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Volunteers in Action

Watch this space to see how your friends and neighbors are making a difference every day.

"You know you are truly a part of the Red Cross when you find you're getting back more than you're giving."

-Margaret Loos

A lifetime of service

"I started working for the Red Cross in 1935. When the war began, we began to think what might happen at home. Our local chapter identified sites that might be vulnerable to attack and set up units to protect those areas. Pearl Harbor was attacked on a Sunday. I received the call at home to go into action. Inside 90 minutes, all of the units were in place. It would have been chaotic if we had not been prepared. The Red Cross responded much the same way after September 11. Within a few hours of the attack, well-trained volunteers traveled to New York to assist disaster victims. The Red Cross is still in need of volunteers even when the United States isn't involved in a war. We give people all the training and skills they need as volunteers; everyone can help. I still love to speak about the Red Cross. So many people have talent you can recognize. They think they can't do something, and the next thing they know, they're taking responsibility for important work. You know when you are truly a part of the Red Cross. You find you're getting back more than you're giving."

Margaret Loos has given more than six decades of service to the American Red Cross. In 1935 she was appointed director of "Roll Call", the fundraising arm of the Red Cross. During World War Ii, she helped to develop many programs, including the Motor Corps, Dietitian Aids, Staff Aids, Canteen Service, Junior Red Cross and Service to Military Families. Margaret retired in 1972 and since then has spent 30 years as a volunteer. She is currently a Clement Trustee and works to safeguard the Clement Mansion, the historic site of the Greater Buffalo Chapter on Delaware Avenue. For all her work, the Margaret C. Loos library in the Clement house was named in her honor.

"Working with and helping people are what I really enjoy."

--Alberta Searl

Collecting blood to save lives

"I donated blood for the first time in 1944. That's how I first got interested in the Red Cross. After I retired, I saw an ad in the paper that said the Red Cross was looking for volunteers. That was in 1987, and ever since I have been with the Red Cross. The blood part has always been the most interesting for me. We can't get along without blood. For 15 years I worked with the Bloodmobile, doing about eight blood drives every month. Working with and helping people are what I really enjoy. There was one gentleman who gave 30 gallons of blood over the years. I gave him coffee after many of those donations. Making sure those important donors get their pins after donating 15 or 30 gallons is also important to me. That kind of thing brings me satisfaction. It also makes me feel good when people appreciate the work we are doing. I know I am just a small part of what our whole crew is doing. I enjoy coming into the office because the people here are very nice. I'm 83 and I've been working my whole life. I need to be busy."

Alberta Searl worked blood drives for 15 years, logging between 1,000 and 1,500 hours of service each year. She served as blood chairman and coordinated the drives. She still helps out at some blood drives and works as a receptionist at the Olean branch of the American Red Cross two days a week. On weekends she works with the Armed Forces Emergency Services. Alberta's 15 years of devoted service to the American Red Cross have helped to save lives and reduce the suffering of others.

"The greatest reward of this job is just to see someone smile, especially someone who doesn't normally have visitors."

--Ray Boehm

Providing comfort and friendship

"When I retired from the West Seneca Development Center in 1993, I knew I couldn't sit around. Getting out and doing something was important. I was looking for something to do with human services. The Red Cross ombudsman program seemed to be a good fit. The job calls for being able to observe what is happening in a facility, but not with the attitude that you are going to 'catch' people doing something wrong. It is to provide service to the residents. It is important to understand the system. You have to know how to build relationships. You have to know how to get results. Sometimes it seems like nothing major, but if a call bell isn't being answered, or someone's toenails aren't being clipped, a small service can mean a great deal to the person needing help. I get great pleasure from the positive responses I get from residents. Some people can't speak, but I can see a twinkle in their eye as I visit with them. I know I can't change the world, but I can help to improve lives."

Ray Boehm has been a Red Cross ombudsman for seven years at Rosa Coplin, a long-term care facility. He makes sure that the residents have what they need to live comfortable and enjoyable lives. Ray's care and friendship makes a difference in the lives of many.

"The Red Cross saved my life."

--Marja Nordman

War: Through the eyes of a Child

"I was born in Finland in 1937, my sister Irma was born three years later. No one would have guessed that by the time I was six that I would be moving away. Russia started bombing Helsinki in 1943. I remember the first bombing raid; my sister and I were wrapped in a blanket and taken to the basement. I recall my mother making jokes to calm us. My parents found out about a Finnish Red Cross program that sent children to Sweden until the end of the war. We gathered at the post office one night and had identification pictures taken before we boarded a train. I remember my mother running alongside the train until she couldn't see us anymore. I was crying, I knew my life was going to change. Two days later we arrived in Sweden. We were taken to a hospital there and then to a church in Ostersund City, where we slept in pews. My sister and I were so scared, and we missed our parents immensely. The next day we met our "Red Cross" parents. They were farmers, and signed up only for one girl but I wouldn't let go of my sister, so they took her too. We lived on their farm for two years. Our Swedish parents treated us wonderfully, we were able to celebrate Christmas, and learned Swedish quickly. I remember eating well there, cookies, fresh sausage, and bread. The war ended in 1945, and our parents had survived. Our Red Cross parents bought my sister and me new coats and purses for our trip back to Finland. I'm ashamed to say I had practically forgotten my natural parents. I recognized my mom at the train station just by the hat she was wearing. We didn't recall how to speak Finnish so we were only able to communicate with my father, who knew Swedish. We did learn Finnish again and were able to start a new life as a family."

