"Disasters used to be seasonal": Red Cross celebrates, honors its volunteers
WEST SACRAMENTO – A special ceremony was held Thursday evening to honor the people who respond when disasters strike.
The annual Red Cross BASH celebrates the work that volunteers perform for free – and the recognition comes at a time when the number of people being impacted by disasters is growing.
From helping victims of this winter's flooding to responding to last summer's wildfires, it's been a busy year for the Red Cross.
"Disasters used to be seasonal, but now it's all year long," said Red Cross volunteer Robin Brinson.
And it's not just Northern California disasters. Volunteers and staff from the Red Cross' Gold Country region routinely travel to other tragedies across the country.
"People in our region are going to the tornados in the Midwest and the floods," said volunteer Terence Vollrath.
They're on call 24 hours a day, ready to respond when people need help – and everything they provide is free.
"You don't want to charge someone when they're in the middle of some crisis, and that's why we have the amazing donors and sponsors that we have," said Roxanne Gould, Chair of the Red Cross board of directors.
David Wold has volunteered with the Red Cross for 55 years.
"The thing that keeps me coming back is the satisfaction I get in helping our people," Wold said.
He's among the volunteers and staff being honored at the organization's annual awards ceremony.
"Helping people gives me what I call emotional income, and helping people is my passion," Brinson said.
And they're always looking for more people willing to donate their time.
"We don't have enough volunteers to do these huge fires, we bring in people from all over the United States," Vollrath said.
They're living up to the slogan "when help can't wait."
"Every year it gets busier and busier trying to get out there and help people during some of the worst times of their lives," Gould said.
There were more than 140 shelters set up across California during this winter's storms – and some are still open.