Volunteers Carry on Tradition of Knitting, Sewing and Crocheting for a Good Cause

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

Knitting, sewing and crocheting have been tools American Red Cross volunteers have been using since World War II to give back. For active soldiers, Red Cross volunteers would knit wool socks to help prevent trench foot and to give the soldiers a sense of comfort and love from home. 

The tradition has carried on now for more than 80 years and is still going strong in the Dallas Area Chapter. Every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., volunteers come to the chapter and dedicate their time to produce over 40 individual items. The items made include: layettes for newborns and still-borns, baby caps and booties, blankets, slippers, wheel chair caddies, bibs, chemotherapy caps, cooling neck wraps for soldiers and more. 

Charlotte, a Red Cross volunteer for more than 30 years,
 with one of her specialty items, a "Textured Worm"
 used as a comfort item for children in the hospital

A "Special Layette" which will go to Parkland Hospitals
for still-born babies

Around 36 volunteers help with this initiative, with an average of five volunteers in the production room every Tuesday, and the rest working remotely from all around North Texas, from the Panhandle to the far east. The items made go to Parkland Hospital, Children's Medical Center, Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Ronald McDonald House, Camp Maxey Canteen, USO, Medical City Dallas and St. Vincent DePaul Society. 

The production room, now named "Albina's Production Room" is named after the team's previous volunteer leader, Albina Young. Albina and her husband Bob were passionate and dedicated volunteers to the Red Cross, volunteering for almost 50 years. Albina and her husband were over 90-years-old when they stopped volunteering due to injuries in a car accident. 

When Albina retired from team leader, Marcia Bauer took over the role. After Marcia moved back to the Dallas area, and her children were grown, she began looking for volunteer opportunities. She recalls her husband recommending the Red Cross and her reacting with "Well yeah, I know, I'm aware of the Red Cross...," but then her husband said, "But did you know you could sew at the Red Cross?" 

"Realizing I could actually use my talent to help the Red Cross is what got me to get involved," said Marcia. 

Marcia has been asked to speak at several volunteer recognition events to share her Red Cross experience. At one event, Marcia mentioned that she needed to learn how to knit, and the next Tuesday she walked into the production room to find a basket with knitting materials and instructional books from the Red Cross. 

When asking Marcia why she volunteers, she stated, "They need me, and I enjoy being here, I enjoy the people, and I get to do what I like, which is sewing and knitting." Another volunteer, Julie Muse, jokingly chimed in, "and talking." 

From left to right: Marcia Bauer, Charlotte Kleinfelder and Julie Muse

"The one thing I always point out is that we deal in comfort," said Marcia. "But the one time we deal in disaster is providing layettes for the still-born babies, because that is a gigantic disaster. But just thinking about all of the things we do, all of them provides some form of comfort."

Julie Muse, a Red Cross volunteer working with a handmade piece

The day we visited the production room three ladies were sewing, knitting and crocheting: Marcia who has been volunteering for more than 15 years, Charlotte who has been volunteering for more than 30 years and Julie who has been volunteering at the Red Cross for two years. 

The production room volunteers have been recognized at many events, and the American Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter is so glad to have them! If you'd like to volunteer in the production room or are interested in other Red Cross volunteer opportunities, visit RedCross.org. 

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Red Cross Impacting Lives at Tyler, TX Veteran's Home

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

This month, American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces volunteers spent time at the Watkins Logan State Veteran's Home in Tyler, TX installing wheelchair accessible raised gardening beds for the veterans.

Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) includes linking military families during times of emergency, connecting families with local community resources, providing resiliency training and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals.

Since the partnership began between the veteran's home and the Red Cross in 2012, the Red Cross has been assigned Cottage D which houses ten veterans, two of which are bedridden, one capable of walking and the rest in wheelchairs. 

Service to the Armed Forces volunteer Julie McDaniel has been volunteering since 2012 at the home and has been hoping to provide the veterans with the raised gardening beds for the last several months. 

