When the wind finally stopped and the trees had settled into splintered piles across their yard in Erie, North Dakota, Lexi stood next to Hunter and took a deep breath.
Lexi and Hunter smile with relief, thrilled their wedding plans are still intact — the storm devastated much of the town but spared both their ceremony and reception venues. Photo: Carrie Carlson-Guest/American Red Cross.
“This wasn’t how we imagined the summer before our wedding,” she said.
Just days earlier, the young couple had been finalizing details for their ceremony in September. Now, instead of focusing on a celebration, they were cleaning up.
Then on June 20, storms with hurricane force winds ripped through towns big and small in eastern North Dakota, leaving the tiny village of Erie—population barely 30—reeling.
The storm took their shade trees, littered the road with branches, and left everyone asking the same question: Where do we even begin?
That answer came quickly. First, neighbors and family came to help. Then, church groups and people from across the region who drove for hours turned up. And then, the American Red Cross arrived.
“It went from warm water and silence to trucks, volunteers, and kindness pouring in from every direction,” Lexi said.
In the nearby town of Page, the fire station turned into a hub of comfort. Red Cross volunteers helped serve meals while neighbors gathered around folding tables to share food, stories, and sighs of relief.
In Page, the fire station became a refuge as Red Cross volunteers served meals and neighbors shared food and comfort. Photo: Carrie Carlson-Guest/American Red Cross.
“It wasn’t just about feeding people,” Lexi said. “It was about creating a space where we could breathe. Where we could sit with people who understood.”
Lexi’s dad used a company volunteer day to come and help cleanup in Erie. “He could’ve spent the day anywhere,” she said. “But he chose here. Not just for me—but for our community.”
Hunter spent those days helping others before even touching their own yard. “That’s who he is,” Lexi said quietly. “And that’s why I love him.”
Though many buildings were damaged, two small miracles stood out. The church where Lexi and Hunter plan to marry and the community hall where they’ll hold their reception — were untouched by the storm. “Out of all the places that could’ve been hit,” she said, “ours were spared. That has to mean something.”
The City of Page, ND’s fire station opened its doors as a community gathering place. Knox, who celebrated his his 3rd birthday in the Fire Hall, and his sister Kora, age 5. simply enjoyed being kids, blowing bubbles and zooming trucks. Photo: Carrie Carlson-Guest/American Red Cross
Their wedding is still on. But now, the meaning behind their vows has strengthened.
“We’ve seen what it looks like when people show up for each other,” Lexi said. “People we’ve never met before—just neighbors we hadn’t met yet.”
On his first deployment, Red Cross Health Services volunteer Daniel Odubura of Grand Forks, N.D., pitches in with a smile to serve hot meals to storm survivors in Page, N.D. Photo: Carrie Carlson-Guest/American Red Cross
In a part of the world where towns are small and pride runs deep, asking for help doesn’t come easy. But what Lexi and Hunter discovered is that sometimes, you don’t have to ask—people just come.
And when they do, they bring more than food or rakes or tarps. They bring hope.
Disaster response volunteer honored with regional Lifetime Achievement Award
In the small, scenic city of Redwood Falls, Minnesota – a place rooted in community – lives a woman whose quiet strength and unwavering compassion have rippled far beyond city limits. Her name is Diane – a Red Cross volunteer.
For 20 years, Diane Radel has been a steadfast presence in moments of crisis. From the wreckage of Hurricane Harvey to the fierce winds of Hurricane Ian, from catastrophic flooding in Louisiana, she has deployed to 18 national disasters. Closer to home, she’s responded to apartment fires and local disasters, always showing up when her community needs her most.
Diane on the ground during one of her many disaster deployments over the past 20 years — a testament to her decades of service and resilience. Photo submitted.
Her roles have varied – driving Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) to deliver warm meals, comforting survivors in emergency shelters, and distributing supplies to families facing unimaginable loss. But no matter the task, Diane brought more than resources – she brought hope, dignity, and a calming presence in moments of chaos.
A Calling Found in Crisis
Diane’s journey with the Red Cross began with a single image – a newspaper photo of volunteers in iconic red vests responding to a tornado in Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, in 2003. She didn’t know it then, but the image planted a seed.
In 2005, when Diane’s father passed away, she found her daily routine unraveled. “I was a lost pup,” she remembers. “I didn’t know what to do.”
Then came the call for volunteers after Hurricane Katrina. “They said it was a three-week deployment, all expenses paid,” Diane recalls. “I had the time. Although I had seven kids, three in college – it just lit a fire in me.”
Diane, wearing her Red Cross vest, stands with clean-up kits ready for distribution during a disaster deployment — one of many in her years of dedicated service. Photo submitted.
After speaking with fellow Red Cross volunteer Barb Billmeier, Diane took the leap. “It was the first time I’d ever been away from home that long,” she says. But her husband and children encouraged her, saying, “Go…they need you more than we do.”
