By Gordon Williams Before this year is over, Red Cross teams in Washington and adjacent Idaho will have aided victims of hundreds of disasters big and small — home fires, wildfires, floods, storms and more. It is the responsibility of the Red Cross to make sure each of those teams is fully trained, equipped and … Continue reading Preparing for a regional wildfire response
How to stay safe in a busier-than-normal wildfire season
Spring in the Okanogan, an area of Washington State that has seen repeated years of damage from wildfires. By Gordon Williams As Washington’s Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz knows a thing or two about wildfires. When she calls the state’s wildfire situation a “crisis” that is “getting worse”, it is a warning worth paying … Continue reading How to stay safe in a busier-than-normal wildfire season
Why I Volunteer: Alyssa Higgs
Alyssa Higgs, Red Cross Northwest Region volunteer I was originally drawn to the Red Cross while applying to medical school. I was looking for a well known and established organization to volunteer with and give my application a boost. Three years later I feel like I am part of a community that has a real passion … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: Alyssa Higgs
Lynn Jackson shows what National Nurses Week is all about
By Gordon Williams Lynn Jackson (left) and Denise Smith (right) are volunteer nurses serving the Red Cross in King County National Nurses Week runs from May 6-12 in 2019. The event honors the nation’s four million registered nurses — many of whom serve as volunteers or professionals with the Red Cross. One such nurse is … Continue reading Lynn Jackson shows what National Nurses Week is all about
Jenny and Anja share multi-national Red Cross cultures in Ellensburg
By Gordon Williams There are Red Cross and Red Crescent chapters in 190 countries around the world, and no two chapters do things exactly the same way. So the Red Cross that 16-year-old Anja Micko sees in Ellensburg WA, where she is an exchange student, is very different from the Red Cross she is part … Continue reading Jenny and Anja share multi-national Red Cross cultures in Ellensburg
WANTED: Volunteers in Grays Harbor County
Step up to help Grays Harbor County respond! By Mark Walker, Red Cross Volunteer Mike Michener, at the scene of the DuPont train derailment in 2017. Michener is one of just a very few volunteers based in Grays Harbor County, where he hopes to recruit reinforcements from the local community. The pulse of the American … Continue reading WANTED: Volunteers in Grays Harbor County
A Super Busy Week for Seattle Volunteer Kristina Duca
By Gordon Williams Kristina Duca of West Seattle was already an avid volunteer before she first came to the American Red Cross two-and-a-half years ago. Because she loves animals, she spends her Saturdays helping at the Seattle Animal Shelter and also volunteers at Bulldog Haven Northwest. That’s an organization that finds adoptive homes for English … Continue reading A Super Busy Week for Seattle Volunteer Kristina Duca
How Diane Burnett Brings Comfort to Hard-Hit Disaster Survivors
By Gordon Williams, Red Cross Volunteer Most Red Cross volunteers deployed to a disaster scene are sent to help feed and house the victims. When Diane Burnett of Seattle was sent recently to tornado-ravaged Alabama, her concern was more the mental health than the physical needs of disaster victims. A swarm of three dozen tornadoes … Continue reading How Diane Burnett Brings Comfort to Hard-Hit Disaster Survivors
The Witherspoons do a bit of everything for the Red Cross
By Gordon Williams Melody and Wiley at the CSEW Chapter, March 2019 Wiley and Melodie Witherspoon of Richland WA are volunteers in the Central and Southeast Washington Chapter of the Red Cross, headquartered in Kennewick WA - one of seven chapters that make up the Red Cross Northwest Region. It takes the Witherspoons quite a … Continue reading The Witherspoons do a bit of everything for the Red Cross
Volunteering from Washington to Mexico and back again
NW Region Volunteers stand with fellow Red Crossers in Cihuatlán, Mexico By Emily Thornton They wanted to get away from it all, as they have for the last four years on their trip to San Patricio, Mexico — but found themselves in the familiar position of helping people in need. American Red Cross volunteers Terry … Continue reading Volunteering from Washington to Mexico and back again
American Red Cross NW Region 