National Volunteer Week Profile: Mike Falatach

Posted on April 27, 2024 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Christy Peters, Regional Communications Manager

“I love dogs and I love people.” Knowing this about American Red Cross volunteer Mike Falatach, it’s no wonder he’s the volunteer leader for the Red Cross Animal Visitation Program (AVP) in Northern Ohio. Part of Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, animal visitation teams support military members and their families across the United States and overseas. In Northern Ohio, Mike works with nearly 40 volunteers and their animals, coordinating visits to the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland and National Guard bases across the region.

American Red Cross Animal Visitation Program volunteer lead Mike Falatach with his therapy dog Macee.

Mike currently has two Great Pyrenees therapy dogs, Macee, who will be 9 in June and Rosie who is 5. In addition to his role at the Red Cross, Mike is certified to evaluate dogs through Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog Inc. guidelines which is an approved Therapy Dog program by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Mike is also an AKC Temperament Jude and Canine Good Citizen evaluator.

According to the AKC, “therapy dogs and their owners work together as a team to improve the lives of others.” Training to become a therapy dog is no simple task. Dogs must learn to ignore food that’s nearby, how to stay calm amid beeping medical equipment and be with lots of other dogs without turning the event into a playdate.

Rosie is a 5 year-old Great Pyrenees and one of Mike Falatach’s two therapy dogs

“We look for dogs with personality. They wag their tail or cock their head,” Mike said. “A dog that loves to visit with people and gets excited to do so is important because many of our events have lots of people.”

For many military members, seeing a Red Cross therapy dog is an important reminder of home when they are away training. Mike recalls being at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio for a leadership academy. He said officers came in and sat on the floor with the dogs, crying. “They told us about their dogs, how they missed them,” said Mike. “In the midst of that intense training, the dogs gave them much-needed comfort.”

Rosie ready to visit the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

Mike is always amazed at how a visit from a Red Cross therapy dog can break down barriers with patients. “The dogs take their mind off their pain and what they are going through,” he said. He’s visited individuals who are unable to speak but as soon as they see the dog they smile. Some patients are in the middle of painful medical procedures during a visit, but they perk up and immediately want to pet the dogs when they arrive.

“Macee and I visited a rehabilitation hospital, and a patient was struggling to finish their walk,” said Mike. “The nurse said, ‘If Macee walks with you, can you walk more?’ and the person did. They don’t want to disappoint the dog.”

Rosie visits with a service member as part of the Red Cross Northern Ohio Animal Visitation Program

Mike said being part of an animal visitation program with a national organization like the Red Cross means a lot to his volunteers. There’s a limited number of years for a dog to do therapy work, so any chance volunteers have is exciting for them. “They are eager to participate, they want to share their animals with people,” he said. “The people we meet enjoy it and are so appreciative and that means so much to us.”

The Red Cross is grateful to Mike and his entire team for the important work they are doing to serve military members and their families. You can learn more about Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces here.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Cleveland Clinic blood drive hits milestone

Posted on November 6, 2023 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

3,000 donations made since 2019

Hundreds of Cleveland Clinic employees pass through the lower-level atrium in the Robert J. Tomsich Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute every day. Institute Communications Manager Gary Weiland saw the space as an ideal place to hold American Red Cross blood drives. The first one was held in April of 2019.

Dr. Zaher Otrock and Sheri Bova of Cleveland Clinic,, Jill Trupo and Bonnie Flenner of the Red Cross, and, Gary Weiland of Cleveland Clinic

Less than a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Many businesses and schools that had been used regularly for blood drives before the pandemic were shuttered, severely reducing the number of blood drives – and the number of blood donations – causing a nationwide blood shortage.

But Cleveland Clinic did not – COULD not – close, and with a robust health care workforce passing through the atrium every day, there was plenty of opportunity to collect much-needed blood in that space.

“At first it was quarterly,” Gary said of the blood drives being held there. “But when COVID hit, we began to schedule them every two weeks.”

“We can’t overemphasize the value of having Cleveland Clinic as a site for frequent blood drives,” said Bonnie Flenner, Regional Donor Services Executive for the Red Cross of Northern Ohio. “We are so grateful for their partnership, especially during the pandemic. It has truly made a difference in the lives of so many patients.”