With compassion as her guide, Diane stepped into the role of caring for people finding refuge in a Red Cross shelter helping those who had lost everything. That first deployment marked the beginning of a journey that has spanned two decades.
Service Across the Nation
Diane’s volunteer work took her to disaster zones across the U.S., including a Thanksgiving spent helping in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in New York. “I thought I should be home with my family, but I just felt I needed to go and help,” she remembers, “but once again, they said, ‘Go…they need you more than we do.’”
One unforgettable memory from that deployment was delivering meals in the ERV to a high-rise in Chinatown that had lost power. “We didn’t serve the meals directly – we dropped them off. While waiting to pick up the food containers, Diane and fellow volunteers took a walking tour near Ground Zero, witnessing the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. “It was humbling,” she said. “A moment of grace in a difficult time.”
Diane also mentions her deployment to help those affected by Hurricane Helene last fall. She remembers the mountainous terrain and survivors still waiting for word on missing neighbors. “Someone said we needed to be strong for them – but no, we cried with them,” she recalls.
Diane, photographed near Asheville, North Carolina, during Hurricane Helene relief efforts in October 2024. Photo submitted.
A Life of Service
When asked what she’d say to someone considering volunteering with the Red Cross, Diane doesn’t hesitate. “Do it! It’s rewarding. Your heart has to be in it but give it a try. You’ll get way more back than you ever give.”
She speaks honestly about the challenges – long days, sleeping on cots, working with all kinds of people – but insists the rewards are worth it. “Any time you volunteer, it’s a blessing.”
Strength In the Face of Her Own Storm
In 2018, Diane faced a new battle: breast cancer. After a double mastectomy, chemo, radiation, and five years of treatment, she was declared cancer-free – until last year.
In November, scans revealed cancer had returned, spreading to her spine and lymph nodes.
“There’s no timeframe,” she says softly. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Though her body has slowed, and she can no longer donate blood – once a treasured part of her Red Cross work – her spirit remains unshaken. “My heart is still in it, even if my body isn’t.”
A Lifetime of Meaning
Diane was recently honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Red Cross. She recalls, “As they were reading the award, I thought, wow, that sounds really good and then I realized, they were talking about me!”
Diane receives a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Red Cross, presented by Sean Farley-Cowdin, Senior Community Disaster Program Manager, at the Volunteer Recognition Event in Mankato, MN on May 20, 2025. A proud moment honoring years of dedicated service and compassion.
Sean Farley-Cowdin, Senior Community Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region presented Diane with the award. “When the need is most, Diane doesn’t hesitate – she simply shows up. From the very beginning, with more than enough on her plate she had every reason to say, ‘not now,’ but she didn’t – she leaned in. She said yes. Yes, to her community. Yes, to the mission. Yes, to strangers facing the hardest day of their lives. Because for Diane, helping isn’t a duty – it’s who she is.”
Looking back, she says, “The years just flew by.” Each deployment forged lifelong friendship. “It all felt so natural – it’s my passion and what I was always meant to do.”
To serve with such compassion for 20 years requires an extraordinary heart. Diane’s legacy lives on in every life she’s touched – not through fanfare, but through quiet heroism, deep empathy and human connection.
Her story reminds us that true service comes from love – and a heart that never stops giving.
“The forecast is predicting a severe hurricane season this year,” she says, “I wish I could be there to help – it’s in my heart.”
For all who know her, one thing is certain: the world is better because Diane chose to help – again and again – with love, conviction, and a full heart.
If you have a heart to help like Diane, learn about Red Cross volunteer opportunities near you visit redcross.org/givetime.
One day in Buffalo, Minnesota, early in 1973, a girl named Deb Butman came home from high school with an announcement. “Hey dad, I’m going to join the army.”
Deb Perkins, ca. 1973. Submitted photo.
Her dad, an U.S. Army Air Corps staff sergeant who served in the UK and Africa during World War II, laughed because he knew his daughter ‘did not like being told what to do’ says Deb, when reflecting on her impulse to enlist. And yet, Kenneth Butman stood by his daughter and was proud she chose to carry on the family’s legacy of military service.
Deb hoped to attend the army’s language school with a focus on Russian. Being unable to get the right security clearance, the found herself presented with other recommendations like becoming a cook. “No thanks,” she said.
Even so, that summer at the tail end of the Vietnam War, she found herself in the thick humidity surrounding Fort Anniston in Alabama. There she stood, barely 18, among a group of female soldiers of different ages and backgrounds attending bootcamp.
Julie (l), Jonetra (c) , and Deb (r), taking a break during bootcamp, ca. 1973. Submitted photo.
She made friends with Julie, another soldier. A friendship grew and soon they were chosen to call out drills, earning the nicknames ‘Putt and Butt,’ which referred to their last names. Deep bonds developed with soldiers and leaders. “You respect those people training you,” she says. “You build a kind of family, whether you mean to or not.”
