By Jill Patterson, Senior Regional Philanthropy Officer and Tiffany Circle Staff Lead
The American Red Cross Northern Ohio Tiffany Circle Women’s Leadership Society, in collaboration with Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, recently hosted a memorable event with the Cleveland VA Medical Center at their Parma location. This special occasion, known as “A Very Merry Baby Shower,” was dedicated to honoring and supporting our women veteran Moms-to-Be.
The event was a beautiful partnership between the Tiffany Circle, the VA, Blue Star Moms, and the Auxiliary Moms. Together, they created a welcoming and supportive environment, providing baby bundles filled with essential items such as diapers, wipes, bottles, bath wash, Desitin, pacifiers, blankets, onesies, and much more. These thoughtful gifts were a testament to the community’s commitment to caring for our veteran mothers.
Our expectant mothers were treated like VIPs throughout the event. One of the highlights was the Mind and Body Workshop, presented by Red Cross volunteer Jackie Otte. This workshop offered valuable relaxation and breathing techniques, equipping the moms with skills that will be beneficial both now and in the future.
Upon arrival, each guest received a raffle ticket, giving them a chance to win beautifully crafted diaper cakes and a variety of $25 gift cards, other miscellaneous baby items and a stroller, all generously donated by supporters. Additionally, there was a grab table featuring hand-knitted blankets and outfits, as well as a table filled with gender-specific clothing. The moms were encouraged to take anything they needed from these tables, ensuring they left with plenty of useful items for their new arrivals.
“A Very Merry Baby Shower” was more than just an event; it was a heartfelt expression of gratitude and support for our women veterans. It brought together different parts of the community to celebrate and assist those who have served our country, making it a truly special day for everyone involved.
By Gail Wernick, Regional Volunteer Services Officer, American Red Cross of Northern Ohio
As I begin my 15th year with the American Red Cross, I would like to share a message of appreciation to the truly special Red Cross team and volunteers with whom I have had the privilege of working to deliver our mission.
This fall I deployed for the first time in-person to be a part of the Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief Operation in Asheville, North Carolina. On deployment, I joined a team of dedicated Red Crossers to share volunteer opportunities with surrounding communities. Due to intermittent internet availability, the team often connected with new volunteers personally to complete volunteer intake to begin volunteering as soon as possible! The Disaster Event Based and Local Community Volunteer teams supported volunteer scheduling, with more than 200 calls/texts to coordinate and prepare for the volunteers’ engagement. The team created volunteer recognition messaging and unique ways to say THANK YOU! Each day, some more than 12 hours, was filled with new experiences, learning quickly, and adjusting to the evolving needs of the disaster operation. I will always remember my Red Cross deployment experience and the kind people I met, who inspired me and helped make a meaningful difference each day.
Thank you for delivering service in the community to help your neighbors when needed most. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and we are most grateful for your service as a Red Cross Disaster volunteer.
Featured in the photo above, Red Cross volunteer deployment team members, disaster event based and local community volunteers from Asheville, North Carolina.
Glen McCandless, a disaster event based volunteer, featured on the far right in the photo above, volunteered at the AG Center every day for two weeks consecutively. He said, “Volunteering at the shelter and helping others in the midst of so much devastation is like salve for the soul.”
The Red Cross shelter supervisors we met extended their sincere appreciation for the dedicated disaster volunteers from the local community who tirelessly volunteered, many whose own lives and homes have been impacted by the disaster, to prepare and serve meals and offer support. Whether a volunteer gave two hours or several days of their time to help, we are grateful to them for helping deliver the Red Cross mission!
More than 1,400 Disaster Event Based Volunteers joined the Red Cross in North & South Carolina this October and November, engaging in more than 640 volunteer commitments to provide comfort, care and hope by assembling and distributing emergency supplies, preparing and serving meals, setting up and cleaning up and supporting residents impacted by Hurricane Helene.
