:
● Get to their bus stop early and stand away from the curb while waiting for the bus to arrive.
● Board the bus only after it has come to a complete stop and the driver or attendant has instructed them to get on. And only board their bus, never an alternate one.
● Stay in clear view of the bus driver and never walk behind the bus.

Checklist for grown-ups
Take a breath, then take a moment to write down some key information about your child so that you have it handy in a heat-of-the-moment situation. (Ask me how I know…)
● A clear photo of each child, focusing on the shoulder up, try to replace it every 6 months – even if it’s just on your phone!
● If your child rides the bus, make sure to write down the phone number for the bus garage and their bus number.
● The phone number for their school, as well as their grade level and homeroom teacher.
● The name, phone number and address of their primary care physician.
● The name, phone number and address of their dentist.
● The name, phone number and address of any other medical specialist that would hold records regarding your child.
● A list of regular medications.

Drivers!
● Slow down.
● Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is getting ready to stop ─ slow down and be prepared to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended stop sign indicate the bus is stopped and children are getting on or off.
● Motorists must stop when they are behind a bus, meeting the bus or approaching an intersection where a bus is stopped.
● Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety. This includes two and four-lane highways.
● If physical barriers such as grassy medians, guide rails or concrete median barriers separate oncoming traffic from the bus, motorists in the opposing lanes may proceed without stopping. Do not proceed until all the children have reached a place of safety.

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

One year after Maui wildfires, remembering the importance of help and hope

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By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

Today, August 8th marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. Most of the town of Lahaina was devastated. 3,710 homes were destroyed or made unlivable, and the confirmed death toll is now 102. As always, the American Red Cross quickly responded to the disaster and worked with partner organizations to bring much needed assistance.

Several workers from the Northern Ohio Region joined the disaster relief operation on Maui, including Regional CEO Mike Parks, Regional Disaster Officer Emily Probst, Disaster Program Manager Tim Reichel, and Regional Communications Director Jim McIntyre. Several regional volunteers deployed as well, including IT specialist Randy Liang and Medina-based volunteer Monica Bunner.

Photos, from top left: Ohio Representative Dave Joyce and Mike Parks, Emily Probst, Tim Reichel, Jim McIntyre and Monica Bunner

For the anniversary, I spoke with Monica, who deployed to Maui for three weeks in late August and early September 2023, serving in the Disaster Recovery Operation headquarters as a Community Engagement and Partnership Manager.

Since she began volunteering with the Red Cross in 2017, Monica has deployed to several national disasters and serves as a disaster responder among other roles here in Ohio. Even with such experience, she had seen nothing quite like the Maui wildfires’ aftermath.

Randy Liang and Monica Bunner

Seeing the area following the disaster was a bittersweet experience for Monica. She had been to Maui several times before, mostly for relaxation, and knew the community. “I felt I really needed to be there to help,” she said.

And help was desperately needed. Monica said that the level of devastation was so widespread, and that the disaster unfolded with such speed that many of those affected were dazed, shocked, confused, and did not know how to proceed.

There was an immediate need for Monica to put her experience and organizational skills to work. Hawaii-based Red Cross personnel worked closely with those deployed from across the U.S., and the Red Cross coordinated with partner relief organizations and community representatives.

Monica said engaging and working with community leaders was critical, as Maui’s population is exceptionally diverse. (Maui County states its cultural heritages include Hawaiian, Japanese, Caucasian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Tongan, Samoan, and others.) As some groups were unfamiliar with Red Cross services and the commitment to help everyone following a disaster, Monica said ensuring all those impacted knew they had somewhere to turn for help was important, and she made sure to take time for everyone.

Each day, Monica had a stark reminder of the devastation. The shelter and headquarters were on opposite sides of Lahaina, and with each commute she saw the fire’s remnants and the growing memorials to the many lost lives.

And each day, Monica also saw the importance of Red Cross services. She and other Red Cross personnel took part in helping people find food, shelter, and supplies, locate loved ones, get critical information, receive financial assistance, connect with partner organizations, and find friendly, helpful faces and smiles. And most importantly, through all this, they helped people find hope. Monica said there is, “Definitely hope. Always hope.”

Watch this video on the one-year anniversary of the Red Cross response to the Maui Wildfires:

Finally, disasters occur each day, including Tropical Storm Debby, the current Park Fire, and home fires. Please consider volunteering or supporting the Red Cross.

Editor’s note: Hurricane Debby’s torrential rains are exacerbating the national blood shortage announced by the Red Cross on Monday.

Debby’s devastating flooding, power outages and travel hazards have forced the cancellation of blood drives in the Southeast, causing hundreds of lifesaving blood products to go uncollected when more donations are so desperately needed.

Tuesday’s tornadoes in Northeast Ohio also resulted in cancelled blood drives on Wednesday, resulting in about 130 donations going uncollected.

Even as we work to overcome this blood shortage, the Red Cross is providing food, shelter and comfort to communities affected by the hurricane in the Southeast and wildfires in the West. And disaster workers in Northeast Ohio continue responding to requests for assistance from residents whose homes suffered structural damage.

People urgently need aid now. You can help by making an appointment to give blood or platelets or financial donation by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800- 733-2767).