Despite the challenges for women, Deb proved herself and established credibility. She went from Alabama to Texas where she trained to become a medical corpsman. “You’re smiling,” said one instructor. “I’m a happy person,” she said. “You won’t be after you spend a few days with me,” the instructor said.
One day, tragic news arrived from her first lieutenant, who approached Deb while she was standing at attention. “I don’t know how to tell you this. Your dad died,” she said simply and, with what Deb recalls, little empathy. It turned out that Deb’s dad did not survive a heart attack.
Kenneth Butman, ca. 1940s. Submitted photo.
Thankfully, and within moments of receiving the life-changing news, Deb’s first sergeant wrapped an arm around her. “We’ll get you home,” he promised and brought her to the American Red Cross office on base where a flight was arranged. She was back home the same day to be with her family in Minnesota.
Deb Perkins, circa 1973. Submited photo.
The next year, “we were in the middle of nowhere” Deb says about being at Fort Dix in New Jersey. She when to work, administering shots to deploying soldiers and tending to children in the pediatrics unit. Her patients included a young man with severe burns from a stove explosion. “You have a nice touch,” she remembers him saying through bandages and pain. “I’m glad I can help you feel better,” she replied, meaning every word.
Deb’s military service lasted three years, which was the length of commitment at the time. She received her honorable discharge under President Nixon, one of the last before he resigned.
“Things will be as they’re meant to be.”
After the army, Deb used the G.I. Bill to pay her way through school and eventually found herself back where her heart had always been – working with kids. First as a teacher and then, after earning her master’s degree, as a licensed mental health therapist.
She married Clark Perkins, also a licensed therapist. Together, they opened a small practice in Brookings, South Dakota. The work was meaningful and rewarding. And yet she found room in her life for more. She was, in fact, called to Red Cross service, especially because it was “instrumental when I was a struggling soldier.” So, in 1997, Deb took up another uniform – that of the Red Cross volunteer.
“Play is our language,” says Deb Perkins, who was in Fargo this past April to lead an ’emotional grit’ workshop for military families. Photo: Mutz Media
At first, she was a general volunteer, but her long-time connection to working with children and families led her to disaster mental health. Then, someone suggested that she would be a great fit for supporting military families and veterans through Service to the Armed Forces (SAF), a program going back to the beginning of the Red Cross.
That fit has turned out to be true and an echo of her dad’s often shared sentiment that “things will be as they’re meant to be.”
For nearly 14 years, Deb and Clark have traveled across the country, helping military families through deployments, separations, and loss. “This work is near and dear to my heart,” confesses Deb. Together, they’ve been to Michigan, Alabama, New Hampshire, Texas, Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas. They’ve also provided virtual support and training to service members and families in Hawaii and Japan.
Deb Perkins leading an ’emotional grit’ workshop in Fargo, ND, April 14, 2025. Photo: Mutz Media
She recalls one time at a military camp for kids. “Of course, the first day it rained, so we handed out garbage bags to keep the boys dry.” But one boy stood apart, telling everyone that he didn’t have a daddy, that he’d killed himself after Iraq. “It was profound. And it was amazing how the rest of the kids came together to support him,” she remembers.
Over the years, they’ve seen some kids multiple times – before and after deployments. “When they know us, they feel more comfortable and more willing to share,” says Deb. One boy told them, “Hey, I remember you guys!”
That familiarity matters when supporting kids and families through grief, laughter, and healing. Serving in partnership with her husband Clark helps, too. “We’ve learned to bounce off each other and it works. Play is our language,” she says. “And really, we should all play more.”
U.S. Army veteran and Red Cross volunteer Deb Perkins supports resiliency and other ’emotional grit’ workshops. Photo: Mutz Media
Today, Deb credits her military service for shaping her, helping her grow up. “I’m glad I did it,” she says. Her goal is to grow old with grace while continuing with the Red Cross. “Volunteer work helps you stay involved, connected, and giving back.”
Brimson Volunteer Fire Chief Randy Freyholtz talks to Red Cross disaster relief volunteer Lisa Posch at Hugo’s Bar, May 16 2025. Photo: Nate Russell/American Red Cross
These days, the sustenance at Hugo’s Bar in Brimson, Minnesota isn’t your standard pub fare. The tables where folks normally take classes for building fishing rods are now piled with diapers, tarps, thick gloves, contractor bags, and totes.
A small group huddles around a table. They hug, share a laugh, they cry. They discuss things they’ve lost, and they speak hopefully of rebuilding once the Northland Wildfires abate.
“We lost a lot,” a homeowner shares with Debbie Ecklund, who’s helping to manage the resource center, “the bar, the furniture, all handmade.”
“Stuff that you made?” She asks.
“No, the house was made in 1906. I wasn’t around to help.”
Debbie and the homeowner share a laugh at that.
