Women's History Month: Fun CEO Q and A

Women’s History Month offers an important opportunity to honor the extraordinary women that have shaped our nation with their strength. Throughout the month, we’ve been honoring some of our women leaders with a series of fun Q and A videos.

Mary Barneby, CEO, American Red Cross in Greater NY

 

Stephanie Dunn Ashley, CEO, American Red Cross Metro NY North Chapter  

Neela Lockel, CEO, American Red Cross Long Island Chapter

Volunteering with the Red Cross: Hebah Ali

Hebah talks to a local resident
about fire safety in 2017.

Hebah Ali (Queens, N.Y.) shares about her work as an American Red Cross volunteer. 

Being a volunteer with the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign was a blessed opportunity for me to interact with our community and help them stay safe from fire accidents. 

Not only did I learn how to install the alarms in the right spots of the house, but we had to ensure that all the households and the families we visited were aware of causes of potential fire and that they had a strategy to escape just in two minutes if a fire ever broke out at their home.

The fire safety checklist and escape plan are available on the American Red Cross website. During shifts I would walk through the checklist with the home residents, demonstrate the potential risks and discuss solutions as we walked through their homes. I would also emphasize the use of the escape plan to draw exits that everyone in the house could be aware of and plan to use in case of a fire. The plan should also include a meeting point after the escape to make sure everyone is out of the house. 

It only takes these few items on the checklist and planning to save lives. I can’t wait to be out helping make families safe again.

In Case You Missed It

Celebrating Red Cross Month with Westchester County Executive, George Latimer.

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 114 adults and 55 children following 57 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review

• On International Women's Day, we celebrated the tremendous leadership women have brought to the Red Cross, including a fun Q and A with our Regional CEO Mary Barneby.
• Thank you to Westchester County Executive George Latimer for celebrating Red Cross Month and recognizing the humanitarian work of our volunteers across Westchester and around the country.
• Last week, we posted "Three Questions” with Red Crosser Bridgette Espinoza. Read our short interview to get to know one of our team members who helps carry out our humanitarian mission.
• On Wednesday, Red cross volunteers assisted a family displaced by a deadly fire in Gordon Heights (Long Island).
• On Tuesday, we honored one of our amazing volunteers, Dottie Brier for her nearly 30 years of service. We are very grateful to Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President, for proclaiming March 6 “Dorothy Brier Appreciation Day”.

Upcoming Events and Activities

• Last week, we opened up registration for Safety Town, a one-week safety education program for children entering first grade or kindergarten, to Greenwich and Westchester parents.
• We are actively recruiting for licensed mental health professionals to engage with individuals and families in an attempt to mitigate the pain and suffering after disasters. For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Mar 24: Sign up for our Virtual Hands-Only CPR Emergency Preparedness event, this training will enable you to provide life-saving care in a range of emergencies.
• Apr 22: Join us for The American Red Cross Heroes for Humanity event to recognize civic leaders and heroic individuals who embody our humanitarian mission.

In Case You Missed It

Volunteers supporting COVID-19 vaccine sites at West Point.

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 101 adults and 42 children following 54 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review

• All throughout last week, our volunteers continued to support COVID-19 vaccine sites like the ones at West Point and Suffolk County Community College.
• On Saturday, our volunteers helped 9 adults and 3 children from 3 families displaced by a two-alarm fire in Crown Heights.
• Last week, we posted "Three Questions” with Red Crosser Shonda N. Scott. Read our short interview to get to know the people carrying out our humanitarian mission.
• Thank you Rockland County Exec Ed Day and Town of Greenwich First Selectmen, Fred Camillo for celebrating the Red Cross and declaring March as Red Cross Month.
• After an apartment fire in Yonkers, Edward McCoy turned to our volunteers for help. Read about how the Red Cross helped him and his neighbors.
• Last Wednesday, our volunteers assisted 5 adults and 5 children from 3 families following a fire in Queens.

Upcoming Events and Activities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Youth Preparedness Volunteer, Blood Donor Ambassador and Disaster Mental Health Volunteer. Apply today at redcross.org/volunteertoday! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Apr 22: Join us for The American Red Cross Heroes for Humanity event to recognize civic leaders and heroic individuals who embody our humanitarian mission.

"Three Questions" With Bridgette Espinoza

by Angelina Vasilevsky, American Red Cross in Greater NY

“Three Questions” is an American Red Cross in Greater New York blog series featuring staff, volunteers, and partners who help carry out our humanitarian mission. Through these short interviews, we hope to shine a light on our different programs and get to know those who make this work possible.

American Red Cross volunteer and AmeriCorps member Bridgette Espinoza currently serves the Latino Engagement program that seeks out ways to better serve immigrant communities in Greater NY and across the country. She was born and raised in the Bronx, is a first generation Mexican-American. Bridgette went to St. John’s University, where she double majored in Psychology and Spanish. 

How has your Mexican heritage shaped your identity? 

