Volunteer Donna Forbes is driven to share with others

By Katie Baneck, American Red Cross

Donna Forbes has been an American Red Cross volunteer since 1999. But her service to other people goes back much farther.

“I grew up in a family where I learned from example that no matter how little you had, you shared with those that had even less,” Forbes said.

What started as odd jobs around the office later turned into casework for the Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) area of the Red Cross. Donna’s casework with the SAF began while her husband was serving in the Reserves, making the role a natural fit for her.

As time went on, she decided to branch out and work with the Disaster Action Team, bringing comfort to those affected by some of life’s unimaginable hardships. 

As an educator, Donna took advantage of her network of students and their families. She held fundraisers for the Red Cross and shared its vision with her school community. Donna believed it was important to teach her students about social responsibility and the positive impact they could make within their community through volunteering and philanthropy.

Donna started doing casework for the Red Cross Disaster Services while living at MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa, Fla. It was here she witnessed firsthand accounts of the poor living situations people can be left to after surviving a disaster. Being a caseworker enabled Donna to assist with improving the well-being of people in the community by working with them to develop recovery plans. She found this work most crucial in the first few days following a disaster, when her clients were still experiencing the shock and abruptness from their situations.

Eventually moving to Wisconsin, Donna became a Casework Supervisor. This role exposed her to many new people within the Red Cross volunteer community. Donna found it rewarding being surrounded by dedicated, like-minded people all fighting for the Red Cross mission. While she finds it uplifting to be part of such an inspiring community, Donna was honest about the frustrations one can experience as a volunteer.

“I think it is not being able to do more” for people in crisis, she said.

In any organization, volunteers are limited in their reach. While the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way in which Red Cross volunteers are able to perform their acts of service and get help to the community, people like Donna are still putting in the work and driving the mission forward.

Find a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests, passions and schedule. Visit redcross.org/VolunteerToday and join dedicated volunteers like Donna.

Donate with Red Cross to help ensure a diverse blood supply

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Sept. 11, 2020) – The American Red Cross needs people of all races and ethnicities to give blood to help ensure a blood supply as diverse as the patients who depend on it.

For a small percentage of the population, finding someone else with the same blood type can be difficult. While the vast majority of people have types A, B, O or AB blood, some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so a diverse blood supply is important to meeting the medical needs of a diverse patient population. Patients who require frequent blood transfusions as part of their treatment, like those with sickle cell disease or other lifelong blood disorders, often need close blood type matches to prevent complications from their transfusion therapy.

Mark Thomas, American Red Cross – Wisconsin Region CEO, smiles behind his mask as he makes a life-saving blood donation during an August drive in Milwaukee.

All blood types are needed to ensure that the right blood product is available at the right time for all patients.

Make an appointment to donate by downloading the free Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device. Blood drives are also essential in helping ensure blood is available for patients this winter. To learn more and sign up to host a blood drive this fall or winter, visit RedCrossBlood.org/HostADrive. 

Important COVID-19 information for donors

The Red Cross is testing blood, platelet and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies. The test may indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to this coronavirus, regardless of whether they developed symptoms. Red Cross antibody tests will be helpful to identify individuals who have COVID-19 antibodies and may qualify to be convalescent plasma donors. Convalescent plasma is a type of blood donation collected from COVID-19 survivors that have antibodies that may help patients who are actively fighting the virus. Donors can expect to receive the results of their antibody test within 7 to 10 days through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or the donor portal at RedCrossBlood.org.

The Red Cross is not testing donors to diagnose illness, referred to as a diagnostic test. To protect the health and safety of Red Cross staff and donors, it is important that individuals who do not feel well or believe they may be ill with COVID-19 postpone donation.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and additional precautions – including temperature checks, social distancing and face coverings for donors and staff – have been implemented to help protect the health of all those in attendance. Donors are asked to schedule an appointment prior to arriving at the drive and are required to wear a face covering or mask while at the drive, in alignment with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention public guidance.  

For media interest:

• Northwest Wisconsin: Sue Thesenga at susan.thesenga@redcross.org
• The rest of Wisconsin & the western U.P. of Michigan: Laura McGuire at laura.mcguire@redcross.org

Annual membership notice for Southeast Wisconsin Chapter of the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross – Southeast Wisconsin Chapter is inviting all eligible members to join our annual membership meeting at 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020.

Membership is open to anyone who has made a monetary contribution, performed volunteer service and/or donated blood to the American Red Cross. The purpose of membership is to promote community understanding, commitment and support of the Red Cross mission and services.

