Red Cross Is You Stories

Susanne Shepherd, More Than 50 Years of Service

Susanne Shepherd has been involved with the Red Cross for over 50 years. In 1950, while attending John Burroughs High School, Susanne first got the itch to volunteer. "My mother was a Red Cross volunteer and she signed me up to serve Thanksgiving meals downtown for service men during the Korean War," Susanne recalled. "Ever since I can remember I liked to help people."

Marti Lanese was first exposed to Red Cross programs at the age of six when she enrolled in swimming lessons. By high school, she was a Senior Red Cross Lifesaver and later, a water safety instructor. Over the years, Marti's fondness for the Red Cross has grown. In January 2002, following the tragic events of September 11th, Marti was inspired to join the St. Louis Area Chapter's Clara Barton Society.

After dedicating 37 years to the Spanish Lake Fire Department, 27 years spent as chief, Larry Boyer knows first-hand the important role the Red Cross plays on the scene of a disaster. "I got involved because of how much the Red Cross helped me and what they would do for the affected families," said Larry. A volunteer for two and a half years, Larry started his work within the arena he was most familiar with, the Disaster Action Team (DAT).

Danielle became a YouthCorps volunteer for the St. Louis Area Chapter in 2006. As a Fox High School student, she wanted to get involved in a service organization and do things to help make her community a better place to live. Since one didn't exist at her school, Danielle played a key role in founding a YouthCorp group at Fox High School and involved many of her friends."The great thing about volunteering with the Red Cross is that you can do anything you want to do and the Red Cross will help you fulfill your goal," said Danielle.

On the Front Lines with Vinod Sivadas

While most people spend their Saturdays running errands, doing chores around the house, or just relaxing, Vinod Sivadas can be found on call in the Disaster Action Team (DAT) staging area at the St. Louis Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, ready to respond if a fire, storm, flood or other disaster should hit his community. He's been doing this every weekend since 2005.

Why has Mary Jo Blackwood devoted much of the past 35 years to volunteering with the American Red Cross? It’s really quite simple. “I’ve been out there and seen what we do and we are doing great things,” she explained. Mary Jo first began volunteering with the American Red Cross in Dayton, Ohio. After four years with the organization, she decided to take a CPR and First Aid Course. “As I went through the class, I remember thinking this would be fun to teach, and I’ve always loved teaching,” she said. So, Mary Jo continued taking classes to become a certified health and safety instructor for the Red Cross.

As the sister of a marine who has served three tours of duty in Iraq, Kelly Battley understands how important her Red Cross volunteer work is to the individuals and families she serves through the Service to Armed Forces (SAF) program. “When my brother was deployed, we would not hear from him for weeks,” she said “If something serious were to happen, we had an avenue to reach him through the Red Cross. I know from personnel experience that when there is an emergency, you’re in an information vacuum. The personal connection and follow-up of this service is incredibly important.”

In 1993, as the St. Louis region was hit with devastating floods, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter made a television appeal, seeking volunteers to help those affected by the disaster. Janie immediately picked up the phone to volunteer her time and personally help the thousands of her neighbors affected by the flood.

Karen Leonard became a Red Cross volunteer in 2001, but her connection to the Red Cross mission goes back many years. Karen, a registered nurse, frequently found herself treating patients for preventable injuries. “In the back of my mind, I always thought that had these people been trained in First Aid or disaster preparedness, they wouldn’t be sitting in front of me needing medical treatment,” she explained. “I knew there were organizations in our community that taught preparedness skills and I thought I could be of service.”

At only 18 years old, Ariana Mooradian is more than just a YouthCorps member, she is an essential piece of the Red Cross puzzle. Three years ago, as a high school sophomore, Ariana began searching for volunteer opportunities. She wanted to find an organization she could commit to that also offered various types of volunteer activities. The American Red Cross YouthCorps offered just that.

Lorraine Siebert is dedicating her golden years to helping other area seniors lead their own independent lives. She has been an American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter volunteer for five years and works within the Chapter’s health and safety department with Lifeline – a Personal Emergency Response System (PERS). Subscribers wear Lifeline monitors as a wristband or a pendant. If the client needs help, they simply push the button on the monitor. A Lifeline operator is immediately notified and starts calling numbers on a predetermined list. If no one is available, the operator dispatches emergency personnel.

RaSheda Hodges has been a volunteer HIV/AIDS education instructor for the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter since 2001. She is passionate about HIV/AIDS outreach and education in the St. Louis community. As a Case Manager for the Saint Louis University New Hope Clinic, Rasheda brings a wealth of professional experience to her role as a volunteer instructor for the Red Cross.

Jackie Rahm, a Red Cross volunteer instructor who helps the St. Louis Area Chapter train more than 85,000 people each year in CPR, first aid and automated external defibrillators (AEDs), never expected to use those skills to save the life of her own husband. But that’s exactly what happened on August 13, 2006.