Since that first blood drive in 2019, more than 3,000 donations of blood have been collected, a milestone recently celebrated when Cleveland Clinic research coordinator Brandon Blake became the donor from whom the 3,000th donation was collected.

Brandon Blake, Cleveland Clinic Research Coordinator made the 3,000th donation

“I was shocked,” Brandon said upon learning of the milestone. “It’s like a baseball player getting his 3,000th hit. It’s pretty special.”

Brandon said he donates blood because it makes a difference. Dr. Zaher Otrock, head of Transfusion Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, couldn’t agree more.

“People with cancer and so many other conditions could not be treated without the blood they need to have every day,” he said.

The Red Cross collections staff working at the blood drive that day included Shacriea Bost, Kary Conley, Makayla Williams, Devyn Mills and Alexis Bell. They posed for a photo, surrounding a sign created to mark the milestone event.

Red Cross phlebotomists Alexis Bell and Kary Conley

And donors that day got a special treat – beyond the cookies, snacks and juice boxes that are typically available following a blood donation. They were offered a piece of cake as well, also created to help celebrate the 3,000 th donation made at that blood drive site.

Companies, churches, civic groups and others interested in hosting a blood drive – or multiple blood drives – can learn more by visiting redcrossblood.org.

See more photos from the 3000th blood donation here.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross volunteer and board member

Edited by Glenda Bogar, Red Cross volunteer

Red Cross Home Fire Campaign reaches goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms nationwide

Posted on February 27, 2023 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Since October 2014, the campaign has saved at least 17 lives in Northern Ohio

The American Red Cross Home Fire Campaign with the support of community partners has achieved its goal of installing 2.5 million free smoke alarms and making 1 million households safer across the country.

Since launching in October 2014, the campaign has saved at least 1,583 lives nationwide — including 17 people in Northern Ohio — from the threat of home fires, which claim seven lives every day in the U.S. Most often, these tragedies occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

“We are proud of our incredible work with community partners to help save lives by providing free smoke alarms in Northern Ohio as part of the national Home Fire Campaign,” said John Gareis, Regional Preparedness Manager. “And we take special pride in knowing that the smoke alarm program we started more than 30 years ago in Cleveland served as a model for the current Red Cross Home Fire Campaign.” Watch a video of the history of the Home Fire Campaign in Cleveland.

In Northern Ohio since the start of the Home Fire Campaign in 2014, Red Cross volunteers and partners have:
 Installed more than 100,000 free smoke alarms
 Made 37,400 households safer
 Educated more than 31,000 children through youth preparedness programs

FREE HOME FIRE SERVICES TO CONTINUE Because home fires remain a daily threat and the campaign has made a lifesaving difference, the Red Cross will be continuing the program with community partners as part of its standard services, including Sound the Alarm events in communities throughout the region this spring to install free smoke alarms.

Visit soundthealarm.org/noh for a home fire safety visit if you need assistance, or to volunteer. No prior experience is needed. Training will be provided before volunteer teams visit area homes to install smoke alarms and share fire safety information. During the Sound the Alarm appointments, volunteers will install free smoke alarms, and will share information on the causes of home fires, how to prevent them, what to do if a fire starts and how to create an escape plan.

In addition, the campaign’s other services will continue, such as teaching children about the threat of home fires and what to do through youth preparedness programs, installing accessible fire safety equipment like bedshaker alarms and strobe light smoke alarms for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, and providing home fire
safety resources in American Sign Language.

Home fires account for most of the more than 60,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually in the Northern Ohio Region and across the country. So far in 2023, Red Cross volunteers have helped nearly 400 people affected by nearly 200 home fires in the Northern Ohio Region by providing emergency lodging, financial
assistance for urgent needs like food and clothing, and one-on-one recovery support for navigating next steps and connecting with community resources.

ONE HOME FIRE SURVIVOR’S STORY: Akron grandfather Shawn Spaulding had just returned home after a long day at work when fire broke out in his home. Read about his escape here.

Read more stories and see the campaign’s national impact at redcross.org/HomeFireStories.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED Help save lives through the campaign by becoming a volunteer or making a financial donation to prepare, respond and help families recover from home fires. Learn more at redcross.org/noh.

