Red Cross shows
there’s more than one way to serve
One employee is called into active duty with the Army, while two others
are promoted from from within
April 9, 2015 — The American Red Cross has always had a close
relationship with the military, dating back to when founder Clara
Barton provided aid to soldiers during the Civil War. And sometimes,
that relationship overlaps, which is the case with the American Red
Cross’s Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter. Disaster Program Manager
Kevan Dilworth, who is responsible for overseeing the responses to
disasters in the six-county area (Champaign, Clark, Darke, Miami,
Shelby and Logan), was called back to active duty with the U.S. Army,
reporting to a base in South Korea on Friday, April 3. Dilworth, who
will return to the same job upon his return, is scheduled to be
deployed for six months. He previously served tours in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
In order to fill the void created by Dilworth and the recent promotion
to Disaster Program Manager by Randy Earl to the Dayton Chapter, the
Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter has hired Marc Cantrell. Cantrell’s
previous eight years of work as both an employee and volunteer with the
American Red Cross has equipped him well for the position, says John
Bernard, Regional Disaster Officer for the 27-county Southeast Ohio
region, which includes the Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter.
Cantrell has served in a variety of volunteer roles in the Northern
Miami Valley area since moving here in 2012, including Services to the
Armed Forces, International Services and Disaster Services. Most
recently he has been the Volunteer Emergency Services Coordinator in
Miami and Shelby counties. Prior to moving to the area, Cantrell was a
Disaster Relief Director for the Red Cross in South Carolina where he
managed 31 churches, training parishioners to prepare for disasters. He
also worked in El Salvador, helping the country rebuild after
devastating earthquakes; in FEMA centers in Florida doing crisis
management following the 2004 hurricanes; in Sri Lanka helping after
the 2005 tsunami that killed 50,000 people; and in New Orleans doing
crisis management after hurricanes Katrina and Ike. Additionally,
Cantrell served in the United States Marine Corps from 1978-1984 as a
communications specialist and in the National Guard from 1988-1989.
Cantrell is excited to start his new position, and says his goal for
the job “totally aligns with the Red Cross, which is people helping
people.”
“It is with great pride that not only have we promoted two of our own
from within to support our local disaster response volunteers, but we
can support our military with Kevan’s brief return to service,” says
Lynne Gump, Executive Director, Northern Miami Valley Ohio, “In their
roles as volunteer support, community relationships and preparedness,
these three gentlemen bring decades of experience and leadership.”
Cantrell’s transition into the position will be somewhat eased by
having Earl as close by and available as a mentor. Earl moved back to
Dayton, where he began his career with the Red Cross as a Disaster
Action Team member after retiring from a 35-year career in education.
He moved to Northern Miami Valley as a Disaster Services Coordinator
before becoming a Disaster Program Specialist covering the six
counties. Since his start at the American Red Cross, Earl has
been deployed as a client caseworker five times, most recently to
Kansas for a tornado response.
The Northern Miami Valley Ohio Chapter has 379 volunteers giving of
themselves by delivering the mission of the American Red Cross, but
many more volunteers are needed. If you would like more
information about how you can become a volunteer supporting your
community, simply reach out online at Redcross.org or call your local
Red Cross Chapter office.
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