This annual meeting will be led by the Board of Directors of the Southeast Chapter and will include election of officers as well as regular business updates.

This meeting will be held virtually via Microsoft Teams, out of a continuing abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For an invitation to the meeting or other questions, reach out to Regional CEO and Southeast Wisconsin Chapter Executive Mark Thomas at mark.thomas3@redcross.org

Lloyd Seawright is engaged, busy — and ready for even more

By Nicole Sandler, American Red Cross

It was fifteen years ago around this very time that Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Louisiana coast and pummeled the city of New Orleans. Lloyd Seawright, a current American Red Cross volunteer based out of Milwaukee, shares harrowing tales involving several of his family members directly impacted by Katrina.

“My mom is from New Orleans and was living there in 2005 when Katrina hit. Although she was trapped by the storm she survived,” recounted Seawright. “But I lost several family members including my grandmother and my great uncle to the disaster.”

Lloyd Seawright while helping others at a disaster shelter.

His elderly grandmother was living in a convalescent home and couldn’t get out in time. According to Seawright, she actually floated out of the facility and was located through the help of Red Cross ham radio operators. His great uncle was never found.

After experiencing the fear and heartbreak of that natural disaster, Seawright made a vow to himself that one day he would help others who might be in such a situation. And he is making good on his promise.

In 2013 Seawright registered to volunteer with the Red Cross and has jumped at every opportunity to get involved. He’s participated in a range of trainings, all to provide him the chance to respond, help others, and eventually perhaps to save lives.

“I’ve been able to get involved with the Red Cross on many levels all across the board, and I continue to be ready to do whatever is needed of me,” he said.

In the past several years Seawright has responded to the destructive flooding in Burlington and Waterford, as well as the major fire in Bayside last year that displaced more than one hundred residents. He also participated in Red Cross fundraising campaigns to support the recovery from Hurricane Florence’s devastation in 2018.

You can be a hero to veterans, families displaced by fire, blood donors and more. Join our volunteer teams. Find the volunteer opportunity for you at redcross.org/volunteer.

Seawright explains that he enjoys his Red Cross volunteer work because it provides him with the continuous opportunity to learn and operate within the ranks of the Red Cross. He appreciates the education he’s gained and the chance to work across different teams in different ways – from sheltering and fundraising to lifesaving and disaster response. The one major box he has yet to check is deployment. Seawright’s training and skills are matched by his desire to one day deploy to a national or international disaster site.

Lloyd Seawright gives two-thumbs up after a smoke alarm installation event in 2019.

Seawright’s non-volunteer work keeps him busy, and there’s a common thread across his various activities. A former member of the Marine Corps Reserve; he demonstrates a call to duty in everything he pursues. By day he works in emergency management where he instructs and evaluates individuals training to become EMTs. He’s also passionate about his job as a lifeguard at Atwater Beach, a public beach located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Shorewood, Wisc. His medical training, lifesaving and open water skills make him especially suited for that work.

When asked his thoughts regarding the current global pandemic, Seawright expresses concern for the toll it is taking on mental health. The isolation factor many are experiencing is particularly troubling.

“I’m not a doom and gloom kind of person,” he said, “but I do worry about how the loss of normal milestones like going back to school or celebrating birthdays and weddings with friends will impact many people, especially kids.”

For now, Seawright continues to stay optimistic and focus on the Red Cross volunteer activities that come his way. And more than anything, he looks forward to getting the call to deploy to serve as a Red Cross volunteer on a national mission.

Fore-ward!: the 2020 Red Cross Heroes Classic tees off today

In an abundance of caution, the American Red Cross has made the decision to re-imagine our annual Community Heroes Golf Outings in Green Bay and Madison.

Both of the golf outings will still take place, however, the outings will be spread out over a three week period: Tuesday, September 1st – Tuesday, September 22nd. In addition to the fun on the course, part of our event will be going virtual.

We will be hosting an online auction, honoring community heroes and providing the opportunity to help support the life-saving mission of the American Red Cross.

During this three-week period, you can visit the event website to:

• Bid on silent auction items
• Donate to the American Red Cross and participate in the $30,000 matching donation opportunity, sponsored by Lea Culver and Sarah Dressel
• View inspiring Red Cross hero stories — videos will be posted one at a time throughout the event
• Learn more about how your support can make a direct impact on the people whom the Red Cross serves.

Stay tuned for more information and messages throughout the event. For now, visit the Red Cross Heroes Classic website, check out the silent auction, and start your bidding!

Find all the info in one place at the Red Cross Heroes Classic Website.