1. The Armed Forces Emergency Services Award is presented to a volunteer who has made outstanding contributions in the Chapter’s effort to assist more than 6,000 military personnel and their families each year.

• Yvonne Hill (St. Louis, MO) has volunteered with the Red Cross for the past seven years and has coordinated responsibilities for the Chapter’s Military Entrance Processing Station since February, 2004. Through this program, Yvonne ensures that every military member in our service area completes a family notification card so the Red Cross is able to send critical information in the event of an emergency. With 3,200 newly enlisted service members each year, the job requires efficiency and accuracy.

2. The Charles R. Drew Blood Services Award recognizes the volunteer who most exemplifies Dr. Drew’s commitment to our nation’s blood supply through their dedicated efforts at blood drives.

• Helen Caplan (St. Louis, MO) has been volunteering at Red Cross blood drives for the past 28 years. Today, Helen can be found at the North County donor center every Thursday, greeting blood donors at the door and graciously providing food and drinks. Helen is the friendly face that people recognize year after year.

3. The Disaster Services Award is presented to a volunteer who has made a significant impact on the lives of disaster victims, including the more than 1,000 local families who lose their homes to fire each year and receive food, clothing and other disaster relief support from the Red Cross.

• Linda and Giles Culver (Collinsville, IL) were inspired to become Red Cross volunteers in the days following September 11. This husband and wife team has responded to 9 national disaster assignments, deploying to locations such as North Carolina, Kentucky, southeast Missouri and Florida on multiple occasions. Following Hurricane Charley in 2004, Linda and Giles deployed to Florida for 30 straight days to assist in the recovery effort. The couple is also active with the local Disaster Action Team, help staff blood drives, give disaster preparedness presentations and assist with administrative duties at the Metro East Service Center in Fairview Heights, IL.

4. The Good Neighbor Award is presented to an individual or organization outside the Red Cross for making important contributions throughout the community in support of the St. Louis Area Chapter.

• Parc Lorraine Blood Team (St. Louis, MO) was formed following World War II and team members have been volunteering at Red Cross blood drives since that time. Named after the neighborhood in which it was formed, the team is now comprised of nine members and staffs three to four blood drives each month. Current members include June Crowley, Laverne Dillon, Norma Koerner, Ellamay Rall, Marcella Reinheimer, Barb Shurtz, Marge Simon, Mary Lou Venker and Kathleen Warth.

5. The Health and Safety Services Award is presented to a volunteer for teaching the vital skills necessary to save a life, helping the Chapter reach more than 84,000 local residents with First Aid and CPR training each year.

• Jim May (Florissant, MO) has been providing lifeguard training, First Aid, CPR and Learn to Swim lessons at the James Eagan Community Center for 50 years. Every Saturday, from October through February, Jim coordinates a swimming program for the Boy Scouts of America. Utilizing a volunteer staff of 10 to 15 instructors, Jim and his team have taught over 17,000 Boy Scouts how to swim.

6. The Honor Award recognizes an individual for continued volunteer commitment, performance and impact in the community.

• Bettina Huston (Belleville, IL) has been volunteering for the Red Cross for nine years and currently serves as the Hospital Volunteer Chairman for the 375th Medical Group at Scott Air Force Base. In this role, Bettina is responsible for coordinating, recruiting, placing and training more than 150 hospital volunteers.
• Curt Overbey (St. Louis, MO) began volunteering in Emergency Services ten years ago and is especially dedicated to teaching Community Disaster Education throughout the community. Over the previous year, Curt taught 20 people to become Community Disaster Education instructors and these instructors have in turn taught more than 11,900 individuals the importance of preparing for the unexpected.
• Tonda Van Hoose (Belleville, IL) dedicates nearly 40 hours every week to the Metro East Service Center in Fairview Heights, IL. That’s more than 6,000 total hours since she began volunteering in 2002. Tonda has been deployed on seven national disaster assignments, which typically last as long as three weeks and involve 12 to 14 hour work days.
• Barb Whitworth (St. Louis, MO) has made First Aid, CPR and water safety instruction her life’s work. After teaching health and safety classes at Wydown Junior High, Barb moved to Clayton High School in 1989 where she began teaching Red Cross aquatics and First Aid to more than 350 students and teachers each year. Barb retired from teaching last spring after a 28-year career and continues to serve as a dedicated Red Cross Health and Safety instructor.
• Mike Wood (Granite City, IL) has been an active Red Cross Health and Safety instructor for four years, training more than 400 people in CPR, First Aid and Pet First Aid throughout the Metro East area. Most recently, Mike was instrumental in providing assistance during the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief effort as more than 5,700 evacuees made their way to the St. Louis metropolitan area.

