Local Loudoun Business Makes Big Impact Through American Red Cross

By Erwin Stierle, Executive Director, Loudoun and Prince William Counties, VA

The Fall of 2017 was a big, destructive season for hurricanes. In fact, three of the five costliest hurricanes in U.S. history – Harvey, Irma, and Maria – hit the U.S. within weeks of each other. Bob Reiver, owner of Dulles Golf and Sports Park in Dulles, VA, was astonished at the level of destruction these hurricanes levied on so many, leaving thousands homeless across Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Unfortunately, many didn’t survive.

Bob knew, like most, that the Red Cross responds during times of major disaster, by reconnecting families, serving millions of meals and snacks, distributing millions of relief items, delivering mental health services, and providing shelter to thousands. However, in order for us to respond in these ways and times of need, we need resources like vehicles, supplies, food, water, people and transportation of people. This can only be achieved through the generosity of donors. Bob and his Managing Partner, Andy Stromberg, agreed to donate 20% of the gross sales during September and October of 2017 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief from their miniature golf course, driving range, batting cages, and gemstone panning to benefit the hurricane victims. This resulted in a donation of $21,814.

From Left: Bob Reiver, Erwin Stierle, 
and Andy Stromberg.

Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park then provided the American Red Cross with a fundraising opportunity in April 2018, during which they sold ticket packages to families to enjoy their complex’s facilities at a discounted rate and money raised going to the Red Cross. This resulted in another $2,000 being raised. This provided us the opportunity to educate the community about our local services.

Bob himself was unaware of the significant role the American Red Cross plays in local disaster response, like helping those displaced by home fires.

“So many people know that the Red Cross responds during the big disasters and is a big player in the blood business. What I have found is that most people do not know the impact the Red Cross has locally – responding to home fires, helping make homes safer, serving military members and their families and providing lifesaving training classes. They need funding to carry out all of those activities,” said Bob.

Later, in 2018, Dulles Golf Center made another $5,000 donation.

The American Red Cross needs that funding ahead of large disasters and to be prepared to deliver our mission across all those services at the local level. Knowing this now, Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park once again chose to donate a percentage of sales, this time taking 10% of their activity fees and pavilion rentals from their company picnics and team building events in May, June, and July of 2019. That effort resulted in a donation of $14,743!

From Left: Bob Reiver, Erwin Stierle, and Andy Stromberg.

Disasters, big and small, will continue to happen. Bob and Andy have committed to supporting those in need by sharing in the success of their business and funding the mission of the American Red Cross when they can. It’s local support like this, one business at a time and one individual at a time, that makes a tremendous difference in helping those in need.

Thank you to Dulles Golf Center & Sports Park for your generosity to support those in need!

My Red Cross Disaster Volunteer Story: Bill Sien

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer

It was a blustery February day and it had been a busy one for Bill Sien, 77. He was one of 25 volunteers, coordinating with the fire chief and his crew, to fan out to 185 homes in Manassas, VA, offering fire safety tips and smoke alarms free of charge to residences. At the end of the day, they had installed 156 alarms in 46 homes as part of the Red Cross’ house fire prevention program called Sound the Alarm.

One of those homes, in particular, stood out for Bill.

He had been inside for about a half-an-hour installing smoke alarms on both floors and two bedrooms. As he was preparing to leave, the women living in the home broke into a big smile and said, “I know you.” It clicked for Bill. It had been a far less pleasant experience the last time they’d met. A few months earlier, she and her family – a boyfriend and a small child – had lost their home, also in Manassas, in a fire.

Bill, a DAT (Disaster Action Team) lead responder had arrived on the scene to find chaos. The residents were immigrants from Nepal and had no other family to turn to for help. The anxiety and confusion were typical of a house fire scene.

“They’re very distraught,” Bill says. “They’re confused. They don’t know what to do. I mean, this is the worst day of their life and they’re so happy to have someone help them walk it through. We give them a list of things they need to do.”

“They need to get all of their essential items out of the house – items like a charger for their phone, wallet, drivers license, anything that they can’t live without, prescription drugs and things like that.”

The family was able to get out essentials but little else. Bill arranged for lodging for them and gave them blankets and a Red Cross pamphlet that goes through all the things that need to be done to recover from a fire, step by step. He also gave them “comfort bags” filled with toiletries, including a toothbrush and comb. The woman was so grateful that she gave him a big hug when he left.