The Red Cross is here to help make your volunteer experience the best it can be! Please continue to volunteer with us and encourage your friends and family to join you. Thank you for exploring and sharing our most-needed ongoing volunteer opportunities at www.redcross.org/volunteer. We are working hard to prepare for, respond to and help communities recover from disaster. Become a part of the Red Cross Disaster Action Team at www.redcross.org/dat.
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.
By Mary Falconer-Williams, American Red Cross volunteer
Since 1898, when Clara Barton sailed to Cuba with supplies for those affected by the Spanish-American War, the American Red Cross and the United States Armed Forces have maintained a unique relationship.
Service to the Armed Forces Program Specialist Nasir Ahmad
Today, that relationship takes the form of one special position, the Service to the Armed Forces Program Specialist—a position which, in Northern Ohio, is held by Nasir Ahmad.
“Nasir has been an invaluable member of the Service to Armed Forces/International Services team in Northern Ohio,” wrote Dr. Alaina Foster, Regional Program Manager for the department. “I’m glad he will have the opportunity to share his passion for connecting service members to the many resources offered through the Red Cross, during his deployment.”
This specialist position was created to assist in the delivery of Red Cross programs and services, in order to meet the needs of military members, veterans, and their families while focusing on supporting the delivery of International Services including:
Additionally, Nasir is part of a special workforce required to deploy on short-term assignments. Which means, he is headed to Bagdad, Iraq for six months! During his deployment, he will focus on ensuring Training Services programs like First Aid and CPR are supported and promoted in the jurisdiction, and assist in maintaining a positive and mutually beneficial relationship with local Armed Forces Blood Service Programs.
Nasir Ahmad and Alaina Foster
“I couldn’t be prouder of Nasir as he deploys overseas to provide members of our Armed Forces Red Cross services,” stated Mike Parks, Regional CEO. “As a retired veteran himself, Nasir knows firsthand the value of the support provided by the dedicated members of the Red Cross Service to Armed Forces deployed staff and volunteers. I join our entire Northern Ohio Region in thanking Nasir for his deployment and wishing him a safe return!”
Nasir was born and raised in Cleveland. Shortly after graduating high school, he joined the Air Force where he worked as an aircraft mechanic (Crew Chief), first on the C-130 cargo plane and then on the B-1 bomber. Nasir retired after 21 years of active-duty service and returned home where he attended Cleveland State University and graduated with a business degree.
“The Red Cross was a great fit. In Service to the Armed Forces, the Red Cross’ oldest line of service, I’m able to help veterans in Northern Ohio and stay connected to the military community,” said Nasir. “And now…I’m on my way to Baghdad!”
During National Nurses Week, May 6-12, the Red Cross wants to recognize the important value that volunteer nurses bring to the mission of the Red Cross.
Since the inception of the American Red Cross in 1881, nurses have been at the heart of the organization. Initially assisting mainly in disaster relief and war support efforts, their role today has greatly expanded to include veteran support, educational services and training, academic support, children’s programs, blood drives and so much more.
I spoke with Patricia Horvath, RN, MSN, who works as the Volunteer Regional Nurse Lead for Northern Ohio. She is responsible for a team of 90 volunteer nurses in Northern Ohio and for the recruitment, retention and recognition of nurse volunteers.
American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Volunteer Regional Nurse Lead Patricia Horvath (right) presents volunteer nurse Rosanne Radziewicz with her Red Cross nurse’s pin.
Her contributions to the role have successfully brought the nurse volunteer numbers back up after a period of loss following COVID-19. However, nurse volunteers are always needed and she wants to encourage any nurse considering volunteering with the Red Cross to do so.
“For National Nurse Week, one of the best opportunities that we can put forward to nurses is to find a way to become a Red Cross nurse volunteer,” she said. “Not only does it give you your own joy to contribute to others — nurses are basically humanitarians, that’s who’s drawn to the profession. Our purpose is to make the community healthy, and the best way to do that is to volunteer through the Red Cross.”
To recognize the service of nurse volunteers, the Red Cross has a tradition of awarding nursing pins to those nurses who have completed at least 20 hours of service.
