The Region recognized Board Members of the Year during Volunteer Appreciation Week.
Allegheny Highlands–Melissa Hornbeck
Central & Southern WV–Amy Condaras
Greater Shenandoah Valley–Nancy Braswell
Ohio River Valley–Tim Pingley
Tri-State–Donna Davis

June 3 – Charleston, WV
June 3, 10 – Parkersburg, WV
June 17 – Ashland, KY
June 23, 24 – Morgantown, WV

The Red Cross Central Appalachia Region partnered with the University of Charleston to Sound the Alarm and save lives by installing smoke alarms in the spring of 2023. Members of the football and soccer teams helped make homes safer.

The Animal Visitation Program is new to Service to the Armed Forces in the Central Appalachia Region this year. Each Animal Visitation Team consists of a therapy dog and handler that donate their time to visit veterans around our region.

Jean Brothers has been a disaster leadership volunteer since 2006. Jean’s granddaughter, Megan just became a Red Cross volunteer in September. Megan was introduced the Red Cross at a very early age and will continue her grandmother’s legacy of service.

Joniesha Johnson, the mother of Deonco Howard, the City of South Charleston and the Red Cross teamed up to offer free swim lessons at the SC Community Center for children. Deonco was six years old with his aunt went fishing and drowned in June 2022.

The American Red Cross Day at the Capitol was held on Wednesday, March 8th. Governor Jim Justice declared March as Red Cross Month in West Virginia and resolutions were issued by the WV House of Delegates and the WV State Senate.

Leslie Caliva is an incredibly gifted volunteer, leader & mentor. Leslie began her journey as an American Red Cross volunteer in October of 1969 at a clinic in Darmstadt, Germany. Leslie has created a legacy of impacting the military & veteran community.

Chealie (Chea) Wilson is a veteran of the US Air Force joined the Red Cross in early 2020. She volunteers at the local Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) and has helped grow the Central Appalachia Region SAF casework by an average of 250%.

Nancy has been serving her community through the Red Cross for over thirty years. She has led the chapter’s Service to the Armed Forces casework team for ten years and led the chapter as Chapter Chair and served as board member several times.

Sickle Cell Awareness Virtual Roundtable Discussion was held on October 23rd.

More than 100 lives have been lost in the fires that have devastated Hawaii’s island of Maui. Thousands have people have been displaced and left with no homes to return to.