"The gardening beds will help get the less mobile veterans outside," said Julie. "With the gardening bed being raised, the veterans in wheelchairs can pull right up underneath it. I think this will give them a chance to feel like they have ownership of something." 

Red Cross volunteers Julie and Jim helped assemble the gardening beds

Julie often plans events for the veterans such as holiday and birthday parties, and says that she enjoys cooking for them when she gets a chance. Now Julie will be able to involve the veterans in picking fresh vegetables from the gardening beds. You can read here about Julie's dedication to the veteran's home. 

The raised gardening beds aren't all that the Red Cross has been doing at the veteran's home. Several volunteers dedicate their time to Cottage D, such as Stacy Gore who is head of the Red Cross youth club. The youth club came out to the veteran's home around Easter to hide eggs and enjoy a picnic with the men at the home. They also came during the holiday season to sing carols. 

Roger Middleton, another Red Cross volunteer has been working with one of the veterans on his dream to write and publish a novel. Roger, who is a member of the local writer's club, is helping the veteran get his work typed and saved on a computer, in hopes that the novel will one day be published. 

"We continue to be so thankful for volunteers like these year-round. The joy that these volunteers bring the veterans is such a blessing to see," stated Jennifer Cato, Services to the Armed Forces and International Services Field Specialist. "Volunteers make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross and they're the reason we can work toward our mission."

Texas is home to 1.7 million veterans, the second largest population in the country. This week, between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Red Cross invites you to help us continue to provide vital services to thousands of military service members, veterans and their families each year, keeping military families connected during emergencies, connecting families with local resources and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals. Join us in #HonoringHeroes. Visit Crowdrise.com/HonoringHeroes for more information.

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Veteran Dr. D'Angio Recalls Red Cross Acts of Kindness

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

World War II veteran Dr. Giulio D'Angio (now 92), former Captain and head of the 284th Medical Dispensary in the Army Air Corps was stationed on the air base of Kanoya on the southern island of Kyushu, the third largest island in Japan when he received what he calls "a pleasant surprise that the troops were still remembered in such acts of kindness."

A tradition since World War I, Red Cross volunteers would hand-knit heavy-duty wool Red Cross socks for the troops to give them warmth, a sense of home and to help prevent trench foot while at war. Dr. D'Angio states, "Trench foot was a real hazard for ground troops in active theaters."

Although Dr. D'Angio was comfortably housed, and not in high risk of getting trench foot, he still says that the Red Cross knitted socks brought a sense of comfort to him. While Dr. D'Angio was in Japan for his two years overseas, he received the socks by mail, he guesses around 1947. 

In February 2014, nearly 70 years later, Dr. D'Angio still had the Red Cross knitted socks and decided it would be best to return them to the Red Cross chapter that blessed him with them. The socks, along with Dr. D'Angio's letter written to the Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter are now framed and displayed on our Red Cross memorabilia display case.

When asked why he chose to return the socks to the Red Cross, Dr. D'Angio said, "Gratitude for your kindness. One good turn deserves another. I feared that they will be discarded when I'm gone, I'll be 93 in a few days, and I thought that they deserved a better fate."

To the volunteers that graciously knit the socks, Dr. D'Angio says, "Thanks again, and to all of those who followed, you do wonderful things for people who are in need of help."

Originally from Brooklyn, NY, Dr. D'Angio now resides in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA with his second wife, Dr. Audrey Evans. After wearing the uniform for six years, Dr. D'Angio practiced as a radiation therapist for 50 years, specializing in childhood malignant diseases. Dr. D'Angio is a prolific author and has been honored by many national and international pediatric and radiology societies for his work.

Today, American Red Cross volunteers continue knitting and sewing for those who need comfort and protection. In our Dallas Area Chapter, our production room volunteers sew and knit blankets for children's hospitals, as well as cooling neck wraps for active soldiers made from military uniform fabric.