“We are very keen on making sure that our nurses receive the Red Cross nurse pin,” Patricia explained. “It has a long history in the Red Cross and was originally called ‘The Badge.’ Being awarded the pin is a formal process that we do during volunteer recognition month.”
Each pin is uniquely numbered, registered with that person for life, and logged nationally.
There are other benefits to volunteering. Patricia explained that the Red Cross offers many free continuing education units (CEUs) for nurses, which helps to maintain their requirements for licensure. In addition, Ohio nurses who obtain multi-state nurse licensure have the opportunity to travel outside of the state to respond to domestic disasters.
Nurses bring their unique education, experience and desire to help others to the forefront every day when they volunteer with the Red Cross.
“All lines of business the Red Cross has … everything that we do, there’s a role for a nurse.”
Explore the volunteer opportunities available at the Red Cross here and get started in your volunteer journey. To learn more about the history of nursing at the Red Cross, tap here.
Giving those in need “a hug, a smile, and some hope”
By Jim McIntyre, Regional Communications Director
Monica Bunner describes herself as “something of an adrenaline junkie.”
That’s a reasonable explanation for her willingness to go anywhere the American Red Cross is needed following a disaster. She said she’s not a “sit at the desk type of gal,” but needs to be physically involved.
Monica’s volunteer career with the Red Cross began in 2017. She was watching Hurricane Harvey unfold and felt she had to do something. She deployed to Houston to help, but not with the Red Cross. Not that time.
“A cause I already supported also needed help,” she said. That cause was Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She was stationed at NRG Center, taking care of pets when she saw Red Cross workers helping people who needed shelter, and thought, “If I’m not doing the animals, maybe I can do the people thing.”
When she returned to Northeast Ohio, Monica began training to become a Red Cross disaster responder. She has helped people following home fires, installed smoke alarms, and assisted at fundraising events. And she began to deploy to help people who needed shelter following major disasters, such as flooding in southern Ohio, Hurricane Ian in Florida, and the devastating Maui wildfires in Hawaii.
Red cross volunteers Randy Liang and Monica Bunner in Maui, Hawaii
“I always wanted to make a difference, to work with communities, to give people some direction, a hug and a smile, and some hope.”
Monica has continued training to expand her skills, and now works primarily with community engagement and partnerships, helping the Red Cross connect with other resources to assist people who have been impacted by disasters. She also helps reunite families who are separated during disasters, and she helped establish Red Cross disaster communications in Puerto Rico.
Fluent in Spanish, Monica was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and emigrated to the U.S. with her family when she was a child. She worked at NASA’s Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, helping recruit and train women in non-traditional fields like science and engineering, and was on the team that recruited the first female U. S. astronauts.
Following her NASA career, Monica opened a real estate brokerage and a home rehabilitation business, noting how she was one of the first “female flippers.” And she has traveled to El Salvador with a church group to help build homes there.
Monica plans to continue connecting with and helping people in need through the Red Cross for the immediate future but admits the time will come to slow her frenetic pace. “This work is very physically, mentally and spiritually demanding,” she said. But it’s also rewarding. “I love the feeling of just connecting with people,” she said.
The Red Cross relies on more than 265,000 volunteers like Monica Bunner to fulfil its mission, and if you’d like to learn more, visit redcross.org/volunteer.
Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer
Semper Gumby: Always flexible. That’s a cherished characteristic of American Red Cross volunteers – and Dave Martaus is Gumby in person.
Dave Martaus, American Red Cross volunteer
“Dave is a key volunteer here at the North Central Ohio chapter. He’s willing to do anything that needs to be done – not just the high-profile, public-facing activities, but even the so-called ‘little things’ that keep an operation running,” said chapter Executive Director Todd James.
A retiree from Marathon Petroleum Corp. in Findlay, where he rose through a series of interesting assignments, Dave has been involved with Red Cross facilities maintenance, logistics, disaster response and support for our armed forces.
“Cheryl Wolfe (operations manager for the chapter) always has a list of things for me to do,” he said with a chuckle. Recently, he assembled a couple of new filing cabinets for the office. “Wasn’t something I’d ever done before, but it was interesting.