Penny Linn and Debbie Ecklund at Hugo’s Bar in Brimson, Minn., May 16, 2025. Photo: Nate Russell/American Red Cross
Since the onset of the Brimson wildfire the owners of Hugo’s Bar, Jesse and Jessica Willemarck, converted their establishment into a 24-hour resource hub, sleeping in four-hour shifts to maintain round-the-clock services for wildfire relief.
“I don’t know what we would have done without Hugo’s here doing this for us – without Jess and Jessica doing this,” says Fire Chief Randy Freyholtz. “This has been amazing. The support, the community outreach has been phenomenal.”
As the crowd grows, Chief Freyholtz can be seen checking in on families and making sure his neighbors have everything they need. After he’s made the rounds and talked to everyone, he sits down at a table with Red Cross volunteers.
“Some of us [firefighters] have been evacuated,” he explains, “but so far none of our structures have been affected, so we’ve been lucky in that aspect. Very lucky. For how fast this fire’s been moving, we’ve been very lucky that we haven’t lost anybody.”
Chief Freyholtz and his small group of volunteer firefighters have been fighting the fire since day one. And he’s been evacuated from his home, sleeping in his truck at the fire station when not committing his waking hours to combatting the flames threatening his community.
“And how are you doing?” a Red Cross volunteer asks Chief Freyholtz.
“I’m doing good. I’m tired,” he says, “I think it’s starting to catch up with me finally. Now that things are starting to slow down and I’m sitting down more.”
Red Cross volunteer Kyle Parkinson compares distance between Hugo’s Bar and the fireline, Brimson, Minn., May 16, 2025. Photo: Nate Russell/American Red Cross
Rain during the weekend brought some respite. And information reports at Hugo’s say they’re full on donated goods and focused on distributing them to the people affected while donating the rest to food pantries and other community organizations to ensure nothing goes to waste.
To help reach people, Red Cross volunteers will be at Hugo’s to assess individual disaster care needs, such as health, mental health, and spiritual care. They’ll also use the site as a hub for working directly to provide support for those who have lost their homes to the fires.
If you or someone you know has been displaced by the Northland Fires, call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
Story and photos by Nate Russell/American Red Cross Volunteer
In late January, Patty Brooks, Executive Director of the Eastern South Dakota Chapter of the Red Cross, got a touching voicemail from two students at First Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls. They were reaching out to invite someone from the Red Cross to come to talk to their youth group about how the organization was helping with wildfire relief efforts in California.
Not long after that, Patty received an email from Kathie Douma, the church’s Director of Children’s Ministry. Kathie shared that her first through fifth-grade students were working on a service-learning project, where they were asked to identify a need in their community and come up with ways they could help out. After thoughtful discussion, the children chose to focus on the California wildfire relief efforts and the role of the American Red Cross in providing support.
Project announcement from the First Presbyterian Church newsletter.
Red Cross volunteers Patti Vaska and Katie Gilmore, both retired nurses, met with the students to explain how the Red Cross responds to disasters like the LA wildfires. They helped the children imagine what it would be like to evacuate their homes and stay in a group shelter, offering insight into the experience from a young person’s perspective.
“It was a really fun evening,” said Katie Gilmore. “We were honored to speak with the students – it was unlike anything we’d done before. It was a meaningful way to involve youth in community service and explain how the Red Cross supports people during disasters.”
Inspired by the discussion, the students decided to take action in two ways: by creating handmade greeting cards for wildfire shelter residents and by raising funds to support the Red Cross relief response.
The students took the lead on the project. They requested permission to use church supplies to make the cards and to collect donations throughout the month of March.
Handmade greeting cards created by the youth of First Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for LA wildfire shelter residents. Photo submitted.
“Each Sunday in March, the kids took turns speaking to the congregation about the Red Cross’s recovery efforts in Los Angeles,” said Douma. “They didn’t just want to raise money – they also wrote prayers and led the congregation in prayer each week for the people of LA and those involved in the recovery.”
By the end of the month, the students had raised $1,500 – meeting their fundraising goal! They also created more than 125 handmade cards and invited parishioners to add personal messages of encouragement after services.
Youth from First Presbyterian Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota hard at work creating hand-made personal greeting cards. Photo submitted.
“These students are amazingly industrious and generous, and we really appreciate their hard work for the children and families that survived the LA wildfires,” said Patti Vaska. “We thank First Presbyterian and their parents for mentoring our next generation to roll up their sleeves and open their hearts at a young age – it’s so beautiful!”
In May, these cards were distributed to wildfire survivors at several Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs), where families could come in for additional resources, support and assistance.
Group photo of the students at the final meeting to reflect on their accomplishments and celebrate the meaningful impact of their service-learning project. Photo submitted.
“I was so moved by the children’s efforts,” said Erica Fausto-Aguado, Red Cross Regional Disaster Officer for Los Angeles. “I’m so impressed and grateful for the generosity of these young people. How compassionate of them to let these survivors know that they are being thought about and haven’t been forgotten.”