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross volunteer

Lifting of restrictions opens window for new blood donors

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One-year anniversary of blanket deferral that prevented blood donations

By Kathryn Dean, American Red Cross volunteer

If you’ve ever attended a blood drive in the past and were turned away due to a deferral, there has never been a better time to reassess your eligibility. Over the past two years, two important deferrals that have been in place since the 1980s have been modified or lifted, increasing the ever-needed pool of eligible blood donors.

In 1986, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, colloquially known as “Mad Cow Disease,” was discovered in cattle in the United Kingdom. This disease was found to be transmissible to humans if infected meat was eaten and caused a number of illnesses, including a variant of Cruetzfeld-Jakob disease (vCJD), a degenerative, fatal disease that affects the central nervous system of the host.

U.S. Air Force veteran John Dowell of Lakewood  gave blood after the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
(mad cow) Disease deferral was lifted.

Due to this, during the 1980’s and 90’s the Food and Drug Administration restricted people who had visited certain European countries from donating blood in the United States in an effort to prevent the transmission of vCJD. The American Red Cross honored this ban, which remained in place until 2022 when it was removed after a steep decline in reported cases and no signs of a second wave.

Additionally, in 2023 a second long-standing deferral that restricted gay and bisexual men from donating was modified to remove the blanket deferral and instead assess people on a case-by-case basis. This deferral was originally created in an attempt to curb the spread of HIV, which became an epidemic in the 1980s.

Red Cross worker and volunteer, Mark Fleischer

Both of these deferrals affected long-time Red Cross worker and volunteer, Mark Fleischer, who was able to donate blood for the first time in decades back in January of this year. You can read his story HERE and learn of his great pride in being able to donate again after years of ineligibility.

When I spoke to him back in January, he indicated that not only was he previously affected by the deferrals placed on gay men, but because of his brief time living in England back in 1992 and because of fears surrounding Mad Cow disease, he had been told he was ineligible to donate for life. Now all of that has changed with the recent modifications to blood donor eligibility requirements.

Mark Fleischer and phlebotomist Ed Leonardi

In an update since his January 2024 donation, Mark told me that he has helped organize and has participated in many successful blood drives at the Willoughby Senior Center, some of which have exceeded their goal for blood donations. He is also personally scheduled to donate blood again at the end of this month.

“Recruiting for blood donors is in full force and things are going great,” he said. He also previously told me, “You may have been deferred decades ago for something that may no longer be in place. So I want to encourage people to look at the questions that the Red Cross asks (and) look at the deferred list…those deferrals or restrictions may have been lifted.”

Mark Fleischer and Red Cross staff at blood drive

Check out the Red Cross Give Blood page to learn more about eligibility requirements, and to find a local blood drive near you.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

Being prepared for extreme weather

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Hurricanes aren’t the only disaster to prepare for

By Eilene Guy, American Red Cross volunteer

Here we are on August 1st, the beginning of high season for hurricanes.

Are you ready?

I know, I know. Here in northern Ohio, we’re lucky: We don’t suffer the way they do on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, where 2024 has already started to be a memorable hurricane year.

But that’s not to say we’re immune from summer/fall disasters: tornadoes, flash flooding, even human-caused emergencies.

So, it’s a good time to review American Red Cross preparedness advice:

  • Build a kit of things you’ll need to grab if the unexpected occurs;
  • Have an evacuation plan that you’ve reviewed with your family recently;
  • Stay informed about your community’s risks and how local officials will alert you with important information. Plus, download the free Red Cross Emergency app for weather alerts and more safety tips.

But there’s one more thing you can do right now: Get ready to be a disaster responder.

Joe Guilfoyle of Cleveland did that: After he retired from teaching and coaching, “I wanted to do something that had meaning, purpose. That would help people.” So, he linked up with the Red Cross.

“Most of my training was virtual,” he said. “The (training) programs were spot on,” so when Hurricane Ian hit Florida in September 2022, he felt ready to go.

“Ian was very destructive,” he said. “People lost everything. To see so much devastation was heartbreaking… It’s a great thing to be involved with helping people.

“One other thing I didn’t expect: Working with the other volunteers. You meet some tremendous people.”

“Today, the Red Cross is responding to more large disasters – almost twice as many – than we did a decade ago,” said Jessi Caruso, who manages disaster volunteer engagement across the northern Ohio region. “With natural disasters coming at us one right after another, we need more volunteers trained and ready to support families who are suddenly in need.

“We’re committed to being sure that volunteers have a positive experience. By connecting with new volunteers in advance, we can answer questions and share the knowledge and training that will make for a good fit.”

Disaster volunteers provide shelter, comfort, hot meals, health services and recovery support across the country. There are also roles in logistics, transportation, damage assessment (That’s what Joe did.), volunteer support, lodging and liaison with other response partners. Some jobs can even be done remotely, by people who can’t leave home.

The Red Cross is always looking for new volunteers who are team-oriented and want to make an immediate difference. That’s why taking the free on-line training is so important.

“They’ve put a step-by-step plan together, to respond to these situations,” Joe Guilfoyle said. “They can bring folks together from all over to get the job done.”

If you’d like to be ready to help those near home or across the country who have been hit by a disaster, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday. If you need help filling out the volunteer application, send an email to  NEOVolunteer@redcross.org, or call 216-431-3328.