“When Lora Taylor (disaster program manager) came on board, we needed to account for our disaster trailers. So we brought all four trailers from around the chapter to a vacant garage here in Findlay and emptied all the contents,” he recalled. “We laid all the stuff out; it looked like a giant garage sale.”
He and his co-workers sorted the contents and repacked the trailers with the right number of cots, blankets, comfort kits and other supplies that would be needed in case of a major disaster. He said it was interesting, getting familiar with what’s involved in preparing for a big response.
Dave appreciates the variety of volunteer opportunities within the Red Cross. “I’ve thought about possibly getting involved with blood services,” he said. “I know they need people to transport blood (from blood drives to the blood processing center in Cleveland and from there to hospitals). I could do that.”
Dave Martaus is one of the more than 265,000 Red Cross volunteers that we’re saluting during Volunteer week. But their selflessness is invaluable all year round.
If you’d like to find out more about the many volunteer opportunities with the Red Cross, please click here for more information.
Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer
Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer
CLEVELAND, April 16, 2024 When John Gareis began his career with the American Red Cross, there were elevator operators in the building that housed the offices in Cleveland. Blood collected from donors was stored in glass bottles – not the plastic pouches used today. “And there were no electronics,” John said, pointing to an old typewriter on display in the lobby of the current Red Cross offices in Cleveland.
John Gareis and wife Emily at a Red Cross fundraiser
If the computer systems that exist today were common then, John may not have been hired.
“I saw a notice posted on a job board at CSU (Cleveland State University),” John said. He was studying business management at the time and needed a part-time job. “They asked me if I had good handwriting. I said, ‘I guess so,’ and I got the job.”
48 years later, John is retiring from the Red Cross, following a storied career that began in the records department, where he was tasked with writing blood donor information by hand.
Lt. Mike Norman, left, and Chief Anthony Luke of the Cleveland Division of Fire recently presented John with a plaque and a badge as an honorary officer
“It was only supposed to last a couple of weeks,” he said with a wry grin.
“I met John in December 1986,” said Darlene Morris, the current manufacturing director at the blood laboratory in Cleveland. “I had started at Red Cross the month prior, and he was hosting our Christmas party.! He had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around.”
John eventually transferred from Biomedical Services to Humanitarian Services and led the Wayne County chapter headquartered in Wooster. “Whenever there were any disasters or fires, John was always there to help,” said Greg Long, who served as the chapter chairman of the board. “He always had whatever was needed to assist the families and first responders.”
Greg said John worked hard to create and develop the Festival of Trees, a legacy fundraising event. And he worked with John to help build a new chapter headquarters building in downtown Wooster. “John put together a blue-ribbon campaign committee and we raised the money, 1.8 million dollars, and built the new chapter house.” Construction was completed in 2008.
John Gareis providing instructions at a Sound the Alarm event
John has weathered many changes in structure and operation at the Red Cross and is ending his career as the regional preparedness manager. Renee Palagyi, who worked closely with John for several years at regional headquarters in Cleveland, first met John in 2006, when she was a Red Cross volunteer in Ashtabula County. She served on a committee focused on disaster preparedness and response. “I was immediately struck by the wide base of knowledge John had, not just in disaster but in overall chapter function, fundraising, Service to the Armed Forces, and so much more,” she said. “Such an easy-going guy who was willing to share what he knew with the entire group.”
Arguably, John’s most significant contribution to the Red Cross involves the development of Operation Save-a-Life, an initiative to make homes and families safer with free smoke alarms. It began in 1992 in partnership with the Cleveland Division of Fire and served as a model for the national Home Fire Campaign, a highly successful initiative that is credited with saving more than 2,000 lives since being introduced nationwide in 2014.
“The success of the life-saving smoke alarm program is truly a credit to John and his desire to get it done,” said Renee. “For so many years our region was the gold standard in this program and that must be credited to John, who didn’t just lead it; he was out there installing alarms, teaching families how to be safe and pulling together incredible teams across the region for large scale installations.”