After the donations were made and the cards distributed, the students gathered for a final meeting to reflect on their accomplishments and celebrate the project’s impact.
“It was so heartwarming to see our youth learn about people in need and discover ways they could make a difference,” Douma expressed. “I was incredibly impressed by how the entire project came together.”
This marked the fourth year of doing a service-learning project, and it was the first time the students chose to address a disaster in another state. In previous years, their efforts focused on local needs — such as providing food for those facing hunger in their community, creating activity packs for children in the hospital, and assembling “birthday in a bag” kits for children in the foster care system.
“As part of the project, the students discussed the meaning of community and collectively agreed that people across the country, even if geographically distant, are still part of their broader community,” Douma explained. “Motivated by that belief, they were eager to help.”
You can help by giving to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters, big and small. Visit RedCross.org/mndaks, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767), or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a donation.
It was the kind of day people in the Midwest wait for all year. Sun overhead, the lake calm, and kids laughing, playing in the water. Jessica Simones was at Gull Lake in Minnesota with her daughter, Jocelyn, and a group of family and friends, soaking in the beauty of summer.
Jessica Simones and daughter Jocelyn share a moment before Snow Ball 2024.
In a moment, everything changed.
Jocelyn was pulled from the water by a friend—unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse. Cell phone service at the lake was spotty, adding to the urgency and chaos.
Without waiting for help that might not come in time, Jessica dropped to her knees on the dock.
Years of medical experience kicked in—but so did something deeper. She began CPR, working to bring her daughter back. She eventually revived Jocelyn and continued to monitor her breathing and care as they transported her to the nearest hospital, keeping her safe, warm, and alive.
Jessica had participated in code blue events many times in her previous work at Children’s Hospital. But this time, it was profoundly different.
“Nothing prepares you for doing it on your own child,” she said quietly. “I’ll never get that image out of my head.” Thankfully, Jocelyn has since made a full recovery and is eagerly anticipating her high school graduation. She is also excitedly planning for a future career in medicine at the College of Saint Scholastica in the fall.
Honoring extraordinary personal action
At a recent ceremony held at the Allina Medical Center in Faribault, Minnesota, the American Red Cross honored Jessica with one of its highest awards: the Certificate of Extraordinary Personal Action.
Coworkers pin the official American Red Cross Lifesaving Award pin on Jessica during her recognition ceremony at Allina Clinic, Faribault, Minnesota, April 2025.
“It’s a recognition reserved for those who, in a moment of crisis, step up during an emergency to save or sustain a life,” said Melanie Tschida, Executive Director for the American Red Cross serving Southern Minnesota. “Whether or not they were trained by the Red Cross, their actions reflect our humanitarian mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering.”
“Jessica, this award honors your courage—not just as a nurse, but as a mother,” said Carrie Carlson-Guest, regional communications director. “Your quick thinking and selfless actions made all the difference.”
Why training matters
At the hospital, healthcare workers later shared that just a one-minute delay could have led to a much different outcome for Jocelyn.
Allina teammates celebrated Jessica Simones and her incredible actions at the recognition ceremony held at Allina Clinic, Faribault, Minnesota, April 2025.
Those first moments on the dock—the ones Jessica made count—are why CPR training matters.
The American Red Cross encourages everyone to train for the moments that matter. Visit RedCross.org/MNDAKS to learn more and sign up for a course today.
When disaster strikes, the Red Cross steps in to help — and so do the people behind the mission. Karen Younger, a retired military nurse, college professor and dedicated volunteer with the American Red Cross Eastern South Dakota chapter, is one of those people whose compassionate heart have brought hope to countless individuals in their darkest moments.
Karen’s journey with the Red Cross began in 2013. Since then, she has become a vital leader in Disaster Health Services, bringing her experience in adult and critical care nursing, military service, and higher education to the frontlines of disaster response. Her approach combines clinical expertise with an unwavering commitment to dignity, respect, and service.
Karen Younger pictured with fellow Red Cross volunteers Katie Gilmore and Patti Vaska when they received their Red Cross nursing pins. The three trained together for Disaster Health Services and have remained close friends ever since. Now retired, they continue to stay actively involved with the American Red Cross in the Sioux Falls, South Dakota area. Also pictured is Tim Klein (far left), an EMT who received his EMT pin during the ceremony. Photo submitted.
A Story of Compassion During Hurricane Helene
When asked to share one of her most memorable moments as a Red Cross nurse, Karen reflects on her deployment during Hurricane Helene.
“It was a chaotic, emotional time for many,” she recalls. “Especially those who turned to Red Cross shelters as a last resort.”
One story, in particular, has stayed with her. A woman arrived at the shelter with young children and a family pet. She was sick, scared, and had no one else to turn to. On top of flu-like symptoms and needing an urgent prescription refilled, she was overwhelmed by the thought of navigating a hospital visit alone and leaving her kids behind.