You can also help your family by testing your smoke alarms monthly and practicing your two-minute home fire escape plan. Additional safety tips are available at redcross.org/fire and on the free Red Cross Emergency app (search “American Red Cross” in mobile app stores).

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

A lesson from childhood “Sounded the Alarm” for this Red Cross volunteer

Posted on June 28, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Sue Wilson, American Red Cross volunteer

American Red Cross volunteers come from many backgrounds, professions, and demographics and show up ready to work with different motivations. Whether it is the desire to make a difference, a way to network and socialize, or to stay active in retirement, a day in the field helping the Red Cross fulfill its mission with one of its many programs is a day well spent.

Elizabeth Sullivan (right), Red Cross Volunteer

Elizabeth Sullivan got involved this past May after a colleague suggested they partner with the Sound the Alarm campaign as part of their Yale Alumni Service activities. Sound the Alarm is part of the Red Cross home fire campaign, established in 2014 to help prevent fire-related fatalities. A similar program began in Cleveland in 1992, when the Red Cross partnered with the Cleveland Division of Fire to reduce fire fatalities by installing smoke alarms in homes and teaching fire safety.

Elizabeth, the director of opinion for cleveland.com, and previous editor of the editorial pages of The Plain Dealer, along with her team and others, installed 175 smoke alarms in 60 homes in Cleveland ‘s Old Brooklyn neighborhood on May 14. For her, the project took on a deeper meaning.

“My father survived a house fire as a child because his older sister came into the room at night with a wet towel, and they put it over their mouths and they crawled along the floor to safely escape,” said Elizabeth.

That experience prompted her father to do annual fire drills with their family when Elizabeth was a child. “We were taught basic fire safety tips, like touch the door before you open it to make sure it’s not hot and to go out the window.” While she and her siblings had fun climbing out on the roof, the importance of those drills stuck with her.

Red Cross volunteers, Elizabeth Sullivan (far right)

Covid paused this important program over the last two years, but this spring, Red Cross staff members and volunteers like Elizabeth installed 2,374 smoke alarms throughout Northern Ohio, making 929 homes safer.

Home fires claim lives every day, but having working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death by half. The good news? You don’t have to wait until the next Sound the Alarm campaign, the Red Cross installs smoke alarms throughout the year.

If you or someone you know may need a smoke alarm, click here to request a home safety visit and smoke alarm installation. And if Elizabeth’s story encouraged you to want to volunteer, find more information here.

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

Weekend disaster responses include helping people affected by flooding

Posted on February 21, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Flooding during the President’s Day weekend kept some Red Cross disaster workers busy across the Northern Ohio Region. Heavy rains in some parts of the region, along with melting snow caused flood damage that brought a Red Cross response to Lorain, Stark, Wayne and Harrison counties.

The village of Jewett in Harrison County was especially hard hit. Red Cross disaster program managers Tim Reichel and Mike Arthur were accompanied by volunteers Dan Best and Arden Tohill on Saturday, when they distributed clean-up kits to nearly two-dozen affected residences.

“Those buckets have everything they need to get a good start,” Tim said during an interview with WTOV 9 news. “They’ve come out of their homes, they’ve welcomed us, we’ve gotten a few hugs along the way,” Tim continued. “It’s what we do and it’s a pleasure to do it.”

Weekend responses also included home fires in Cleveland, Akron, Wooster, and Masury, Ohio in Trumbull County. More than 60 children and adults received Red Cross assistance throughout Northern Ohio.

February has been a very busy month for Red Cross Disaster Action Teams. Responses are up more than 30% over February of 2021, and Red Cross caseworkers are continuing to help hundreds of people find a path to recovery.

While President’s Day is a federal holiday, the Red Cross remains ready to respond to emergencies, today and every day of the year.

“While many will be relaxing with family and friends, our teams remain vigilant,” said Tim O’Toole, Regional Disaster Officer.

If you’d like to help neighbors in need following a home fire, flooding or some other disaster, visit redcross.org/volunteer to apply for a spot on our Disaster Action Teams. The Red Cross is also in need of trained medical and mental health professionals to assist people following disasters big and small. A virtual information session for licensed healthcare and mental healthcare providers will be held this Thursday, February 24, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. To RSVP for this event, email neovolunteer@redcross.org, or call 216-431-3328. A Microsoft Teams meeting link will be emailed to you prior to the event. A conference call option will also be available.