Flash forward to the February day when she was in her new home with four new fire alarms.

“I told her this is so much better than that last experience and you could see the joy in her face. I said you know you’re doing something preventative here so you can avoid what you went through the last time.”

When Bill isn’t volunteering for the Red Cross, he’s running his own business. He coordinates wireless mikes on game days for the NFL, the Washington Nationals and the University of Maryland. He lives with his wife, Teresa, in Haymarket, VA, and likes to spend time with his two children and five grandchildren, including a set of twins, all who live in the area.

Join the National Capital Region at upcoming Sound the Alarm events! 

My IN THE BAG Red Cross Story: Alyce Phinney

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer

On a spring morning two years ago, Alyce Phinney was waiting for the school bus at an Alexandria bus stop when she heard a neighbor’s house had caught fire. After loading her two boys on the bus, she drove to the neighbor’s house to see if she could help and ended up taking the family’s little girl to school. It seemed firetrucks were everywhere at the scene and the family looked distraught. They carried what they could gather from the house in garbage bags.

Alyce was proud, but not surprised, to see the Red Cross there. Every eight minutes the organization responds to a house fire. Red Crossers arranged lodging for the family, calmly told family members what they needed to do, and offered blankets and toiletry bags. Alyce was on her way that morning to a kick-off meeting for the upcoming fall IN THE BAG event, which auctions designer handbags to raise money for the Red Cross. She told committee members how moved she was to see the Red Cross instilling calm where there was palpable panic.

“Because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Alyce says. “We want to be proud of our event, we want to auction great looking handbags, but the most important thing is to be reminded why we do this work.”

IN THE BAG was started eight years ago by Red Cross volunteer Brenda Blisk. The committee solicits new or gently used designer handbags, among them Gucci, Kate Spade and Michael Kors. Last November the event auctioned 147 handbags, ranging in price from $200 to $1,350. The auction raised $133,000 in less than three hours.

Alyce, 44, is uniquely qualified to solicit handbags for the event. She has worked for 10 years in the handbag department at Neiman Marcus and has a close relationship with many of the women who buy purses from her. A longtime client, Dr. Marta Wilson, brought her to the event as a guest five years ago, thinking Alyce would have a great network for soliciting bags. She was right. Almost half of the bags sold at last year’s auction – 70 of 147 – came from Alyce’s contacts.

“I’m like a constant cheerleader. I send an email out to my clients. I talk about this event all the time at work,” Alyce says. “You know it’s hard to go to a client and say, ‘Hey, do you have eleven hundred and fifty dollars to contribute to the Red Cross?’ But it’s easy to say, ‘Do you have something in your closet that you’re not enjoying anymore? Do you want to donate it to help save a life?”

Alyce says clients are thankful for the chance to contribute.

“I’m grateful to them for giving,” Alyce says, “but on the flipside, as they are giving me the handbag, they always thank me for being involved in this so they can make this kind of contribution.”

She says she was “blown away” by the professionalism and attention to detail when she first came to the event five years ago. She was introduced to Brenda Blisk and asked if she could help. “I said if you’ll have me, I’ll make the commitment right here and now that I will serve on the committee for next year.”

She now co-chairs a subcommittee of 30 women who oversee handbags for the auction. Each of the women contributes a bag for the event. They also get contributions from companies and sometimes they get help from unexpected places. Two years ago, a woman from New York City found the charity on the internet. They never met her but she contributed a black vintage Hermes bag that sold for $3,000.

Most contributions, however, come through networking. One of Alyce’s clients, Carol Chill, had recently lost her husband and was sorting through her belongings. She found five bags she wanted to donate, including a 15-year-old Gucci brown tote that still had the tickets on it. It went for $1,150. It was on sale for $600 when Carol bought it, but its age made it vintage and thus more valuable.

“It had been sitting in her closet all those years, nobody enjoying it,” Alyce says. “She was tickled.”

Alyce and fellow committee members are now preparing for this year’s auction on November 16. Bags have to be solicited and then cleaned, sorted and tagged for the event. She’s made it a family affair. Her son Tobey, 10, helped clean and tag the bags last year, and her seven-year-old son, Lucas, helped clean. And they’ll be back this year, she says. “It’s a great way to do volunteer work with your children.”