7. The Nurse Award is presented to an outstanding registered nurse who has strengthened nursing services through their volunteer contributions.

• Carol Daniels (St. Louis, MO) has volunteered for the St. Louis Area Chapter Disaster Health Team for the past year and a half, reviewing health status records for emergency services volunteers to make sure they are eligible for national assignment. Carol’s nursing expertise and professionalism are essential to providing swift and efficient disaster relief in a time of need.

8. The Partnership Award is presented to a volunteer in recognition of their extraordinary cooperative working relationship.

• Sergeant Carol Dieckman (Warrenton, MO) is a 15-year veteran of the Warrenton Police Department and has been a dedicated St. Charles County volunteer for nearly 10 years, serving as the Red Cross liaison between the Service Center and various Warren County agencies. Over the years, serving as a Health and Safety instructor, Sergeant Dieckman has helped more than 5,000 people learn important CPR and First Aid skills.

9. The School and Community Award recognizes schools, individual youths, youth groups or adult youth leaders who have strengthened health and safety practices in the school environment and throughout the community.

• The John Burroughs School has hosted a Red Cross YouthCorps group for the past two years. YouthCorps is a youth group designed for high school students and develops leadership skills by encouraging students to share knowledge with peers through peer-to-peer educational opportunities. John Burroughs School has a particularly dynamic group of youth – the 16 active members volunteered over 240 hours last year. This volunteer work has resulted in fundraising for the Measles Initiative and donations of gifts to a needy family during the holiday season. The group members are certified in First Aid, CPR and AED skills, have assembled emergency response backpacks for their classmates and have developed a disaster preparedness presentation for an audience of 650 students.

10. The Volunteer of the Year Award honors the volunteer with the single most profound impact on Red Cross programs and services over the previous year.

• Rick Stevenson (Chesterfield, MO) joined the American Red Cross five years ago, beginning his volunteer work shortly after retiring from a career in commercial real estate. Rick began his volunteer service with the local Disaster Action Team and was soon promoted to Team Leader, responding on the scene of local disasters to assist families in their recovery effort and provide support for emergency personnel. Rick has been deployed on four national disaster assignments, including service at Ground Zero in the aftermath of September 11.  Rick has served as Chair of the Emergency Services Committee of the Board of Directors and has represented the Chapter as a leadership volunteer at various state and national meetings. He was instrumental in developing Prepare Greater St. Louis, a strategic five-year initiative to increase individual preparedness and Red Cross readiness throughout the metropolitan area. Most recently, Rick helped open an expanded Red Cross client assistance center to accommodate more than 5,700 evacuees following Hurricane Katrina. This center housed the disaster relief operation, which provided emergency food, clothing, shelter and mental health counseling to those who lost their homes in Louisiana and Mississippi.

11. The Youth Award is presented to an outstanding Red Cross youth volunteer (21 years of age or under), who has made significant contributions to their community through the Red Cross.

• Michael Wilson (St. Louis, MO) is a senior at Hazelwood High School and has dedicated nearly 300 volunteer hours to Friday YouthCorps, a Red Cross club that meets weekly at Chapter headquarters. Michael is also the President of the Youth Advisory Board, the guiding body for YouthCorps. As one of the youngest members of the Chapter’s Board of Directors, Michael excels at highlighting issues that are important to today’s youth.

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