More than 260 donations made at the Give from the Heart at annual blood drive

Posted on February 4, 2022 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

For 23 years, the Give from the Heart blood drive has been a lifesaving tradition in Northern Ohio. This year’s event was held last Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Cleveland Marriott East in Warrensville Heights.

This blood drive came at a vital time, as the Red Cross continues to struggle with a national blood crisis. The current nationwide shortage has been further impacted by winter weather across the country, with about 600 blood drives cancelled forcing 20,000 donations to go uncollected.

Across the Northern Ohio Region, 21 blood drives were cancelled Thursday, February 3 leaving more than 730 donations uncollected.

The more than 260 donations made at the Give from the Heart blood drive will potentially help up to 800 patients.

We encourage donors to make an appointment for future blood drives by visiting redcrossblood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including face masks for donors and staff, regardless of vaccination status – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance.

If you are not able to give blood, the Red Cross also needs blood drive volunteers and blood transportation specialists to support critical blood collections. Blood drive volunteers play an important role by greeting, registering, answering questions and providing information to blood donors throughout the donation process. Blood transportation specialists provide a critical link between blood donors and blood recipients by delivering blood to hospitals our local communities. To learn more and sign-up, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.

Community members come together to give back this holiday season

Posted on December 28, 2021 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Samantha Pudelski, American Red Cross Volunteer

The American Red Cross of Northern Ohio held holiday blood drives across the region, providing an opportunity for donors to give the gift of life for people in need during this holiday season.

The drives were held between December 14th and December 23rd at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, the Hilton Garden Inn in Twinsburg, the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls, the Hilton Garden Inn in Perrysburg and Stambaugh Auditorium and Packard Music Hall in Youngstown.

The Red Cross put the call out to the public, encouraging them to donate at our holiday drives, and our community members answered. Across all of the holiday blood drives, 1,240 pints of blood were donated to provide critical help for patients across the region.

Each donation can help up to three patients awaiting a blood product – red blood cells, platelets, or plasma. That means more than 3,700 people will possibly benefit by the donations made at this year’s holiday blood drives.

Blood donations help patients in our community of all ages, including accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer, among others. In fact, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

The need this year is high, as pandemic challenges and concerns, along with the typical winter lulls, have resulted in historically low levels of blood supply. If you haven’t had a chance to donate—don’t delay. We are calling all eligible donors this January as part of National Blood Donor Month to roll up their sleeves and donate. To find an upcoming blood donation drive near you, click here.

Fast start for Sound the Alarm

Posted on April 29, 2019 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Corporate partners and volunteers help save lives at Sound the Alarm events

By Jim McIntyre, American Red Cross

April 29, 2019- “This isn’t so much a corporate event—it’s really just people helping other people.” That’s how Kim Giberson, the quality assurance project manager for TravelCenters of America summed up his company’s participation in Sound the Alarm.

Kim was among more than a dozen TravelCenters of America employees who gathered on a bright, crisp Saturday morning to install free smoke alarms in homes in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood on Cleveland’s west side.

“When you hear about the need to protect people’s homes, you realize you need to do something,” he said.

Sandusky

Youngstown

Ravenna

Cleveland

Several other partners provided volunteers for home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events, not only in Cleveland, but also in Youngstown, Ravenna and Sandusky, where Rob Griggs and his sister Tricia Costanzo went door-to-door to help make homes safer and, ultimately, save lives.

“This cause is near and dear to our hearts,” Rob said. “We lost our parents and a brother in a home fire in January of 2018. Anything we can do to help someone else avoid the same fate, we’ll do.”

IMG_6362A Sound the Alarm is a nationwide American Red Cross campaign meant to help save lives. Teams of volunteers are going door-to-door across the country through May 11, installing smoke alarms and providing home fire safety information. Several more installation events are planned throughout the Northeast Ohio region.

“We are off to a great start here in Northeast Ohio,” said Tim O’Toole, Red Cross regional disaster officer. Through five events, we have tallied 922 alarms installed in 391 homes.”