For more information on this year’s auction, visit www.inthebagrc.com.

My Lifesaving Red Cross Blood Donor Story: Virginia Hamilton

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer

Virginia Hamilton is still moved by a letter she received some three decades ago from the American Red Cross. It thanked her for saving a life. Virginia, 73, had been donating blood since her 20’s and platelets since her 30’s, but this was a special case.

A little boy who had a bone marrow transplant was in the hospital and not doing well. The Red Cross asked if she would be willing to donate platelets continuously over a period of months and she said yes. For the first several weeks, Virginia went in three days a week to donate at the Red Cross office in Merrifield, VA. The next several weeks, she came in twice a week, then once a week, then once every other week and then once a month. The Red Cross was so concerned she would be dangerously low in proteins because of all the blood she was donating that they recommended she consume extra nutrients. She drank a glass of milk with a peanut butter sandwich for lunch every day and had a daily bowl of rice and beans. By the time she finished donating it was Christmas and the little boy was better.

“They sent me a note saying he got to home for Christmas,” Virginia says. “He wasn’t doing very well and then he got my blood and he got better. I really was walking around on a cloud for a very long time.”

Sometimes it was hard to get the blood from Virginia because she has one arm where the veins “roll” when the needle is inserted. “They brought in a special nurse and she was really good at getting the needle in so they could get the platelets out,” Virginia says.

Virginia has AB positive blood, which is rare, and there is not a lot of demand for it, so she started donating platelets instead. She estimates that she gave five gallons of platelets to the Red Cross from her 20’s to her 50’s. For the next 10 years she donated to Inova Fairfax Hospital because it had blood donation centers that were closer to her job or her home. She has no estimate of how much blood she gave to Inova. Virginia stopped giving blood a couple of years ago after a couple of failed attempts to draw her blood.

“After 50 years of giving blood, its time for someone else to take over,” Virginia says.

Virginia’s family’s commitment to donating blood spans three generations. She was inspired by her aunts who started giving blood during World War II and then just kept it up afterwards. Virginia’s daughter started giving blood as soon as she was old enough. For years she had accompanied her mother on her treks to give blood, first to the Red Cross downtown and later, when it opened up, to the office in Merrifield, which was much closer to home.

Virginia lives in Sterling, VA with her cockatoo, Charlie. She has a daughter Mary Ann. She’s retired from a job in construction where she reviewed blueprints and estimated building costs.

The need is constant. The gratification is instant. Give blood. 

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Carol McKenzie

Written by: Rose Ellen O’Connor, volunteer


One chilly fall night in 2014, on a joyride gone awry, teenagers plowed an SUV into the glass door of a bottom floor apartment in Leesburg, VA. The family who lived in the apartment was understandably distressed. Two preschoolers, a boy and a girl, were crying and wanted to go back into their home. The parents were visibly agitated.

Carol McKenzie, who joined the Red Cross as a volunteer in 2007, arrived on the scene at 10 p.m. as a fairly new DAT (Disaster Action Team) lead responder. She arranged a place for the family to stay, wrapped the children in blankets and gave them Mickey Mouse stuffed toys to distract them from their tears. Most important, perhaps, Carol gave the family something quintessentially ‘Red Cross.’

“I had a calm, collected manner, which is what people in a disaster need,” Carol says. “They were upset. Sometimes another person who is quiet and calm and not distracted by the emergency can really help.”

Carol, 66, is the disaster lead for Loudoun County, VA, meaning she responds to calls for help with home fires, floods and other emergencies. She is also on call 24/7. Disaster leads in Prince William County, VA back her up and she, in return, backs up those volunteer leads when someone is unavailable to respond.

“We all try to help each other out,” Carol says. “When you’re working in a situation that’s highly charged, you come to rely on other people. We’re all in this together.”

Fortunately, Carol says, Loudoun County has a relatively low incidence of house fires, which frees up  her time to volunteer for other Red Cross needs. Among her projects, she coordinates the Loudoun and Prince William Counties’ home fire campaigns, known as Sound the Alarm.

Since 2016, Carol and her group of Red Cross volunteers have made monthly visits to neighborhoods considered at-risk for home fires, including immigrant communities and neighborhoods with older construction. Carol gets community leaders involved by asking them to alert residents that the Red Cross is coming. During the Saturday visits, volunteers go door-to-door, installing free smoke alarms and providing fire safety information, such as fire escape plans.