This week, between Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Red Cross invites you to help us continue to provide vital services to thousands of military service members, veterans and their families each year, keeping military families connected during emergencies, connecting families with local resources and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals. Join us in #HonoringHeroes. Visit Crowdrise.com/HonoringHeroes for more information.

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Volunteer Dan Barrios Reflects on One Year Since Granbury Tornado Outbreak

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

One year since the Granbury, TX tornado outbreak, volunteer Dan Barrios reflects on his experience as the shelter supervisor in Cleburne and Granbury, TX. 

On May 15 through May 17, 2013, a storm produced a total of 26 tornadoes touching down across four states. The strongest of these was an EF4 tornado which hit Hood County, TX, causing six deaths. That night, volunteer Dan Barrios remembers receiving a call from the Red Cross disaster services manager asking him to head to Ft. Worth to get instructions for a sheltering assignment. 

When asking Dan what first runs through his mind when he gets a call for deployment, he said, "First, I obviously think about my family, make sure they're okay and taken care of. Then I immediately drop everything and head to where I'm deployed. On my way there, I start thinking about the logistics in opening a shelter. With the Red Cross, you're provided so many training sessions that it all kind of kicks in."

On the night of May 15th, Dan headed to Cleburne, TX to begin opening the shelter for those affected by the tornadoes. He remembers having to find additional routes there, with the roads being blocked due to floods from the storm. Once he arrived in Cleburne, Dan worked a 20 hour shift, serving the community by opening a shelter. After his shift, he spent the night in a local hotel, and the next day was deployed to open another shelter in Granbury, TX, where the storm impacted the community the most. 

"I was actually in three different shelters in four days," Dan recalls. "I started in Cleburne, opened a shelter. Went to Granbury, opened a shelter. And then I went home for one day. The very next day, the storm hit in Moore, OK. I actually helped in opening the first shelter in Moore as well."

"I think the first time you see a shelter, you get a sense of how people need the help. They need somebody that can go in, control the situation and help provide what they need," said Dan. "People arrive in all different situations. There is a lot of uncertainty in those times and those affected are under a lot of stress."

Dan still remembers the folks he encountered in the Granbury shelter. "A man came in the shelter whose two kids were in the hospital and were severely injured by the storms. He didn't know what to do, he was walking like a zombie, in a state of shock," recalled Dan. "I was able to translate, speak some Spanish and guide him through the process of recovery. To help someone like that is truly a great feeling." 

One of the most remarkable situations Dan witnessed was when a family entered the Granbury shelter in need of feeding tubes for their daughter. The Red Cross nurses were able to work with the local fire department to go back into the families neighborhood to get her feeding tubes. 

"With the people you see, it produces memories you'll never forget," states Dan. "The work I do with the Red Cross is with the people. It breaks my heart to see what storms can do. I think about the anniversary of Granbury, and those people are still in my heart. I hope they're on a good road to recovery. No matter what impact I made, little or big, I hope I was able to be a positive force in their lives."

One thing in particular stood out to Dan about Hood County, TX: the community. "I remember the outpouring of the community, they really wanted to help. Not all community's have that, but this community really did. Everybody in those towns wanted to help," said Dan.

Dan along with his wife and son

Dan has been a volunteer with the Red Cross since Spring 2010 serving as a shelter supervisor, training instructor, community events team member, and even answers the phones from time to time. Professionally, Dan is a Sales Director and resides in Richardson, TX with his wife and son. 

As we remember the tornado outbreak last year, we continue to salute volunteers like Dan, and are thankful for their dedication and time. Red Cross disaster action teams (DAT) take on-call shifts to respond to emergencies in their local community 24/7/365. Here in North Texas, the Red Cross responds to about six home fires or other local disaster every day. Join Dan in serving our community by visiting, RedCross.org. 

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Volunteering for the American Red Cross Makes One Volunteer's Heart Flutter

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces volunteer, Julie McDaniel says volunteering at the Tyler, TX veterans home is where she is meant to be. 

Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) includes linking military families during times of emergency, connecting families with local community resources, providing resiliency training and supporting wounded warriors and military hospitals.

After suffering a stroke, McDaniel, a mother of four, had to accept the fact that she was going to have to find a new normal. With her kids fully grown and her husband retired, she was looking for something fulfilling. Her husband, who is a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle group that travels to various events to honor fallen military heroes, first responders and honorably discharged veterans, inspired Julie to think, "Why golly, why can't I do something?"

McDaniel started volunteering with the Red Cross East Texas Piney Woods Chapter in June 2013 and wasn't sure what she would be able to provide for her community. She figured that she would be wonderful as an office volunteer, which she does every Friday at the chapter. Yet, when she saw an opportunity to volunteer at the veterans home, she knew she had found her place. 

"When I saw that volunteers were needed at the veterans home, my heart just kept beating," said McDaniel. "I couldn't help but think 'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh.' I didn't know what was involved in the opportunity, I just knew that I wanted to be there."

The veterans home in Tyler, TX opened in 2012, and the partnership with the Red Cross was new when Julie joined the volunteer team. The Red Cross was assigned Cottage D at the veterans home which housed ten veterans, two of which are bedridden, one capable of walking and the rest in wheelchairs. 

"When I first walked in, I had nothing to go on, it was a blank canvas. I immediately fell in love with the guys, the staff and the concept. It was a twofer, I work with veterans that I greatly care about, and I work with the Red Cross which I also greatly care for."

McDaniel's role at Cottage D of the veterans home quickly turned into a type of activity's director role. With her cottage not being so mobile, she focuses on trying to motivate them to do things that are fun. McDaniel says she loves hosting parties for the vets; everything from Super bowl parties to decorating sugar cookies at Christmas. 

"I've never seen grown men have so much fun doing something so simple," said McDaniel. "We're family now, we celebrate their birthdays and I take cake and balloons. We even had a sweet heart dinner for their spouses and significant others on Valentine's Day." 

In the next couple of months, McDaniel plans to help build a raised vegetable garden for the veterans. She says that the garden will help get the less mobile veterans outside, and will give them the chance to feel like they have ownership of something. 

After volunteering at the Veteran's home for less than a year, McDaniel says that she's learned more about the wars now than she ever learned in movies or in school. 

"My guys are from all over, some were in World War II, the Korean War and the Afghan War. When they tell their stories, some with tears in their eyes, their posture changes, they sit up straight as if they almost want to salute you," said McDaniel. 

"Mr. Barker, the first vet to approach me when I started at the home asked me if I wanted to see a book in his room. He brought out a book, almost like a high school yearbook but instead a book full of documents and images of the ship he was on during the war," she explained. "He took me picture by picture, and I knew that this is something I wanted to be a part of. Mr. Barker took me under his wing to welcome me, he is my hunny bunny and I will be forever indebted to him."

McDaniel said that when she first started looking for volunteer opportunities at the Red Cross she was afraid that she wouldn't be accepted because of her stroke, or that she wouldn't find the right place to serve. Her mindset soon changed when she got involved.

"Under the Red Cross umbrella, there are so many opportunities for people. If you're interested in the military aspect, you can do SAF. If you're interested in disaster, you can join the Disaster Action Team (DAT). They have a place for everyone. It doesn't matter who you are - that is it, they just accept you. I didn't know if I was going to get involved but I learned that if you give a little, you'll get so much more in return," marveled McDaniel.

"Oh, and the people!" exclaimed McDaniel. "The people, the staff and the volunteers, they're like family now. I have never encountered such a group of people that are so dedicated and focused on their cause and the purpose of the Red Cross. It doesn't matter which group of people I'm speaking about, they all amaze me."

Last week was National Volunteer Week, and we continue to salute volunteers like Julie year-round. Volunteers make up more than 90 percent of the Red Cross and are the reason we can work toward our mission every day. To join Julie in Service to the Armed Forces or to learn about other volunteer opportunities, visit redcross.org to start your Red Cross story today. 

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