The goal in Northeast Ohio is to install 3,000 alarms by May 11. It’s part of the national goal to install 100,000 smoke alarms.

“The Burn Center at MetroHealth is honored to be part of the Red Cross Sound the Alarm event,” said Brandy Kulak, a nurse manager at the hospital’s Comprehensive Burn Care Center. “We know firsthand how important prevention is, and how seconds can make a tremendous difference when there is a fire.”

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Volunteer opportunities still exist for the remaining Sound the Alarm events throughout Northeast Ohio. Visit SoundTheAlarm.org/NEO to find an event near you.

Kim Giberson plans to volunteer for another Sound the Alarm event next weekend in Medina. “It makes you feel good.”

See photos from our Cleveland Sound the Alarm event here.

See photos from our Youngstown Sound the Alarm event here.

See photos from our Sandusky Sound the Alarm event here.

See photos from our Ravenna sound the Alarm event here.

See photos from our Parma sound the Alarm event here.

See photos from our Sound the Alarm kick-off news conference here.

See photos from our North Ridgeville Sound the Alarm event here.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer.

Photos provided by Cal Pusateri, Doug Bardwell, Eric Alves, Jim McIntyre, and Karen Conklin – American Red Cross.

Ronald J. Warzel Blood Donation Center relocates

Posted on September 26, 2018 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Now in the Regional Headquarters building across the street

By Christy Peters, Manager, External Communications, Northern Ohio Blood Region

As part of the continuing effort to provide the best service and experience to our dedicated donors, the Northern Ohio Blood Services Region of the American Red Cross recently relocated its Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center. Formerly housed at 3636 Euclid Ave., the donation center has is now located in the Northeast Ohio Regional headquarters building at 3747 Euclid Ave. The new site officially opened Aug. 30, 2018 and many donors have already stopped by the newly renovated space.

The new site continues to offer Red Cross donors the opportunity to give whole blood, platelets or plasma. The site is open seven days a week and offers more flexible hours than a mobile site, for donors who may need early morning or late evening appointments. Currently, the Red Cross has a critical need for platelet and type O blood donations. Hundreds of blood drives have been forced to cancel due to Hurricane Florence, resulting in over 6,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations. Donors of all types are need to recover donations canceled by the storm.

The Northern Ohio Blood Services Region is excited to share the new and improved Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center with the community. Donors are encouraged to make an appointment to give at redcrossblood.org, by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor App or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Here are some photos from the grand opening of the Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center. To see more photos from the center opening, please visit our Flickr page:

Regional CEO Mike Parks donates blood during the grand opening of the Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center

Donors give blood in the new Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center in Cleveland

Ronald J. Warzel Donation Center staff

Ronald Warzel accepts a commemorative photograph of the grand opening of the new blood donation center from Greater Cleveland Chapter Chairman Christopher Mapes

Neighborhood Now Safer in Slavic Village

Posted on October 17, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Firefighters, Volunteers Help Red Cross Install Smoke Alarms

More than 100 homes in the Cleveland neighborhood known as Slavic Village are now safer, following a home fire safety and smoke alarm installation event last Saturday, October 14.

Cleveland Councilman Tony Brancatelli wrote the following message in an email the day after the event:

“Here is some info on the recent American Red Cross, Sound the Alarm and Save A Life event in Slavic Village on Saturday. Volunteers from the Red Cross including many from “Hope Worldwide” and including our local Cleveland Fire Department walked throughout our neighborhood knocking on doors and installing free smoke detectors as part of a Country Wide national installation event.

We want to thank Regional Disaster Officer Timothy O’Toole from the American Red Cross for coming into our community as part of the National “Sound the Alarm, Save a Life” program and installing hundreds of smoke detectors free for our families. Special thanks to all the volunteers from “Hope Worldwide” and our local firemen for making this event such a huge success. Timothy O’Toole (former Cleveland Fire Chief) asks for those not home that they can still call 216-361-5535 for a smoke detector.”

We thank Councilman Brancatelli for his support of Red Cross efforts to make neighborhoods safer, and we thank the Cleveland Fire Department for their ongoing partnership, which began in 1992 as Operation Save-A-Life.

Group Shot II

See more photos here, in our album on Flickr.

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

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