Mahoning Valley residents and volunteers “Feel the Heat” during emergency response tour

Posted on October 30, 2019 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Mark Sitch, American Red Cross volunteer

October 30, 2019- The American Red Cross partners with many organizations to create a network of volunteers and highly skilled professionals who are prepared when emergencies arise. The Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS) has served proudly since 1955 as a community jewel and third^–largest employer of the Mahoning Valley—ready to serve our region and beyond in multiple ways.

On October 22 the Red Cross community was invited to Feel the Heat, a learning tour of facilities and tools used by the valley’s bravest to serve our region and nation. Nearly 1,900 military personnel efficiently operate this 321-acre federal facility in Trumbull County, where our assignment began.

Karen Conklin, Executive Director of the Red Cross of Lake to River, and chapter board member Lou Joseph of Home Savings and Loan of Youngstown

We were greeted with opening remarks at the Community Activities Center (CAC) by Colonel Don Wren, 910^th Air Wing Mission Group Support Commander. Joe Mersol, Lake to River chapter co-events chair, addressed attendees during refreshments. After Mike Parks, Red Cross regional executive, introduced Air Force Fire Chief John Lewis, we were divided into three squadrons and briefed with instructions for our nearly two-hour tour.

Our second stop was at the Family Assistance Center, where we learned training and drills that can help families in any YARS related event or disaster, with a staff ready to provide counseling, food, first aid, shelter and specialized services.

Red Cross Regional CEO Mike Parks, a U. S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral (Retired) speaks with Air Force Reserve Col. Don Wren, Commander, 910th Mission Support Group

Our next adventure was reporting to the Smoke House for a simulated smoke demonstration. This illustrated how difficult it is to see in a fire. We learned the importance of staying low to the ground and other safety tips. Outside, we “felt the heat” at the next demonstration by witnessing a propane- fueled metal training jet set ablaze as Chief Lewis outlined the challenges of fighting such a fire.

“It’s our opportunity to work with our amazing 910th Airlift Wing on an exercise where we simulate a plane has gone down,” said Karen Conklin, Lake to River Chapter executive director.

They also demonstrated the powerful “jaws of life” and other tools used to extract victims of car accidents. The chief noted that they assist various area fire departments in the region, as was supported by the presence of Youngstown Fire Chief Barry Findley and Mayor Tito Brown.

Our last stop was at the Emergency Operations Center. This “situation room” with the latest technology helps federal, state and local responders coordinate emergency efforts and monitor events such as air shows hosted by YARS.

It was an informative and pride-filled day that helped show the community the value of this facility as a Red Cross trusted ally.

Our thanks to Lake to River chapter board chair Deborah Grinstein for coordinating the event; 910^th Airlift Wing Commander Colonel Joseph D. Janik; and Master Sgt. Bob Bartko Jr. for allowing us to observe impressive team efforts and for planning this exciting event.

Col. Wren with Red Cross AmeriCorps workers Carrie Schultz, left, and Teresa Greenlief

Visit www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil to learn more about this Mahoning Valley gem.

To see more photos from the Feel the Heat event, click here to visit our Flickr page.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

A Week at Lake to River

Posted on June 16, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

And What a Week it Was!

As I write this it is Friday night and I am reflecting on our amazing Northeast Ohio volunteers and the Lake to River volunteers so dear to my heart. This has been a week of unrelenting high temperatures and seemingly unrelenting disasters.

Since Sunday, just five days ago, the Lake to River Chapter has, thanks to our volunteers and donors, accomplished the following:

· Canteen for an explosion in Mahoning County that involved several fire departments. Good news is that no one was hurt

· Responded to six home fires

· Held First Aid/CPR classes

· Sent Smoke Alarm teams out on Tuesday to install and were blessed on Friday to have Red Cross volunteers from Canton help install alarms in another 15 or so homes. Thank you to our Canton colleagues for your time and talent.

· Held our 7th annual Acts of Courage event that raises vital dollars to support our mission. Without the help of volunteer’s, name tags would not get done, no one would know where to sit and cars may have parked on an active runway at the 910th Airlift Base.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday board members, DAT volunteers, support volunteers and others will help us man two locations at the Thunder Over the Valley airshow this weekend. All this in 90 degree heat.

