The attack on America 25 years ago, on 9/11, 2001 brought out the best in people.
“Within the first 48 hours, the Red Cross in Northeast Ohio had deployed emergency response vehicles and workers (most of them volunteers) to both New York and Pennsylvania,” according to Debbie Chitester, Regional Disaster Action Team Manager from Northern Ohio.
September 12, 2001. New York City, New York. Terrorist attack at the World Trade Center. Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross
Debbie went to New York with about two dozen other workers from Northeast Ohio. In this video, she recalls the role the Red Cross played in the days immediately after the attack at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were brought down. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum now stands at the site.
“It’s still very emotional for me,” Debbie added, “especially at this time of year.”
Debbie Chitester
Northeast Ohio Red Cross Workers were also deployed to Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after the passengers fought the terrorists who had hijacked the plane. The role the Red Cross played is acknowledged at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, which is about a three and-a-half hour drive southeast of Cleveland.
In 2009, Congress designated September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. In honor of the sacrifice so many made on that day, many people donate blood at one of the numerous Red Cross blood drives held across the country, not only on 9/11, but also on the days preceding and following the anniversary of the attack.
“The main reason that I chose the Red Cross was that they were strong on the humanitarian part, of one person helping another person, human to human. I’m big on that.” – Michael Foote
March 3, 2026. Washington, DC. Michael Foote (center) accepting his Biomedical Services Employee Excellence Awards 2026 Photo by Victoria Hurley/American Red Cross
Michael Foote, a volunteer with the Western Lake Erie Chapter of the American Red Cross, was recently awarded the Presidential Biomedical Award for Excellence in a ceremony that took place at the Red Cross headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Michael first learned of the American Red Cross while serving in the Navy as an aircraft electrician, where the Red Cross ensured the delivery of urgent messages between sailors and their families while they were serving overseas.
After serving 20 years, he retired from the Navy and later became a caregiver for his wife, who suffered from dementia. After her passing in 2015, he contemplated how he could utilize his free time, as they had no children or grandchildren. One thing he did know was that he wanted to volunteer.
“The main reason that I chose the Red Cross was that they were strong on the humanitarian part, of one person helping another person, human to human. I’m big on that.” Michael explained. “In the Navy, there is the team concept – like the idea that there are a lot of different parts to the Red Cross, but they’re one team. So, I wanted to have a small group of like-minded individuals that I could relate to. The Red Cross has become my second family.”
He started by volunteering as a Blood Transportation Specialist and quickly became one of their most dependable drivers, often picking up open shifts, covering call-offs, and training new volunteers.
“I found out that in the afternoons to pick up the blood, they were paying 60 to 70 dollars for their courier to do that,” Michael explained. “It’s 13 miles total, and it takes me an hour and a half. For me, I feel selfish sitting around watching TV when I could be saving the Red Cross those 60, 70 dollars, so I do that 5 days a week.”
In 2025, Michael worked 414 Transportation Specialist shifts, totaling over 1,000 volunteer hours and saving the Red Cross an approximate $55,000 in courier fees.
In addition to working 4 to 5 days per week transporting blood products, he also volunteers for many other Red Cross programs, including the Sound the Alarm events, where volunteers install smoke detectors in homes.
He also joined the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) due to his military background, where he has participated in flag and wreath-laying events. Through the SAF, he’s also worked with a local Air National Guard group and the Red Cross to help set up their food pantry.
Most recently, he started with the Disaster Action Team, who respond to fires, and is already a supervisor, fulfilling 2 to 3, 12-hour fire call shifts per week.
When asked how he manages to work so many hours, he chuckled, saying, “I tell people I’m on Red Cross time.”
He’s well aware of the comments people have made, such as “sometimes it seems like he sleeps here.” Others have worried that he is working too hard.
To that, he responded, ”I’m a volunteer, and I volunteer for this. If I need time off, then I’ll tell them I can’t do this. But I should be the one who says what I can and can’t do. If I’m physically and mentally able to, I want to keep doing these things. I would feel selfish not to when I know some jobs need to be done and (there’s) nobody else to do them.”
“Part of it is that I’m a Christian,” he continued, “and I want to share the kindness around me, and the other part (is) about helping humans.”
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