Today, volunteers – who make up 90% of the American Red Cross workforce – were honored at the annual Volunteer Excellence Awards in Los Angeles. Demonstrating their distinguished service and dedication to the Red Cross mission, these volunteers selflessly donated more than 184,000 hours in 2022 to address the needs of those reeling from record-breaking disasters.

The ten award winners, along with the more than 6,700 volunteers in the LA Region, received praise and gratitude during the gems-themed awards program for their enduring commitment during a challenging year. In 2022, Red Cross LA Volunteers provided disaster assistance to over 400 Angelenos, installed more than 3,600 smoke alarms, provided over 1,800 emergency communications for deployed military members, responded to the first blood crisis in more than a decade and deployed over 200 volunteers to respond to disasters across the country.

Committed to helping all those in need, volunteers deliver emergency support such as disaster relief, lifesaving blood, critical services for military families and veterans, lifesaving skills like CPR, international aid and so much more every day. Become a Red Cross volunteer by applying at redcross.org/volunteer.

The awardees:

Brooke Casanova – Rising Star Award

Brooke is recognized with an award honoring a volunteer who has served less than one year and has made a measurable impact on the organization within their first 12 months. Originally serving as a volunteer coordinator for our disaster action teams in the Metro and Southeast Los Angeles chapter she has grown into a leader, supervisor, and coordinator.

Dzian Tran – Outstanding Youth

Canyon Country resident, Dzian joined the Red Cross at the age of 13 and grew through demonstrated leadership and dedication to now serve as youth executive board president. Mobilizing volunteers from various schools to provide opportunities in the Youth Corps, they have been instrumental in engaging youth corps in the Northern Valleys.

Pamela Wilson – Biomedical Achievement

Lakewood resident, Pamela has contributed more than 4,000 volunteer hours as a blood donor ambassador in Biomedical Services. Supporting blood drives across the region, she always serves with a smile, is ready to help and makes donors feel welcome and comfortable. Additionally, she joined the biomedical volunteer recognition team supporting and highlighting the contributions of her colleagues.

Michael Farrar – Services to the Armed Forces

For more than 15 years, Norwalk resident Mike has supported Services to the Armed Forces programs. Serving as a reliable and compassionate leader he has supported the Veteran community directly at Veteran Affairs events, to providing mentorship and honoring Veteran stories with the Veteran’s History Project.

Patrick Shea – Disaster Preparedness & Response

Creative solutions, compassion and dedication are the hallmarks of Patrick, a disaster action team supervisor. While a Rancho Palos Verde resident, he supports the entire region and regularly takes the highest number of responses almost every month and focuses on providing comfort and care to Angelenos across the region.

Mimi Teller– Communications Award

Hollywood resident, Mimi joined the Red Cross in 2015 initially serving as a volunteer disaster responder and public affairs spokesperson. Serving with a deep commitment, attention to detail, compassion and communication skills, she has grown into leadership now serving as the public affairs leader, photographer lead, and deploying nationally and locally.

Josie Tong – International Services

For 10 prolific years of service, Pacific Palisades resident Josie has held multiple roles including Tiffany Circle Member, board member and fundraising volunteer. In recent years, they turned their compassion into action in support of the International Humanitarian Law program by becoming a trainer and presenter of the rules of war to our communities.

Dee Falasco – Special Citation for Exceptional Volunteer Service

West Covina resident Dee has been an integral volunteer for more than a decade. She serves on the information and planning team where her solution-oriented approaches to data provide critical and instrumental information used for disaster responses on a local and national level.

Timothy Dahlum – Volunteer Leadership

Los Angeles resident Tim is known as a volunteer who never gives up. Joining the organization during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to support our partnership with LAUSD, he has grown into an expert for the disaster team. Whether working regionally or nationally his expertise is used to solve problems with the mission and community care in mind.

Kat Walsh – Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership

Torrance resident Kat receives this award for her leadership of one of our crucial disaster programs, disaster recovery. Leading with compassion and empathy, Kat consistently supports the team and communities we serve and navigates complex and dynamic systems with grace and kindness. She also trains and mentors new disaster recovery volunteers to further the reach of the mission.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/la or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCrossLA or @CruzRojaLA.