Author Archives: American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Mike’s message for Veterans Day 2024

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By Mike Parks
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard (Retired)
Chief Executive Officer, American Red Cross, Northern Ohio Region

Friends and family of the Northern Ohio Red Cross!  Next Monday, November 11th, we will recognize Veterans Day (no apostrophe because it’s not a day that “belongs” to veterans but a day for “ honoring all veterans.”)  

Mike Parks

I was recently speaking to a group of young folks and was asked what Veterans Day means to me.  As I started to answer the question, I found myself taken back to my youth and earliest memories of the first federal holiday in November.  As a young boy, I always paid attention to the days on the calendar in our kitchen that had red numbers on them—those meant NO SCHOOL!!  As a Boy Scout, it also meant those were days when I put out our American flag in its holder on the front porch. 

As I got older, I remember going with my Dad to the local American Legion Hall (Post 92) for their special Veterans Day dinner.  As was true of many men of his generation, my Dad, a West Point graduate, Korean War veteran and Purple Heart recipient, rarely spoke of his time in the Army.  Admittedly, I was too foolish back then to really engage him and ask about his service and sacrifices for our country.  At those dinners, I got to listen to other men, wearing their iconic American Legion “garrison caps” adorned with writing and ribbons, tell stories of their exploits while wearing the cloth of our nation.  I gained meaningful insight into what I imagined my Dad experienced and developed a much greater appreciation for veterans.  How I wish I could have just one more conversation with my Dad about his time in the Army so I could also thank him for putting his life on the line so I could live the with the freedoms I so often take for granted. 

If we’re fortunate to still have family and/or friends that are veterans, I encourage us all to recognize the valor, courage, and sacrifice of these patriots, as well as their families that have given so much.  If appropriate, I urge us all to engage these veterans about their service—while they’re still with us.  In the words of former President Ronald Reagan, “Freedom is never more than a generation away from extinction.  We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.  It must be fought for, protected, and handed on to them to do the same.”   Let us commit to always remember and honor the contributions made by our nation’s veterans, not just on November 11th, but each and every day of the year.   

Best regards…Mike

Editor’s note: Mike was recognized earlier this year by Cleveland Kindland with a Leadership Award. See photos from the event, held at Cleveland City Hall here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/redcrossneo/albums/72177720321775256

Red Crossers working to reunite families after devastating storms

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By Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer

Relief efforts continue throughout the Southeast weeks after Hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged the Carolinas, Georgia and the Gulf Coast of Florida. The storms left a trail of damage totaling hundreds of billions of dollars and counting. At least 250 people were killed and dozens more are still missing.

American Red Cross workers and volunteers have been on the ground throughout the region since before the storms hit, operating shelters and assisting with cleanup. Those are the Red Crossers you’ve seen. But there are many more you haven’t seen, working tirelessly to reunite family members separated by the storms.

The Red Cross is one of many groups that work behind -the -scenes of a disaster to help reunite loved ones. We support requests for reunification that come in through our national call center including emergency welfare inquiries, family reunification requests and military inquiries.

Emma Banton, Regional Mass Care Manager

As of October 19, more than 11,500 inquiries have been made to help find missing residents in the Southeast. Regional Mass Care Manager for the Red Cross of Northern Ohio, Emma Banton, was assigned to help reunite people who are looking for their missing family members. She says the deployment has been extremely rewarding, but mentally and emotionally difficult at times.

“To be the person who can assist with reconnecting a family with their loved ones has been a tremendous feeling,” Emma said. “Unfortunately, so many lives were lost in this tragic disaster that the work of reunification does not always have the ending we hope for.”

Those cases that wind up working out as intended, with families and friends reuniting, are the reasons Emma and others do what they do. “Thank you for all that you do for the people affected by the hurricane,” one grateful family member wrote. Another person sharing their good news simply wrote, “They are OK,” letting Emma know she’d been in touch with her loved ones.

Monica Bunner, Red Cross disaster volunteer

Monica Bunner is a long-time disaster responder who has assisted with several national disaster relief operations. Monica said of her time as a reunification volunteer, “There is no greater demonstration of (the Red Cross’) commitment than to reunite loved ones who are emotionally struggling after a disaster.”

“It’s also a great opportunity for those who want to deploy but cannot be boots on the ground,” Monica added. “Equally important are the many team members who do the research, talk with the seekers and prepare (each) case virtually.”

