Ryan Rodin (left) and Alex Dieffenbach (right) deliver Disaster Emergency Supplies to Malden, WA By Gordon Williams Alex Dieffenbach, chief executive officer of the Red Cross Northwest Region, saw first-hand the severity and scale of damage in Malden WA — a tiny farming town near Spokane that lost everything to wildfire. The town hall, police … Continue reading Regional Executive tours WA Wildfire Country
Tracy Sheehy’s Whirlwind Trip from One Fire to Another
By Gordon Williams Red Cross volunteer Tracy Sheehy had just returned home from a two-week deployment to the California wildfires when she was asked to help at the fires sweeping through Washington. Now she is mass care manager for Red Cross sheltering operations in Federal Way and Puyallup where she works with shelter manager Richard … Continue reading Tracy Sheehy’s Whirlwind Trip from One Fire to Another
How Janice Chapman Shelters Clients from Wildfires and COVID19
By Gordon Williams Janice Chapman Red Cross volunteer Janice Chapman was warned on the afternoon of Sunday, September 6 that she might be deployed to a wildfire in Eastern Washington. The call to deploy came early the next morning. “I was just finishing my coffee,” Janice said. Within hours, she was on her way to … Continue reading How Janice Chapman Shelters Clients from Wildfires and COVID19
FINDING RED CROSS PARTNERS: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR KATHLEEN VOSS
By Gordon Williams The Red Cross mission of aiding disaster victims around the world can be so demanding that no single organization could be expected to carry it out alone. That’s why the American Red Cross relies on hundreds of corporate and foundation partners to help provide the money, volunteers and skills needed to carry … Continue reading FINDING RED CROSS PARTNERS: A NEW CHALLENGE FOR KATHLEEN VOSS
How Fran Adams managed a covid-19 deployment
Fran Adams (second from right) practicing social distancing at a meeting prior to opening a shelter in Newark, Delaware. August, 2020 By Gordon Williams If you ask Fran Adams of Olympia WA how many times she has deployed to disasters in 30 years as an American Red Cross volunteer, her usual answer is “too many … Continue reading How Fran Adams managed a covid-19 deployment
Jeff Conlee: Why I donate to the Red Cross
By Jennifer Astion Jeff Conlee is a Texas native with decades of experiences with the Red Cross. In 1967, Conlee was stationed on a Naval ship in Long Beach, CA. He learned that his grandmother, who had raised him and his two brothers, was gravely ill back in Texas. “I had just joined the Navy … Continue reading Jeff Conlee: Why I donate to the Red Cross
Norma Smith’s Red Cross memories go back seven decades
By Gordon Williams Volunteer Norma Smith of Bainbridge Island, WA first heard of the American Red Cross in 1943 when she was a 10-year-old growing up in Detroit. In letters back home from his military base, brother Kenneth wrote about the Red Cross serving him coffee and donuts. Kenneth, who later would die in World … Continue reading Norma Smith’s Red Cross memories go back seven decades
Northwest Washington chapter board members leave legacy
Dan Templeman, Darren Redick and current Board Chair, Rob Muszkiewicz, practice safe social distancing while saying goodbye and thank you for their years of Red Cross service By Kristin Alexander The Red Cross Northwest Washington Chapter board’s final meeting of the fiscal year was a literal, virtual success. Current and former board members and executive … Continue reading Northwest Washington chapter board members leave legacy
Why I Volunteer: John Baker
"What a wonderful world we live in."John Baker, Red Cross volunteer By Mark Walker There’s no “quit” in 79-year-old Red Cross volunteer John Baker. “I’ve got the body of a 20-year-old,” Baker said in all seriousness. After a more than 70-year relationship with the Red Cross, Baker’s seemingly boundless youthful energy and commitment to serving … Continue reading Why I Volunteer: John Baker
How the Red Cross will respond in a threatening wildfire season
By Gordon Williams “It is predicted,” says a Red Cross release, “that this year’s wildfire season is going to be more difficult than last due to the lack of late-season rain and snow.” So warmer and drier-than-normal conditions threaten to bring more, and more destructive, wildfires to Washington this summer. At the same time, the … Continue reading How the Red Cross will respond in a threatening wildfire season
American Red Cross NW Region 