Category: Uncategorized

Author: Monique Knight, Red Cross Volunteer

Sangchan Sprayberry, 62, moved to Mountain Ranch less than three months ago and was preparing for retirement. Little did she know that, on Sept. 13, she would receive the wake-up call of her life.

”It was about 4am and I felt like God woke me from a sound sleep,” Sprayberry said. “I looked outside and saw fire lighting up the sky.”

The clock was ticking with only a few minutes to get out of the house safely. She was most concerned about quickly moving her 85-year-old mother, Noothin Bunraksa, who sleeps in the next room. “We left wearing pajamas and no shoes,” she said.

Once evacuated, the mother and daughter were welcomed into a Red Cross shelter in Valley Springs. Although the pair had the option of staying in a hotel, Bunraksa declined.

“I love it here,” the older woman said. “The Red Cross people are so nice! I have my own bed, food, medical care and even a church (the shelter happens to be at Good Samaritan Church). We have everything we need here.”

Sprayberry said while the fire has completely disrupted her life including her planned retirement, she feels fortunate. “I lost everything…my home, my car, my clothes and my possessions. But I am truly blessed,” she said. “We are lucky be alive and getting support from the Red Cross.”

Author: Sandy Baker, Red Cross Volunteer

“It’s rewarding to pull this off,” says Rich Hoffman, CEO of Jackson Rancheria, sweeping his hand across the crowd of people eating dinner in the evacuation center dining hall.  Hundreds of evacuees fill the tables and line the back of the room filling plates from a buffet fit for any resort casino.  This seems to be a bright spot of their day, greeting friends and neighbors with hugs and teary eyes.

The question I keep asking myself, and now to Rich and Bill Thornton, Jackson Rancheria CFO, is this:  Why are you doing this?  “Hospitality is our business,” Rich says.  “We just changed our guests.”  A week ago, folks came in for relaxation and entertainment; now, the Rancheria is providing a safe place to sleep and meals three times a day to help evacuees be less stressed.

And they seem to be doing a fine job of that.  “They are an absolute godsend,” says Teri Lutzi, an evacuee from San Andreas.  She’s up at 6:00 am in the shelter lobby tying her shoes to get ready for work.  “Thanks to Jackson Rancheria and the Red Cross I have somewhere safe to sleep.”  She spent a night in her car, and a couple of nights camped out in a local business before registering here at the shelter.  She thinks her house may have survived the fire, but it has no power which means no water from the well, so she may be here awhile.  That’s ok, because Jackson Rancheria will still be here to help.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” Rich says.  “We will continue on assisting and helping.  The evacuation is just the first step.  The tribe will be here every step of the way.”

“It’s the culture the tribe created,” Bill keeps saying.  “This is our community.  We take care of each other.”

That care extends beyond just the tribe.  It’s evident in the way the evacuees are treated as guests of a fine resort.  From the chefs in white coats checking on the chaffing dishes, to the security personnel roaming the halls, everyone is kind, smiling, and offering support.  “It’s our culture,” the staff says.  “It’s how we were raised.”  It’s the same answer I get from all the team members.  The story never changes.

Rich can tell that I am still baffled at why a company would feed people, give them free lodging, provide shuttle service and tokens for laundry.  And he’s right.  Why not just write a check like so many of our generous supporters do?  I finally get an answer that makes sense.  He explains that the concept of prestige is different in the Native American culture than in the Western culture.  Prestige in a Western culture is judged by the Donald Trump types, measured by what a person owns.  In the Native American culture prestige is earned by who you can provide for.  This seems perfectly poignant for those who may have lost everything they own.

Before Terri Lutz heads off to work today she will first stop off to care for evacuated animals of friends from her community.  It’s her way of giving back, and in my new perspective, building her own prestige.

Washington D.C., Thursday, September 10, 2015 — The American Red Cross is launching a new digital tool that gives military families the option to quickly communicate an emergency message from a computer, tablet or smartphone at redcross.org/HeroCareNetwork. This secure and free service will also let users track the progress of an emergency message from verification through delivery.

“On a consistent basis, more than 110,000 military families reach out to the American Red Cross for emergency assistance each year,” said Koby J. Langley, senior vice president of Service to the Armed Forces, American Red Cross. That’s approximately 300 military families per day. This new online tool, designed for today’s military family, offers a better and more efficient way to serve our military community during their time of need.”

A military member or a member of their family needing to initiate an emergency message can go to redcross.org/HeroCareNetwork or call 877-272-7337. After a message is started online, a highly-trained emergency communication specialist will begin the emergency verification process required to deliver it to the military member’s command. During the verification process, the requester will receive status updates.

“It’s important to remember that people can always speak to a Red Cross worker at anytime during the process,” said Langley. “Regardless of how families initiate an emergency message, military members can depend on the Red Cross to relay urgent messages to service members serving anywhere in the world.”

For more information regarding Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces visit redcross.org/military. Also, take a minute to read our Hero Care Network FAQs.