To find out more about reunification, or if you need help finding a loved one in the aftermath of a disaster, click here.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Red Cross Clubs prepare our leaders of tomorrow

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Now is the time to get your flu vaccine

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By Tim Poe, American Red Cross volunteer

October. Sunlight arcs lower, days shorten but become more golden, rain and winds cool but whisper “live!” I walk along a wooded path, rhythmic crunch of my steps over fallen leaves occasionally accented by the staccato cracks of a falling acorn. For all autumn’s beauty and inspiration, however, the leaves, breezes, and moonlit evenings also usher in the beginning of flu season, as we spend more time indoors and air becomes dryer. As I stroll along the path, I feel pleased with my more mature, more risk-averse self, as I recently received my flu shot. It only took a few minutes, a brief jab followed by a dull ache a few hours later, but it will likely prevent several days of fever-ridden-runny-nose regret in the next few months.

The American Red Cross states now is the time to get your flu vaccine and has several tips to keep you and your loved ones safe during flu season. Everyone six months of age and older should receive a flu vaccine each season with rare exceptions, as the flu can cause mild to severe illness, and even lead to death. Thus, the vaccine is especially important for those at risk for serious complications.

While influenza viruses spread year-round, flu activity typically peaks between December and February, and it takes about two weeks for the flu vaccine to become fully effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting the vaccine before influenza starts spreading in your community. Ideally, everyone should be vaccinated by October’s end.

The flu vaccine is also important in Ohio. In 2022, the state had 1,906 reported deaths from influenza and pneumonia. At the time of this writing, the Ohio Department of Health’s Seasonal Influenza Report currently shows a few hospitalizations in our region.

Flu vaccines are available in many locations, including doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and health departments. You can search for locations in your area here.

Here are additional tips to help stop the flu from spreading:

  • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing and throw the tissue away after use. If a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into your elbow, not your hands.
  • Wash hands often, especially after coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home if you’re sick.

For more information, the Red Cross’s national flu vaccine release is here; free Red Cross apps are available at redcross.org/apps.

So please, if you have yet to receive your vaccine, do so now, and avoid risking achy, fever-ridden, runny-nose regret later.

All photos credit: Tim Poe

Editor’s note: You can donate blood if you’ve had a flu shot and you have no symptoms and are fever-free. You can always check your eligibility to donate at 1-800 RED CROSS.

Northern Ohio Red Crossers deliver relief where hurricane survivors need it

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Husband and wife team-up to respond to storms far from home

By EILENE E. GUY, American Red Cross volunteer

Jeff and Laura Mann were on what you would call a “mission of mercy” when I reached them by phone, headed for the hospital in flood-ravaged Asheville, N.C., to pick up specialized medical equipment for a baby in an American Red Cross shelter in Burnsville, another hour away.

Jeff Mann, inside the Red Cross disaster vehicle, hands supplies to wife Laura in Burnsville, North Carolina

The couple are what the Red Cross calls a “fulfillment team.” Jeff says they’re “a store on wheels.”

They deliver consumables like toilet tissue, paper towels and baby formula as well as essentials like pillows, blankets, and special need items to shelters in northwestern North Carolina, where the number of storm refugees continued to grow.

When we talked, a week after Hurricane Helene swept from the Gulf to the East Coast, the Manns were still seeing helicopters – some ferrying evacuees to shelters and others airlifting food and water to isolated communities.

Jeff, a retired YMCA executive director, is a veteran disaster responder. “This is my 15th, 16th (response) – I don’t know,” he told me with a chuckle. He’s served in evacuation shelters, warehouses, supply units. “I’m quite a rover… wherever I’m needed.”

Jeff Mann was interviewed by news reporters at the Akron Canton Airport before his deployment to Guam in response to Typhoon Mawar 2023

Laura, on the other hand, is on her first deployment. She’s been on the board of the Heartland, Stark, Muskingum Lakes chapter of the Red Cross for years and taken lots of disaster response training. But this is the first time her work as a CPA has allowed her to take off for two weeks.

She’s excited to be helping bring relief to a region devastated by hurricane winds and unprecedented flooding. It’s a plus that she’s working with her husband.

“Laura and I are bonding,” Jeff offered. “It’s our 39th anniversary this week,” Laura explained. “This is a good marriage test.” They both laughed comfortably.

The couple, who call Louisville, Ohio, in Stark County home, are finding conditions in mountainous North Carolina challenging. Many roads, even if passable, are one lane where downed trees have been hacked back just enough so Jeff can squeeze his box truck through. Cell phone service and GPS are spotty.

