Be A Hero

Mike Thome, Division Vice President of the American Red Cross Central Atlantic Division and Emily Fortman, Division Disaster Executive discuss Sound the Alarm, the nationwide effort to install 50,000 smoke alarms across the country this spring, and how the program is modeled in part after a smoke alarm program begun in Cleveland in 1992.  Mike and Emily also discuss volunteering to help with upcom...

The final three winners of the 2022 Acts of Courage Awards, hosted by the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley tell their stories of heroism.

Barberton Middle School assistant principal Anthony Hermann explains how his training helped him save a choking student in the school cafeteria.

Tim Haas, the assistant chief of the Brunswick Hills Fire Department and full-time firefighter and EMT with the Shaker Heights Fire Department was on vacation with his family in Mexico when he needed his knowledge of pediatric CPR to save a child's life.

Travis Shrout, a college student from Stow, Ohio explains how he was able to save a mother and her child from a rip current in the Atlantic Ocean be using the lifeguard training he receivedfrom the American Red Cross.  He is a recipient of the 2022 Acts of Courage Awards presented by the Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley.

Adrienne Kapr-Ford, a Disaster Mental Health Supervisor, explains the role of the DMH worker.  She also explains how her volunteer Red Cross career began on the Disaster Action Team, responding to the immediate aftermath of home fires.  And she discusses the heartbreak of counselling people who have lost everything during last summer's wildfires in California.

Glinda Dames-Fincher, who has lived with sickle cell disease all her life, advocates for expanding the blood donor pool with more diverse donors, in order to help those with sickle cell and other diseases.

Laura Mattimoe, Michelle Nieswender, Kathy Bankowski and Beth Orgel - all volunteers from Northwest Ohio - talk about their recent experience helping people affected by the wildfires in California.

With many experts predicting an active wildfire and hurricane season, the American Red Cross is preparing to help people who will be forced to flee their homes.  In this episode, we hear from Mike Parks, Regional CEO of the Red Cross of Northern Ohio; Tim O'Toole, Regional Disaster Officer; Renee Palagyi, Regional Senior Disaster Program Manager; and Christy Peters, Regional Communications Manager...

The American Red Cross is experiencing a severe blood shortage as the number of trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries rise – and deplete the nation's blood inventory. Jim McIntyre and Christy Peters of the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio are joined by Dr. Christine Schmotzer, Vice Chair of System Pathology Operations and Co-Director of University Hospitals Diagnostic Institute...

Dr. Joanne McKell and nurse Anita White of the Cleveland VA Medical Center discuss the adjustments that were necessary due to the challenges of treating their patients during the COVID -19 pandemic.  And Kristin Warzochka of the Greater Cleveland Foodbank talks about the challenges and adjustments her organization had to make to keep feeding families.

Interviews with three of the winners of the 2021 Northeast Ohio Hero awards are featured on this episode.  Jackie Otte is a long-time Red Cross disaster mental health volunteer, and talks about how she and her team of licensed professionals - all volunteers - have helped people cope during the COVID era.  And Allen Morinec and Michael Kuznik describe the way they roused a neighboring family from t...

Two Red Cross blood drive partners - the Cuyahoga County Public Library System and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse were honored with 2021 Hero Awards for continuing to host blood drives throughout the pandemic.  And Brandon Chrostowski of Edwins Leadership and Restaurant Institute is the non-profit partners featured on this episode.  He helps teach formerly incarcerated men and women the restaurant bus...

The host of the virtual 2021 Northeast Ohio Hero Awards, veteran journalist Leon Bibb, divulges his Red Cross story, which begins at the beginning of his life.  The Army veteran also talks about the day he interviewed President Obama, and how race relations have changed since his father served in a segregated Army.

George Sortino has recovered from a severe case of COVID-19, and he credits a transfusion of convalescent plasma for pulling him through.  Debbi Grinstein recovered from a mild case, and donated her plasma to help others.  George and Debbi tell their stories here.

On October 24, 2020, Gail Renfro heard a smoke alarm sound in her bedroom - a smoke alarm installed by the Red Cross four years earlier.  Her home was destroyed that day, and the smoke alarm is being credited with saving her life.  In this episode, Gail is reunited with the Red Cross personnel who installed the alarm.

5 Red Cross volunteers who physically deployed to help victims of large-scale disasters in 2020 talk about their experiences. Mahogany Coward, Jani Memorich, Callene Derrick, Monica Bunner and Debby Levison tell us where they went, what they did to help people, and what they did to stay safe in the era of COVID-19.

Jessica Tischler, Regional Service to the Armed Forces Program Director, explains the vital services provided by the American Red Cross to members of the military, veterans and their families.  And Jessica Franco, SAF volunteer, explains her role and her reason for volunteering to help the armed forces through the Red Cross.

Kim Kroh, executive director of the American Red Cross of Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes is joined by disaster program manager Tim Reichel and volunteers Tom Johnson, Dan Best and Brook Harless, who tells a compelling story about the reason she became a Red Cross volunteer.

Todd James, the executive director of the American Red Cross of North Central Ohio, is joined by volunteer Steve Mahler and disaster program managers Adam Warnament and Lora Taylor to highlight the service area that includes Erie, Hancock, Huron, Lorain, Putnam, Seneca, and Wyandot Counties in Ohio.

Rachel Hepner-Zawodny, the Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Northwest Ohio discusses the importance of the Red Cross mission, and praises volunteers like Suzy Lowery, who describes the vital work she does for the Red Cross.  Disaster Program manager Doug Fee talks about protecting volunteers and the residents who need help in the current COVID-19 environment when responding to disas...

Executive Director Rachel Telegdy and Disaster Program Manager Debbie Chitester have some interesting Red Cross stories and perspectives, and board member Mona Sarkar shares her heartfelt connection to the American Red Cross.

Disaster health and mental health workers have long played a pivotal role at the American Red Cross.  As we prepare to observe National Nurses Week beginning Wednesday, May 6, Renee Palagyi, the Senior Disaster Program Manager for the Northeast Ohio Region and a registered nurse talks about some of her experiences, after responding to disasters like the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in L...

Six Greater Cleveland Hero award winners tell the stories of their personal courage or accomplishment that led to their recognition;  nine-year old Troy Cavadas, along with Columbia Township Fire Chief Ray Anthony, representing the late Brett Wilson; three employees from Jack Casino Cleveland; and Amanda Berry, the young woman who was kidnapped at age 16 and spent the next ten years of her life in...

Three Greater Cleveland Hero award winners tell the stories of their personal courage or accomplishment that led to their recognition; Sandy Patrick of KeyBank, Officer Josh Robertson of the Cleveland Heights Police Department, and Elise Kilmer, a 16-year old lifeguard from Geauga County. Six more award winners will be interviewed on the next episode of Be A Hero.