· Saddest of all, for two days we canteened for 50 fire, police, park and rescue divers who were looking for a 16-year-old boy in Mosquito Lake.

In this week our volunteers have experienced the joy of our Acts of Courage Event, got to meet one of the Thunderbird Pilots, met two WWII veterans who were honored, and the sadness of helping multiple families who lost everything in a fire and also had to watch from inside the crime scene tape as divers dragged the lake for a child.

This is the work of the Red Cross; it is what we do across Northeast Ohio and this country. Our mission is powered by these mighty volunteers whose heart, compassion and knowledge make a difference every day.

As a Chapter Executive, I am humbled by their resiliency and grateful for what they do for us whenever and wherever there is a need. I know all the Chapter Executives and staff share my passion for each and every one of you.

It has been a long, tough week but if next week is even tougher, I know we are up to the challenge. Now it’s time for a Friday night glass of wine!

A grateful Executive Director…Karen Conklin, Lake To River Chapter.

*The Lake to River Chapter serves Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana and Jefferson Counties. See our photo album here. Photos provided by Paul Wadowick, Red Cross Communications volunteer.

Super Heroes Honored at Air Base

Posted on May 3, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Karen Conklin, Executive Director, Lake to River Chapter

Lucky Lake to River Volunteers were honored on April 27^th at a VIP event at the 910^th Airlift Wing. If you have ever been on a military base you know it’s tough to get through security. Our thanks to the 50 volunteers who sent in the required information a week ahead of time so that security at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station could clear them to get on the base. Super Heroes was the theme because we know our military are heroes but so are our Red Cross volunteers.

The Lake to River Chapter Board of Directors

Prior to the social event, the Lake to River Board of Directors met and also held the annual meeting. The Board of Directors is working hard to make the 7^th Acts of Courage event June 14^th the best ever. The following volunteers will be serving another three-year term on the board. They are Kelly Becker, Patti Davis, Lou Joseph, Tifinie Lacomb, Amy Lower, Florence Wang and Phil Wilson. We thank them for their commitment and leadership.

Major Scott Julian

Thanks to Major Scott Julian (also a Red Cross Board Member) who gave a quick synopsis of the role of the 910^th Airlift Wing. Did you know they fly the C-130 Cargo Planes and are the only base that is activated for oil spills or to spray for the Zika Virus?

Melissa Papini

Good food, camaraderie and lots of laughs were everywhere as Disaster Program Manager Melissa Papini led the group in the “toilet paper” challenge. How many squares would you take if handed a roll of toilet paper at the table with strangers? Lesson learned, you have to tell something about your life for every square you take. In some cases, as the kids say “TMI” – too much information was hilariously shared.

The group appreciated the warm messages from Mike Parks and Kristen Gallagher, both of whom had family obligations. Regional Disaster Officer Tim O’Toole personally thanked all “our heroes for their volunteer work to turn helplessness into hope.” We could never meet mission without our volunteers according to Tim. We also got to bid a kind farewell to Pat Buckhold, who will soon trade her Red Cross staff hat for a volunteer hat in our amazing organization.

Highlights for all were our four legged furry heroes on our Lake to River Canine team, who help with Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) and disaster response. These furry friends and their amazing trainers fully embrace the meaning and purpose of therapy dogs wherever they go. Quick to share a furry high five, they are trained to know they are “working” when they don their Red Cross vests and are “just dogs” when out of uniform.

We thank all who came and appreciate your constant devotion to our mission. One final question from me: “How many squares of toilet paper would you need?” One of the best parts of my job is knowing the incredible resumes of those who do our important work. Lake to River and all Red Cross volunteers are Super Heroes.

If you have an interest in volunteering for the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/neo and click the volunteer tab, or call 216-431-3328. You can also send an email to NEOVolunteer@redcross.org.

Photos by Red Cross volunteer Paul Wadowick, pictured to the right with Debra Kellar and Pat Buckhold of Volunteer Services. View the photo album here.