Marja Nordman was born on November 4, 1937 to Torsten Nordman, an artist and commercial painter, and to Irja Nordman. Her sister Irma was born three years later. John and Marta Goransson adopted the two girls temporarily in Sweden.

"There isn't one day that I am not grateful as to why I am here and who professionally trained me to protect the lives of others."

-Jill Caccamise

22 Years of Service

"My years with the American Red Cross have awarded me emotionally and allowed me to give back what was not taken from me many years ago. It started with the near drowning of my daughter, Kary, who was four years old at the time. She was participating in swim lessons at the Kenmore Pool. Certified Lifeguards were on staff but did not see her struggling to stay afloat. Numerous parents yelled through the eight foot fence trying to get the attention of any one of the four lifeguards on duty. We were all unsuccessful. At that moment, I reacted as I believe any mother would have done. I scaled the fence and entered the pool fully clothed and saved my daughter's life. Since that day I have pledged that no one would ever go through what I did. I started training at the American Red Cross and took every available course in Aquatics and Health and Safety Services. 22 years later, I possess current basic level courses in Lifeguard Training, Professional Rescuer, CPR, AED, Standard First Aid, WSI with Instructorship in the above as well. As long as the American Red Cross Instructor trainers continue to provide me with the expertise I need to save lives I will continue my pledge and train others on how to save lives."

Jill Caccamise is currently employed with the City of North Tonawanda Department of Youth Recreation and Parks. She serves as the swimming pool director, running three facilities and employing more than 40 lifeguards.

"When people have lost almost everything they have, and you give them back something, you can see the appreciation in their faces."

--Paula Shaver

The Christmas Angel

"I have always been interested in CPR and first aid. I started volunteering because I knew I would have the ability to save lives, and that's an amazing feeling. But sometimes, just being there for someone can be even more rewarding. A few years ago, the home of a local family burned down. Everything was lost, including the son's Christmas presents. We provided the family with the necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter. But it really bothered me that this little boy would have no Christmas presents that year, after all that he'd already lost. I wanted to do more. So, after a bit of "finagling", I was able to provide the parents with a $400 gift card. When people have lost almost everything they have, and you give them back something, you can see the appreciation in their faces. The look on the faces of those parents was incredible, and I admit: I felt like a superhero at that moment. And I was truly touched when they came to the annual Red Cross volunteer banquet to personally thank me in front of the entire room."

Paula Shaver has been a Red Cross volunteer for nearly 20 years. A member of the disaster action team, she teaches CPR. Thanks to Paula's willingness to share her knowledge, countless lives have been saved and she has made many faces "light up".

"It seems as though everyone who works as a volunteer feels rewarded."

--Kate Silsby

Blood for the Future

"We have been 'blood people' since World War II when we both gave blood. We work at blood drives to help prepare people to give blood and assist them afterward. One of the most rewarding experiences is meeting so many young people at the high schools where we help with blood drives. It gives a lot of hope for the future to see young people who are so serious about helping others. At the blood site in Tonawanda, many of the donors have become like old friends. We talk about our lives, our experiences. That is a pleasurable thing. Another wonderful thing about the Red Cross is that none of this work would go on it if weren't for the volunteers. It seems that everyone who is a volunteer feels rewarded. We've also traveled quite a bit, and have seen that as volunteers with one chapter of the Red Cross, we're part of something larger; we're helping more than just right here at home."

Bob and Kate Silsby have been involved with the Red Cross since World War II. They currently work at the blood collection site on Board Street in Tonawanda. Bob and Kate also go to local high schools and churches to help with blood drives. Thanks to Bob and Kate, the American Red Cross can keep up it's blood supply to be ready for disasters and emergencies.

"Knowing that you are a positive force at a devastating moment is...incredible."

--Michael McGee

Making a difference in thousands of lives

"I was in Puerto Rico to help the victims of the hurricane of 1998. It was shocking: no electricity, no water and tremendous damage. But the people and the landscape made it a beautiful place to be. I saw so much devastation and yet, at the same time, so much beauty. I knew I was making a difference in thousands of lives, and this made the beauty shine through. The interesting thing about volunteering is meeting other volunteers. You have to have something a bit different about you to be a volunteer, and that is what makes volunteers so incredible. Victims who have lost everything - their homes, lifetimes of memories - are sometimes very quiet, often in shock. At that point, you are their advocate; you help them get the help they need. I believe we should all do our part to help the world be a better place by volunteering."

Michael McGee is a volunteer for the Greater Buffalo Red Cross Chapter and a member of the disaster action team. A retiree of the Erie County Department of Planning Sewerage Management, Mike has been "away" for more than 120 days since he started volunteering in 1997. And that doesn't include the countless local disasters he's been called to.

If you are a  volunteer with the Greater Buffalo Chapter and would like to add your Volunteer in Action story, please e-mail Kyle Ailinger at mailto:ailingerk@usa.redcross.org?subject=Volunteer%20In%20Action or call (716) 878-2363.