Story told by Red Cross Volunteer Bob Hill

When I was asked to interview Kathleen Gibson, the 2023 American Red Cross Volunteer of the Year, I thought the assignment would be pretty straightforward. Well, it was anything but. You need to put your track shoes on to catch up with Kathleen Gibson: an extremely active woman who serves her community in a number of capacities, but her heart belongs to the American Red Cross.

“I love, love, love to help people," said Kathleen, who has been a Red Cross volunteer since 2015. Kathleen reminisces about how it all started during “The Big Flood” in South Carolina that year. Kathleen recalls people waking in the middle of the night “up to their hips in water."  There were enough Red Cross sheltering resources to get through that event, assisting the thousands of people impacted.

However, the following year, another disaster revealed a need for more Red Cross volunteers. Kathleen took it upon herself to recruit 30 new Red Cross volunteers from the surrounding community and her local church to meet those needs. Kathleen ultimately created the Summerton Red Cross Center, having volunteer strength in numbers, to meet the needs of Summerton, Manning, Turbeville, and, essentially, all of Clarendon County.  

Well, things just continued to grow from thereon. It’s no wonder that the Red Cross recognized Kathleen Gibson as 2023 Volunteer of the Year. She immediately recognized the hard work and dedication of her team by sharing the award with them because they are always “Johnny on the spot” whenever their help was needed. Moreover, Kathleen tells us that while being recognized is wonderful, she is more rewarded by the way she hopes she looks in the eyes of her God. It’s just that simple for her. I have to agree, and I wish her strength to continue to serve the people of South Carolina.

The American Red Cross footprint continues to grow in South Carolina. Last year, when Hurricane Ian made landfall, the South Carolina Chapter initiated numerous preparedness actions, including the opening of several shelters across the state to house and feed those displaced by the storm. This year, the Red Cross of South Carolina has deployed hundreds of volunteers to dozens of disasters including the catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii and Hurricane Idalia. The Red Cross Sound the Alarm program is credited with having saved 106 lives in South Carolina by installing free smoke alarms in South Carolina communities. Also, the Red Cross Blood Program provides urgently needed blood and blood products to hospitals throughout the state to treat those injured and facilitates other life-saving procedures.

Please consider donating to or volunteering with the Red Cross here.