She asked Karen if she would go to the hospital with her while a social worker watched the children. Karen agreed without hesitation.
At the hospital, Karen acted not just as a nurse, but as a calm and supportive advocate. She helped explain the woman’s medical history to the doctor and ensured her concerns were addressed. “That extra support made all the difference,” Karen said.
When the visit was over, the woman turned to her and said, “You’re a miracle worker.” Karen just smiled and replied, “No, I’m a Red Cross nurse. This is what we do.”
It’s a phrase she’s said many times, because for Karen, helping people through fear, confusion, and uncertainty is more than a duty — it’s a calling.
A National Honor for Outstanding Service
On April 3, 2025, Karen’s exceptional service was recognized on a national stage. During the Leadership Awards Luncheon at the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., she received the Bob Hassmiller Excellence in Disaster Services Award.
Karen Younger at the Leadership Awards Luncheon on April 3, 2025, held at the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Pictured left to right: Trevor Riggins, President of Humanitarian Services, American Red Cross; Karen Younger; Gail McGovern, Chairman of the Board of Governors, American Red Cross; and Cliff Holtz, CEO, American Red Cross. Photo by Dermot Tatlow/American Red Cross
This award celebrates a volunteer who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and commitment, improving disaster response through innovation, collaboration, and impact.
One of her most notable achievements was leading a regional initiative that aligned Red Cross health services with each state’s nursing licensure laws across South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Thanks to her efforts, Red Cross nurses are now able to provide care seamlessly and legally across state lines. This groundbreaking effort not only improved care for disaster survivors in the region but also established a new national model for delivering disaster health services in rural and underserved areas.
Tonya Peterson, Senior Community Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region, praised Karen’s work:
“Karen’s work has made a lasting difference – whether she’s helping someone manage a medical condition in the middle of a disaster or mentoring new volunteers stepping into this work for the first time. She doesn’t just show up – she listens, she leads, and she lifts others up.”
Tonya Peterson and Karen Younger at the April 3, 2025, Leadership Awards Luncheon held at the American Red Cross National Headquarters, Washington, DC. Photos by Dermot Tatlow/American Red Cross
As part of the award, a $1,000 grant will be donated to the Red Cross of Eastern South Dakota, further supporting the lifesaving mission that Karen holds so close to her heart.
A Legacy of Service and Humanity
Karen describes her time with the Red Cross as both meaningful and humbling. “I consider it an incredible privilege to be part of the Red Cross,” she says. “When I retired, I wanted to keep using my skills to serve others. The Red Cross has been a perfect fit.”
For Karen, the transition from her nursing career to to the Red Cross was seamless thanks to the shared values of humanity, impartiality and neutrality. “We treat everyone with dignity and respect. That’s what our profession is built on. We don’t engage in the noise, we can stay focused on the mission,” she explains.
She also speaks passionately about the power of teamwork. “There’s real power in doing this work alongside others who share the same purpose. I’ve made lifelong friends and shared unforgettable moments with people I may never see again. But we supported each other, and we knew we were making a difference. That’s incredibly rewarding.”
In Hawaii for the Lahaina fire response, January 2024. Pictured left to right Trisha Mims, then DHS Senior Program Manager, Karen Younger, and Denise Cohen, Client Care Chief for the DRO and a dedicated nurse. Photo submitted.
Congratulations, Karen. Your leadership, heart, and service are an inspiration. Your legacy is already making a lasting impact in communities across the country — and we’re all better for it. Thank you!
Referred to as the ‘clinic,’ the 5th Medical Group (5DG) on Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, offers all kinds of healthcare, including urgent care, routine wellness, internal medicine, women’s health, pediatrics and more, to around 12,000 active-duty military and their family members.
“At one time or another, they all have to be seen,” says the 5DG’s Chief Nurse and Lt. Col. Donna Eaton, who’s also a Red Cross volunteer board member based in Minot. “Some providers see 80 to 100 patients a week.”
Pictured (l to r): Red Cross volunteers Kristin Settersten and Amanda Conte; Red Cross volunteer and First Lieutentant Ashley Manzano-Latorre; 5 MDG Chief Nurse and Lt. Col. Donna Eaton; 5 MDG Nurse and Lt.Col. Jessica Scirica, Red Cross SAF Regional Manager Lorie Herbal and Red Cross Executive Director Zoe Wergeland Manstrom at the 5 Medical Group (5 MDG), Minot Air Force Base, March 19, 2025. Photo: Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross
To help provide care at the clinic, the American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region has launched a new volunteer program to the 5DG’s clinic. Three new volunteers – two of whom are licensed nurses – will help tend to patients just like regular nurses, or they will support projects, depending on their availability.
Take First Lieutenant Ashley Manzano-Latorre, an active-duty missileer who’s making time to volunteer. She helped to provide disaster relief during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. “I like helping people,” she says. In addition to her career in the Air Force, Ashley plans to build on her education, training, and interest in healthcare.