Growing up my dad would really emphasize that we speak Spanish and I can't be more thankful for that because it really cultivated the language. I am able to speak it very comfortably thanks to him. I maintained such a strong connection to my cultural upbringing. I didn’t get to travel to Mexico until I was around 18 years old, but ever since then, I went back almost every year, to the point where I am actually planning on having my wedding over there. When when I first visited, I got to see and meet my dad's side of the family for the first time. It’s interesting because all of the stories that he used to tell us started to make sense. I could picture him running to the corner store and running across the street. We also got to visit the town my mom grew up in, and it's very distinct in the sense that it's very rural. My dad jokes that there are more dogs in that town than there are people. It meant a lot to see where my mom came from. It's interesting imagining her coming from such a small town, to living and doing so well in New York City. 

Why did you join AmeriCorps and the American Red Cross?

One of the main reasons I signed up for AmeriCorps is because they offered an incredible opportunity. It's kind of funny because I've come full circle. I knew about it and wanted to apply right out of undergraduate, but it took me about three years to finally send it out. In my immediate work [as AmeriCorps and Red Cross], I am currently supporting the Home Fire Campaign. In New York City we have such a diverse community and a lot of families that ask for fire alarms, also ask for Spanish education pieces. Right now one of our major events is coming up, and we are hoping to assist those families in getting their fire safety education in Spanish. Hopefully that will work out for both our clients and our Spanish-speaking volunteers.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the Latino Engagement Team?

It connects to how I grew up and that relates to a lot of Latino parents, kids and just the community overall. An important factor that I consider, is that English is not everyone's first language. I often think about my mom, who is not tech savvy. Growing up whenever she needed to pay a bill for example, we had to call customer service. So you grow up kind of having to be an advocate for your own parents. Additionally, there are a lot of factors of fear in the Latino community, as well as pride. With my background in psychology I know for the Latino community it is taboo to speak about getting resources or asking for help, especially if it’s related to mental health. I think it’s important to assure families and let them know that it's okay to seek out help in whatever way they need it.

"Three Questions” with Red Crosser Shonda N. Scott

By Christine A. Gipson, American Red Cross in Greater NY

“Three Questions” is an American Red Cross in Greater New York blog series featuring staff, volunteers, and partners who help carry out our humanitarian mission. Through these short interviews, we hope to shine a light on our different programs and get to know those who make this work possible.

Philadelphia native Shonda N. Scott originally joined the American Red Cross as a volunteer with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region. In 2019 she was hired as an employee and relocated to New York. Shonda works as the Mass Care Manager in the Greater New York Region. Her expertise is in distribution of emergency supplies, sheltering, feeding and reunification with additional expertise in operations management.

Why did you join the Red Cross?

In the early 2000s, I was an active volunteer with Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and served as a paid-call firefighter. I stopped volunteering for a while to focus on college and working as a General Manager in the automotive industry. While employment was paying all my bills, I was lacking the feeling of fulfillment. In 2017, as a birthday gift to myself, I decided to sign up as a volunteer to help people that were affected by the many hurricanes that year. Two weeks after joining, I was deployed to Puerto Rico in Mass Care. I loved what I was doing so much, I volunteered there for almost four months. That experience was the reminder I needed to see that life is about more than how much money you can acquire, but how you decide to live your life. American Red Cross allows me to not only work but have that fulfillment I was missing before I left the automotive industry.

Where did you deploy last fall what did you find most meaningful about that experience?

My last deployment was to the California Wildfires in 2020 as the Mass Care Chief. I learned a lot during this operation that I can use when working local operations in New York City. I served with an amazing team and mentor. The most meaningful experience I left with was how supportive the entire team was to each other. We cross trained, we helped clients and we also staying safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Do you have one story you think of since joining the Red Cross that reinforces why you are here?

One day I was working to distribute water and food supplies to victims of Hurricane Maria. We were asking the residents to form a line to receive supplies when one resident warned us that a few gang members were present. I was the leader of the operation, so one of the members started walking towards me. I greeted him and he stated he wanted to help but didn’t know how. I passed him a case of water and stated, “start passing out cases of water to the people in line.” That day he became a volunteer and worked hard for his community. That’s what we learn in disasters. We learn who people are within their hearts. One of the best experiences I had there.

In Case You Missed It

Amazing Red Cross volunteers helping at COVID vaccine sites.

Over the last seven days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 64 adults and 22 children following 45 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities. (See below)

Last Week in Review

• During Black History Month, we shared videos honoring the incredible lives of African American leaders in the Red Cross such as Gwen T. Jackson and Henry Ossawa Tanner.
• On Sunday, our Red Cross volunteers helped at two COVID vaccine sites at Suffolk Community Colleges in Riverhead and Selden.
• On Friday, our volunteers helped 10 people displaced by a boiler explosion in Long Island.
• Last Wednesday, we shared Gilbert’s story on how his newly installed smoke alarms saved his family from a home fire.
• Listen to Mark Healy’s own words about a fire that forced him from his Manhattan home and the assistance he received from the Red Cross.
• In late February, 25 new volunteers graduated from our Disaster Action Team Academy. Congrats and thank you for helping New Yorkers affected by disasters.
• Last week we posted this story about two Yonkers residents who turned to the Red Cross for support after a fire.

Upcoming Events and Activities

• We are actively recruiting for licensed mental health professionals to engage with individuals and families in an attempt to mitigate the pain and suffering after disasters. For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Mar 1: March is Red Cross Month! Learn more about our month-long celebration and ways to participate.
• Apr 22: Join us for The American Red Cross Heroes for Humanity event to recognize civic leaders and heroic individuals who embody our humanitarian mission.