John Gareis at WKYC demonstrating the importance of building a preparedness kit
John is quick to note he wasn’t involved with the creation of the smoke alarm program, but he speaks of it with pride. “We started it. It went national because of the work done by our staff, our volunteers and our partners to make it such a success,” he said. “We wear that as a badge of honor, and we continue to be a national leader every day.”
Regional CEO Mike Parks also shared his high praise for John.
“John’s contribution to the American Red Cross over the past five decades cannot be overstated. His knowledge and expertise, especially when it comes to preparing communities and families for potential disasters, has resulted in a more resilient Northern Ohio,” he said. “His inspiring leadership of the Home Fire Campaign has created safer homes, families, and communities. Thanks to his tireless efforts, the Northern Ohio Region continues to set an example for the rest of the country when it comes to smoke alarm installations and homes made safer.”
Regional CEO Mike Parks recognized John’s contributions at the 30th anniversary celebration of the smoke alarm program
His retirement is not the end of John Gareis’ Red Cross career; he plans to continue sharing his expertise as a volunteer.
“I feel honored to have worked alongside John for the past eight years and look forward to continuing to do so as John moves into a volunteer role supporting our training team,” said Emily Probst, regional disaster officer.
Mike Parks shared a similar sentiment. “I wish John the very best in the future and am comforted in knowing he will continue to provide his valuable service to the Red Cross as a volunteer.”
Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer
Posted by Ryan Lang, American Red Cross board member and volunteer
Millions of Northern Ohio residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors will look to the sky through dark glasses on April 8, and the American Red Cross is preparing.
In doing so, Red Cross volunteers and staff throughout Northern Ohio, especially the disaster Assistance Team (DAT), are employing several of their greatest strengths: their experience and dedication, relationships with partner organizations and flexibility.
Preparation is needed. In addition to the eclipse and NASA’s broadcast from the Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland will host the NCAA Women’s Final Four on April 5 and Championship on April 7. The Cleveland Guardians’ home opener is on the 8th.
While estimates fluctuate, the number of expected visitors is up to 500,000, in addition to the 7.2 million Ohioans who live within the path of totality. The entire region will be crowded, especially downtown Cleveland. Other locations face unique challenges, such as Avon Lake, which will have the longest period of totality.
I spoke with two people leading the preparations. Emma Banton, Regional Readiness Program Manager for Northern Ohio, and Piet Hagenaars, Disaster Program Manager for Northeast Ohio. Both are exceptionally experienced in crisis and emergency management.
The entire Northern Ohio Region Red Cross team has garnered considerable preparedness experience. Emma mentioned seven shelters were operated in our region over the past year, including our largest in over 20 years in Cleveland.
Emma, whose focus is all of Northern Ohio, said, “Each chapter will have at least one shelter team on call from April 5 through 9, while the Northeast and North Central Ohio chapters will each have two shelter teams standing by. Each chapter will also have one canteen team ready for any safety forces that may request refreshments during a response, like a home fire.”
“A Red Cross representative will also be deployed at the Cuyahoga County Office of Emergency Management’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC),” said Piet, “And we are prepared to work with other county offices as needed.”
As home fires will still occur–the Red Cross responds to an average of more than three per day in our region–DAT crews will also be ready. Depending on traffic, crowds and logistics, they may respond virtually. In fact, home fires are a major reason shelters need to be ready. Should a family need a safe place to stay, hotels are fully booked.
Emma and Piet both stressed the importance of preparation, which can be difficult when we do not know where an incident may occur. Considerations include maintaining communication and having fully fueled vehicles should access to gas stations become limited. Emma has also supported the region’s chapter Disaster Program managers and specialists as they updated shelter agreements and ensured readiness.
Emma added that the Disaster Program managers and specialists in all five of our region’s chapters are working diligently to ensure we are fully prepared.
Piet also finds inspiration from other crisis managers, like one who remarked he would never apologize for being over-prepared, and others who pointed out normal rules and expectations often do not apply in a crisis.
Finally, both are looking forward to enjoying this once-in-a-lifetime event. But when and where help will be needed, they are ensuring that the Red Cross is ready.
NOHredcross 