“We were headed for the hospital in Asheville the first time and GPS died at the edge of town,” Laura recalled. “There were no streetlights and we didn’t have a clue. We just had to figure it out.”

Laura Mann at a Red Cross warehouse

A typical day has them at a Red Cross warehouse in Greenville, S.C., at 7 in the morning to load up, with a list of special orders to be picked up at local big-box stores. Then they head north to Asheville and on to shelters as far as Boone, another two hours away.

“We go up one side of the (Blue Ridge) mountains and back down the other,” Laura said. They were still in the truck, on the way back to Greenville, when we chatted at 9 o’clock in the evening last week.   

The Manns are among the more than 2,000 trained Red Cross disaster responders providing shelter, food, emotional support, replacement medical devices and prescriptions, and other urgent needs to storm victims across five states. At the same time, some 200 Red Cross reunification staff have fielded thousands of requests for help locating loved ones.

Red Crossers and our partners have given out nearly 480,000 meals and snacks in shelters and from mobile feeding trucks. With partner organizations, they’ve provided more than 35,000 overnight stays.

None of this disaster response, which will go on for months as the Red Cross helps individuals and families plan the next steps in their recovery, would be possible without the generosity of the American people. Please consider making a financial donation by going to redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.

If you’d like to get trained and become part of the hands-on relief effort, as Jeff and Laura Mann are doing, visit NEOvolunteer@redcross.org or call 216-431-3328 to learn about all the different roles that might interest you.

Fire Prevention Week: Fires can happen anywhere, anytime

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By Kathryn Dean, Red Cross Volunteer

On a snowy, February day in the late 1990s in Northern Ohio, I was riding in the backseat of my family’s car looking out of the window. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and we were heading to a relative’s house to enjoy an afternoon of food, football (and commercials).

As we wound our way through the neighborhood, I noticed a home’s chimney engulfed in flames! I yelled to my father, who promptly stopped the car and ran to the front door. The homeowner was shocked and extremely grateful, as there were no signs of the fire inside the home. Luckily, it had not yet spread to the roof.

Fires like these can happen suddenly and without warning, and time is of the essence when it comes to recognizing the danger and escaping. Experts say you may have only two minutes or less to get to safety in the event of a fire.

That’s why this year during Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12), the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region wants you to prepare for the unexpected by creating a fire escape plan for your family and ensuring that your home has working smoke alarms.

Home fire escape plan tips:

  • Identify two escape routes for each room in the home, and make sure everyone in the house knows them.
  • Smoke inhalation is dangerous. Stay below the smoke. Get low and go!
  • Agree on a meeting place outside, away from the home, such as a tree or flagpole. Make sure everyone knows where to meet.
  • Get out and stay out. Never go back inside for people, pets, or possessions.
  • Talk to your children about fire safety and show them what fire alarms sound like.

Smoke Alarm Safety:

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and the basement. Information for requesting a FREE smoke detector can be found HERE.
  • Test smoke alarms monthly and replace the batteries at least yearly.
  • Replace smoke alarms that are over 10 years old.
Red Cross volunteers install smoke alarms and share home fire safety information with a resident on Cleveland’s west side.

Speak to your children about fire safety: Have you met Pedro the Penguin yet? Pedro teaches children in grades K-2 how to be safe in emergencies, including home fires and other local hazards. There are numerous, multi-language resources available online, including storybooks and printables at the link above. Virtual and local in-person, 30-45-minute educational presentations are also available.

Check out the list below for upcoming Pedro and other fire safety events, including Sound the Alarm events in the local area during Fire Safety Week.

Northern Ohio Red Cross – Fire Safety Week local events:

Northeast Ohio Chapter:
North Royalton Elementary School – Prepare with Pedro Presentations October 7 & 8

Western Lake Erie Chapter:
Partnering with Toledo Fire to do a large neighborhood installation on Monday, October 7th.
Tuesday, October 8th we are participating in the Milan, MI Fire Department open house.
Saturday, October 12th we are participating in the Fallen Timbers, Maumee Safety Fair Truck or Treat.

Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley Chapter:
Brunswick Elementary – Prepare with Pedro Presentation Oct. 10

Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter:

Malone University Health & Wellness Fair – Wednesday, Oct. 9
New Philadelphia Fire Department open house – Thursday, Oct. 10, 5p-7 p.m. – Station 21 (134 Front St. SE, New Philadelphia, OH 44663)

North Central Ohio Chapter:
Home fire safety visits at Pheasant Run in LaGrange October 12. Smoke alarm installations by appointment.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

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