Red Crosser Drives Emergency Response Vehicle from Pennsylvania to Kentucky for Tornado Relief

By: Nicole Roschella

The last time John “J.B.” Breitweiser spent Christmas away from home was when he was serving in the Vietnam War. That was 52 years ago.

 

This week, Breitweiser packed up a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) and drove more than 600 miles from Pittsburgh to Mayfield, Kentucky. He will join nearly 470 trained Red Cross disaster workers from all over the country who are responding to the early December tornadoes across the South and the Midwest. Breitweiser will drive the ERV to affected communities to distribute food, water and supplies. 

“I have a feeling the pictures don’t do it justice... of what has actually occurred there,” Breitweiser said. “If I can be just a small part of the big picture and help where I can, I want to be there.”

Breitweiser is a seasoned Red Crosser. He has been volunteering with the organization for the past 13 years. He currently serves on the Disaster Action Team, responding to house fires, floods and other situations in Allegheny County. 

When he is not responding to disasters in his local community, Breitweiser volunteers to deploy on Red Cross missions across the country. Two months before heading to Kentucky, Breitweiser spent two weeks in Louisiana, helping people affected by Hurricane Ida. 

“You come back, and you’ve got two weeks of mail, appointments to reschedule and you’re tired. Plus, you’ve got a suitcase and a half full of clothes that need [to be] washed. So, you come back to a little bit more work,” Breitweiser said. 

Despite that, he drove to Kentucky to help more people. This is his eighth ERV deployment. 

“I’ve found my niche,” he said. His favorite parts of the job are meeting people and bringing them food. In Kentucky alone, the Red Cross has served more than 35,600 meals and snacks, distributed almost 21,000 relief items, and provided over 4,200 individual care contacts. 

Breitweiser knows this Christmas will be unlike any other for those affected by the tornadoes. When asked about missing time with his family over the holidays, Breitweiser said, "I'll Facetime with my two grandkids and that'll be my Christmas.” 

This is a time for communities to come together and support one another, and you can help, whether through a financial donation for disaster relief, the gift of donating blood or volunteering your time. Make a financial donation or schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. You can also use the Red Cross Blood Donor app to schedule a blood donation appointment. 

Central Pennsylvania Red Crosser Forgoes Christmas at Home, Deploys to Tornado-Hit Tennessee

By: Nicole Roschella

  

When Melinda Rosario’s team at The American Red Cross learned powerful storms were headed toward the South and the Midwest, just weeks before Christmas, she knew she would likely deploy to the communities affected by the severe weather.

Rosario, a Disaster Program Specialist with the Central Pennsylvania Chapter, will fly out of Harrisburg International Airport to Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday to serve with the Red Cross in communities affected by the deadly tornadoes. After arriving in Nashville, she will drive two hours west to Martin, Tennessee. She expects to be dispatched to the town of Samburg, which took a direct hit from the storms. Rosario’s deployment will extend through Christmas.

“These folks may not have the holidays they expected but it’s a good reminder that we all need to come together and help each other,” Rosario said. “We’re going to bring some hope and happiness and basic human necessities to people. I don’t need to worry about if I can sit next to the tree. My tree and family will be there when I come back.”

Rosario said when she told her 14-year-old son she would not be home for Christmas, he understood that her job with the Red Cross was more important. 

In Tennessee, Rosario will be focused on recovery, working with the Integrated Care and Condolence Team. She will help people who were hospitalized and the families of those who passed away due to the tornadoes. 

This will be Rosario’s third Red Cross deployment in just 13 months. Around Thanksgiving last year, she helped communities in Oregon that were affected by wildfires. In February of this year, she deployed to Wisconsin to help families who lost everything in a series of apartment fires. Prior to her work with the Red Cross, Rosario has taken mission trips since she was a teenager.

“It’s devastating for the communities who are involved,” Rosario said, “but you really see how people rally together and support each other.”

There will be two special items in her suitcase for this deployment: a gratitude calendar, where she keeps daily notes about what she is thankful for, and a bag of fair-trade coffee from a mission trip partner in Haiti.

“No matter what situation you’re in, there are things you can be grateful for,” Rosario said, “and you want to have good coffee!”

Rosario hopes her story will inspire other people to help those affected by the deadly tornadoes.
“It’s such an easy give. Take an hour to give blood, donate a few dollars or volunteer for a couple of hours. The gift of time is the most important and the most precious,” Rosario said.

You can help people affected by disasters like tornadoes and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. To make a financial donation or schedule an appointment to give blood or platelets, visit redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS. You can also use the Red Cross Blood Donor app or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 gift today. Every single contribution matters. Your donation is a commitment to helping people in need and enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. 

A Privilage To Help: Pike County Red Crossers Answer The Call

Jane and John Hoopingarner, deployed Red Crossers supporting communities affected by tornadoes across Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee. 

John and Jane Hoopingarner joined the American Red Cross Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter as volunteers in 2012. In less than a decade spent donning disaster vests and Red Cross lanyards, the Pike County couple has deployed almost 50 times, most often as a team, and have collectively spent months providing help and hope at Red Cross disaster responses. 

Deploying to Kentucky, the Hoopingarners will serve in Disaster Spiritual Care, playing an instrumental role in the healing and recovery process for individuals impacted by the tornadoes. They will also be on site to support fellow Red Crossers who will also be deployed through the holidays and giving their time to those who have lost so much. 

John and Jane join 11 other volunteers from the 61-county Greater Pennsylvania Region in answering the call and without hesitation, packing their bags and deploying to tornado-ravaged communities to help strangers who are still reeling from the historic storms. 

Jane shared pre-deployment what motivates her and her husband to drop everything at a moment’s notice to help, 

'The need is so great, and the people are so appreciative of someone reaching out to them, how can you not go? When they're struggling so mightily through what they’re facing - the human heart is in pain no matter what. It is a privilege to help' 

Thank you to Jane, John, and every volunteer answering the call to deliver the mission of the American Red Cross. 

To learn more about volunteer opportunities and how the Red Cross provides help and hope in times of disaster visit us at www.redcross.org