From Masury to the Mediterranean

Posted on January 24, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Mahoning Valley Native Works with Red Cross to Help Migrants

By: Anmol Nigam, American Red Cross Communications Volunteer

Red Cross and MOAS migrant rescue ship in the Mediterranean Sea 2016

Jenelle Eli stands aboard the Responder rescue vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, some 13 nautical miles off the Libyan Coast. Photo credit: Mathieu Willcocks/MOAS

When she thinks back to last October, Mahoning Valley native Jenelle Eli remembers working aboard the Responder. She remembers the Mediterranean Sea, gently rocking against the hull of the ship. She remembers looking through inky blackness of the night. And through that shroud of darkness, she remembers the hundreds of migrants trying to escape their own deaths.

Eli is the International Communications Director for the American Red Cross. Last October, she shared her experiences aboard the Responder on a Red Cross blog. The Responder is a search and rescue vessel that operates to provide lifesaving services to those adrift in the Mediterranean Sea. Packed into unstable rafts, these migrants often undertake the perilous journey to cross the sea with the hope that it will have a safe ending.

Eli warns of the risks that migrants face. “If boats weren’t out there to rescue people,” Eli said, “there’s no doubt that they would die at sea.”

Migrants get ready to disembark from the Responder ship — after being rescued from the Mediterranean Sea. Photo credit: Mathieu Willcocks/MOAS

A migrant aboard the Responder ship prays after being rescued from a rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo credit: Mathieu Willcocks/MOAS

Red Cross Red Crescent relief worker, Jenelle Eli, comforts a migrant who was injured during her time in an overcrosded rubber dinghy in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo credit: Mathieu Willcocks/MOAS

After helping migrants reach safety, Eli works to improve their lives. However, despite all the travelling her work entails, “Ohio will always be my home,” she explains. Throughout her journeys, she remembers her beginnings in Masury, Ohio — a small community in Trumbull County, where neighbors are friends and strangers are friendly.

When she was a student attending Ohio University, she found her passion for helping refugees. During her college career, she volunteered with international students, learning of the hardships they faced.

“Some of my friends’ families…were in danger every day,” Eli said. “They weren’t sure if they’d have a home to return to once their degrees were finished—or if they’d even be safe back home.”

Years later, she ended up on the Responder. But on those late nights aboard, when the waves rocked the ship and the winds fell silent, Eli remembered back to Ohio, and she missed it. She missed the forests and nature. And she missed her friends and family.

“I miss being in the presence of my mom and dad every single day,” Eli said. When she’s travelling abroad, she misses the simple things, such as tap water or pierogi and pepperoni rolls.

Eli understands how overwhelming this is for those who want to help. People should not feel helpless when they hear about the migration crisis, Eli said. “Refugees from all over the world have settled in Cleveland, Akron, and Erie, PA. Anyone who wants to help can do so by welcoming refugees and volunteering with families right here in the USA.”

To learn more about the global Red Cross response to the migration crisis, visit redcross.org/migrationcrisis. Click here for information on other international services offered by the Red Cross.

Red Cross and the 910th Airlift Wing team up for “Feel the Heat” event

Posted on October 29, 2014 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

On Monday, October 27 the
American Red Cross of the Mahoning Valley and the 910th Airlift Wing teamed up to conduct a mock aircraft crash disaster training event at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station.

The 2014 “Feel the Heat” event simulated a mock aircraft crash. The 910th Civil Engineer Fire Department responded to contain the aircraft fire while the American Red Cross provided care and comfort to simulated survivors. The exercise is designed to demonstrate the high level of readiness of the air station’s first responders and the everyday work of the area’s American Red Cross staff and volunteers who respond to the plight of those in need of their services in our community. An audience of invited guests and area media outlets were on hand to observe the exercise.

Designed to showcase the partnership between the Red Cross and the military, this exercise was the second event to take place as part of the Air Force Community Partnership Initiative at Youngstown Air Reserve Station.

“This exercise is another example of community partnership and support. Since Clara Barton, the Red Cross has been committed to helping our military. We are proud to continue that tradition with our 910th Air Reserve Station and, in doing so, making our community a safer place.”

For more information about the Air Force Community Partnership Initiative, the Youngstown Air Reservation Station and more photos of the event, please visit their site.

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

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