Amanda Conte, also a new Red Cross volunteer, has a spouse who’s deployed to MAFB, which is home to the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing. She’s likely to have a role at the clinic in supporting pediatrics based on her professional nursing experience. “I want to keep up with my nursing skills and help out the military, be involved,” she says.
Support for the US military dates back to when American Red Cross founder Clara Barton tended to the ill and injured during the Civil War.
“Our Military Treatment Facility program is a continuation of that tradition,” says Lorie Herbel, Regional Manager of Service to the Armed Forces for the Red Cross in North Dakota. Two years in the making, she says, “We’re really happy to see this program come together at Minot Air Force Base. We’re thankful for everyone working together to help meet patient and clinic needs.”
Kristin Settersten
First Lieutenant Ashley Manzano-Latorre
Amanda Conte
The volunteer experience will be tailored, making it possible for them to do all kinds of things, including health promotion and prevention, says Lt. Col. and nurse Jessica Scirica. “I’ve been doing education and training for a very long time. It’s vital that we have a good relationship with the American Red Cross.”
Now that the new volunteers are through the screening, orientation and overall warm welcome, which was hosted at the base in March, the volunteers will have additional training at the clinic. With her years of experience in family medicine and women’s health, Kristin Settersten is eager for her assignment. “I always wanted to volunteer.”
For more about Red Cross services for military members, their families and veterans, click here. To learn about volunteer opportunities in the Minnesota and Dakotas Region, click here. To read more about our MTF program at Ellsworth AFB, click here.
Story and photos by Lynette Nyman/American Red Cross
Growing up, I was always very close to my grandmother, June (Ahlfs) Qualy. She taught me to read by the age of three embroider by the age of seven and the importance of helping those who need the most help by 12, at which time she encouraged me to take my first Red Cross class in babysitting. While most pre-teens spent their time at the mall or playing with makeup, I was busy learning the basics of survival skills and how to properly tie a makeshift sling in case of a broken arm. By 16 I was in Red Cross lifeguarding classes and became First Aid and CPR certified via a college class at 21. June was always a beacon of light in my life, modelling what a responsible, compassionate person in our society looks like.
Sarah Qualy (left) sharing a moment with her grandmother June, Summer 1991.
It wasn’t until I joined the American Red Cross in 2022 that I started learning more about June’s time serving with the Red Cross in World War II. She had just graduated from St. Catherine University in 1945, where she was an active member of the League of Women Voters, and then entered the nursing service of the Red Cross. June was deployed to Hiroshima and Tokyo, Japan, where she witnessed firsthand the devastating aftermath of the war. Her experiences there shaped her perspective on human suffering and the power of compassion to heal.
June served with the Red Cross until she decided to marry and start a family in 1949. However, her commitment to helping others didn’t end there. She went on to have a wonderfully impactful career at Saint Mary’s in Minneapolis as a chemical dependency counselor at their inpatient rehabilitation facility. June was known to be the toughest counselor on staff, often assigned the patients who were least likely to recover. Her approach was firm but compassionate, believing in the potential for change in even the most challenging cases.
“June always said, ‘see the need, meet the need’ and that keeps me going every day.” – Sarah Qualy, June’s granddaughter
June’s dedication and unique methods led to an alarming success rate despite the odds. Her work was so influential that former patient Barry B. Longyear wrote a book about her in the 1980s called “Saint Mary Blue.” This book not only chronicled June’s methods but also highlighted the lasting impact she had on countless lives.
When I think about June, I think about the tenacity of what it means to be a woman in times of crisis. Much like our Red Cross matriarch, Clara Barton, June embodied the spirit of humanitarianism that requires not only compassion and philanthropy but also courage and defiance. In this spirit, I’m reminded of my favorite Clara Barton quote: “I have an almost complete disregard of precedent, and faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been done. I defy the tyranny of precedent. I go for anything new that might improve the past.”
While my Grandma June is no longer with us, having passed away at almost 90 in 2013, I know that I carry her light within. There’s a fire inside me that I learned from her, to step up for our community in times of tribulation. To not fear the emotions of disaster, but to use them to alchemize into action. June always said, “see the need, meet the need” and that keeps me going every day. Her legacy lives on through the countless lives she touched and through those of us who continue to serve in the spirit of the Red Cross.
By Sarah Qualy, proud Red Crosser, following in her grandmother’s footsteps
As we celebrate March as both Red Cross Month and Women’s History Month, honor June’s legacy by joining the American Red Cross in our mission to alleviate human suffering—whether it’s through volunteering, donating blood, or making a financial contribution, your support can make a difference in your community and beyond. Visit RedCross.org/MNDAKS to get involved.
By Mary Patterson, Minnesota and Dakotas Region digital communications volunteer
When I first started high school, a banner in our cafeteria for the school’s fall blood drive caught my eye. I wasn’t old enough to donate, and I wasn’t yet part of the student groups organizing it. By my junior year, all that changed.