For retired naval master chief, Clara Barton Society member and volunteer extraordinaire, Jim Sisson, the Red Cross has been a way of life for more than fifty years. Jim’s first involvement with the Red Cross took place during his college days at the University of Missouri-Rolla. “I ran the blood drives with a fellow volunteer nicknamed ‘Bloody Mary’,” Jim chuckled.

Megan Gornet is not a typical member of the Clara Barton Society, a group comprised of charitable donors who give $1,000 or more to the Red Cross annually. Not only is she the youngest member at 16 years old, she also became a member in a unique and touching way. At her parents urging, the MICDS student asked guests of her 16th birthday party to make contributions to the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter in lieu of gifts. Megan’s friends and family contributed over $1,000 to the Chapter in her honor.

Disasters Bring Out the Best of Us

A 30-year Teamster from St. Louis, Roy has long understood the importance of helping others in the community. As a member of the union's Human Rights Commission, he received a personal request from Mr. Jim Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, to assist with rescue and recovery efforts in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina. Assigned to the American National Red Cross Disaster Relief Headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Roy spent 30 consecutive weeks supervising a team of 32 Red Cross volunteers and 20 refrigerated trailers that were sent to the Gulf Coast from across the country. With decades of experience in transportation and logistics, he quickly became a trusted leader in the Red Cross disaster relief effort.

In 2002, Merle Blundon of St. Charles County became an active member of her church’s shelter team. The Living Lord Lutheran congregation of Lake St. Louis provides Red Cross training for its members on how to function properly as a disaster shelter. Merle attended shelter training at the St. Charles County Red Cross Service Center and was inspired by the many ways she could give back to her community. “Before I knew it, I was involved,” she said. In the ensuing four short years, Merle has become a skilled and diversified volunteer with the St. Charles County Service Center.

Clara Barton Society members Peggy McGrath and Pat Terrio have had a personal relationship with the St. Louis Area Chapter for quite some time. Aside from being regular blood donors and health and safety training participants, Peggy and Pat’s fathers played a major role in the couple’s fondness for the Red Cross.

Judy and Harvey Harris, two of St. Louis’ most prominent community volunteers, have been proud supporters, donors, and proponents of the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter for over a decade. “When we first became involved with the Red Cross, right away we learned that services are needed 24/7, 365-days a year,” remarks Judy. “It’s an organization for everyone in the community to participate in and benefit from.”

Renee Washington has been volunteering with the St. Louis Area Chapter since 2004 and she has already been deployed on five national Disaster Services Human Resources (DSHR) assignments. Her most recent deployment came in the hours following Hurricane Katrina. Renee was sent to Miami, FL, where she met one-on-one with hurricane victims in their homes, listened to each person’s needs and then provided funds for food, shelter, clothing and other immediate necessities. To many people, Renee was a hero. She compassionately listened to each person in their time of need and helped them begin their recovery process.

When Skip Bryant retired from the United States Air Force after 25 years, he decided to devote his free time to the Red Cross as a disaster volunteer. Fourteen years later, Skip is still at it, volunteering several hours a month for the St. Louis Area Chapter.

Bob Schenk began volunteering with the St. Louis Area Chapter in 1991 during the Gulf War. Bob, a war veteran, remembered the Red Cross from his days in the Navy and was inspired to volunteer with the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services team. In this role, both active duty and community-based military can count on Red Cross volunteers like Bob to provide emergency communications that link them with their families back home, as well as access to financial assistance and counseling.

When Gloria Besterfield was a senior in high school, her father asked if she would like to donate blood with him at an American Red Cross blood drive. Gloria's father was a regular blood donor and he encouraged Gloria to make blood donation a priority in her life as well.

Tom Richardson first visited the Jefferson County Service Center in 2000 to pick up blankets for a family who had recently lost their home to a fire. While talking to Service Center supervisor, Omar Ruiz, Tom decided to make a bigger commitment to fire victims in his community. He signed up to be a Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteer and within the week, Tom, his wife Cheryl, their two sons, Keith and James and their daughter in-laws, Shanna and Katie were all registered volunteers.

Red Cross volunteer Jim May, became a lifeguard when he was 15 years old.He has been volunteering as a Red Cross health and safety instructor ever since, providing lifeguard training, CPR/First Aid training, and swimming lessons for 50 years. By day, Jim is an accountant but every Saturday, from October through February, Jim coordinates a Red Cross swimming program for the Boy Scouts of America. Leading a volunteer staff of 15 to 20 instructors, Jim and his team have taught over 17,000 Boy Scouts how to swim and be safe in the water.

To the staff of the Disaster Services department at Chapter Headquarters, Sandy Soll is a lifesaver - no pun intended. Each week, Sandy takes on more responsibility and has affectionately been deemed, Disaster Jane of All Trades.

Don Barkley, a grandfather of five and a great-grandfather of two, started volunteering for the Red Cross after his wife, Sally, found a Red Cross advertisement in a Fairview Heights newspaper. The ad was a call for new volunteers and Don felt compelled to respond. After retiring from the US Air Force, where he worked for 45 years, Don was ready to once again serve his country, this time through the Red Cross.

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