In the fall of 2021, I joined the Student Council and become a member of the National Honor Society. My math teacher, Ms. Arnold, was the advisor for both of these groups. On the agenda of the first student council meeting was the topic of the fall blood drive. Ms. Arnold shared her personal story about donating blood in memory of her father, who had been a lifelong blood donor after receiving a blood transfusion following a motorcycle accident.
I had volunteered in various ways before but never felt a spark or drive to a specific cause. However, I was eager to complete my service hours, and the blood drive sounded like a great way to get started.
Mary Patterson gives a thumbs up during a successful blood donation – December, 2024. (Photo submitted.)
Having turned 16 in 2020, I had to ask my parents’ permission to donate at the drive. Minnesota is one of 37 states to allow 16-year-old blood donors! With their blessing, I registered to donate and signed up to volunteer at the drive.
I woke up nervous the day of the drive. I had made sure to sleep well the night before and eat a good meal before heading to school. But what if the needle hurt a lot? What if I fainted? In the end, I felt completely well after my donation. We wrapped up the day with 71 donors and 217 lives saved!
“Besides the ‘good feels’ of being a teacher, this is one of the things I am most proud of – teaching the next generation to help people around them, even those they don’t know, is so important,” said Ms. Arnold. “Donating blood is something almost everyone can do so I encourage all my eligible students to do it. I know some students volunteer just so they can get out of class, but hopefully a habit is starting to form.”
I was eligible to donate again at the Spring 2022 blood drive, no longer requiring parental permission at age 17. This time, however, I ended up on a mat on the gym floor, dizzy and pale. A few weeks later, a letter from the Red Cross arrived in the mail explaining that I had an iron deficiency and was now ineligible to donate for one year. While this did explain the drastic difference in my donations, I was incredibly disappointed, as I had just been eligible to donate a few short months before. Not only that, what if this deficiency lasted so long I couldn’t donate again? Despite this, I knew how it had felt to give my time as well as my blood, so I was determined to remain involved in the school drives, taking volunteer shifts during my lunch hour at the sign-up table and helping donors at the drives feel at ease both during and after donating.
From my first two donations, I learned three valuable things: I had a health condition, but it was treatable, and, most importantly, I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t tried to donate blood. I was committed to donating again: I adjusted my diet to include higher iron intake, got cleared by my physician, and fulfilled the one year waiting period, I signed up to donate again, and was successful! I was so relieved to know I was healthy enough to donate again, as I went into this donation attempt even more nervous than my first. Since regaining eligibility, I donate close to every 56 days as possible.
Miss Dakota County volunteers at the University of Minnesota Red Cross Club blood drive, lending her support to this important cause. (Photo submitted.)
In my first year of college, I got involved with the University of Minnesota Red Cross Club as a blood donor. In my second year, I got more involved by volunteering at four on campus drives in the fall semester. Then, in October 2024, at age 19, I ran for a local title to the Miss Minnesota Scholarship Program, through the Miss America Opportunity. As a contestant, I needed to create a Community Service Initiative to focus on during my candidacy and potential year of service. For me, it was a no-brainer: my passion for blood donation had only grown since I started. After seeing the critical need for blood in our nation, having learned from the representatives that spoke to my school and from Ms. Arnold, I was finally feeling that spark towards a cause. To run for Miss Dakota County, I created The Power of Red: Blood Donation and Blood Health Awareness.
The Power of Red aims to enhance donor accessibility as well as create awareness about the critical need for blood. This is accomplished through my social media campaign that features weekly blood drive locations, fun facts about donation and blood health, and provides resources to help individuals schedule and prepare for donation appointments. This platform shows the benefits to both the donor and recipient: the urgent need for blood is combined with the knowledge that donors receive about their health. My personal experience showed me that blood donation has benefits beyond saving others: it just may help you save yourself.
Miss Dakota County, Mary Patterson, shares exciting news on Instagram: she’s now a Red Cross digital volunteer! Mary is using her platform to raise awareness and educate her followers about the critical need for blood donations.
Today, at age 20, I am honored to share that I won the title of Miss Dakota County 2025 this past October. I’ve started 2025 by becoming an official American Red Cross volunteer. I am eager to take The Power of Red to the Miss Minnesota stage this summer and show this great state the impact we can make by rolling up a sleeve to give the gift of life! I will be continuing my work by keeping my social media campaign up to date, continuing my volunteering with the U of M Red Cross Club in addition to regular donation, and finally, hosting my first blood drive in early June.
I recently asked Ms. Arnold what she would say after seeing me go from a first-time blood donor to an advocate volunteering with the Red Cross, and raising awareness for this cause on a state level as a Miss Minnesota candidate. She replied, “Thank you! Any way to bring attention to this lifesaving opportunity is a great one!”
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 