Despite all her volunteering, Carol finds time to run her own organizing business. She helps clients get rid of clutter from mounds of papers to closets full of old belongings, and helps them better organize their time. She also manages a neighbor’s business. Still, Carol says, she’s not running at full steam.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, Carol underwent what seemed like an endless round of surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation. She was too sick to work and is still regaining her energy, she says. She would have loved to have joined the more than 100 Red Cross volunteers from the National Capitol Region who deployed to California, Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands in the wake of recent hurricanes, floods and wildfires, but didn’t feel she was strong enough yet. She hopes to deploy to a disaster sometime in the next two years.

Cancer brought her even closer to her fellow volunteers. While she was too sick to work or volunteer, fellow volunteers kept tabs on her, regularly checking in to see how she was doing. When you join the Red Cross, you join a community, she says.

“It meant a lot when I wasn’t able to participate in volunteering to have that contact,” McKenzie says. “It was important to me and to my recovery.”

Carol, who lives in rural Lovettsville, VA, with her cats Jet, Marmalade and Ms. Engine, was inspired by her mother to volunteer. Her father was an officer in the Navy, and she and her two younger brothers were raised in Cuba, Italy and Japan. Her mom, who died in 2012, volunteered for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and countless military causes. She frequently taught her daughter how to contribute to the benefit of her family as well as others.

“My mother was quite the volunteer,” Carol recalls. “Always modest about her service, she’d often say that just a little bit of time can make a huge difference.”

Carol is now trying to pass on the volunteer bug to her son, Matthew, 28, who lives in Ashburn, VA. She tells him how blessed they are and how important it is to give back. He helps when she takes on a project that weighs more than she can handle, such as organizing cases of DAT supplies.

“He’s not a Red Cross volunteer yet,” Carol says with a big smile, “but I’m working on it.”

My Red Cross Employee Story: Heather Williams

Interviewed by: Ramsha Asad, volunteer

Name: Heather Williams

Hometown: Woodbridge, VA

Staff Role: Blood Production Specialist

Previously serving as a communication specialist in the military, Heather Williams joined the American Red Cross almost 3 years ago after completing her medical degree. Being the staff person in charge of the Fairfax Blood Donation Center, Heather has a very busy job managing blood donations and drives. As a Production Specialist, she is trained to perform a variety of types of donations, including whole blood, double red blood cell and apheresis platelet collection. The type of donation for each individual depends on their blood type, physical characteristics, personal preferences and the availability of convenient donation opportunities. 

Despite the long hours, Heather enjoys working at the Red Cross because of the wonderful staff and the donors she gets to meet. She loves the energetic environment where everyone has a purpose, which is to help ensure the availability of a safe and reliable blood supply in the communities served. Heather and her teammates understand the importance of staying focused so their work can be done carefully. However, her favorite part of her job is meeting donors because she’s inspired by the people she meets, such as families that donate together or people in the hospital who’ve just finished their treatment. She shared the story of one family whose mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. After the mom received blood donations for her treatment, the family now comes to donate blood every two weeks as a way of giving back to the community that has helped them. Stories such as these keep Heather motivated to come to work every day because she’s proud to help people in need.

To learn more about the various types of blood donations, like double red blood cells and platelets, click here.

To find a blood drive near you, click here.

To see current job openings, click here.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Joe Cattaneo

Carrying on a Century-Long Family Tradition Volunteering for the Red Cross

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Volunteer: Joe Cattaneo

Resides: McLean, Virginia

Profession: Retired President of the Glass Packaging Institute and part-time consultant

Length of Volunteer Service: 3 years and counting

Length of Employment with the American Red Cross: 12 years, early in his career

Joe Cattaneo is carrying on a century-long family tradition of volunteering for the Red Cross, which dates back to World War I and spans two nations, the United States and Italy.

Joe’s maternal grandmother served as a volunteer for the Red Cross during World War I in Italy and Joe’s mother followed in those footsteps, serving as a volunteer during World War II, in Italy.  She married Joe’s American father in Rome and settled down in St Louis, Missouri.

“I was influenced by my mother to donate my time to help others in need, as she did so in words and by her actions working for the Visiting Nurses Association late in life,” said Joe.

Some of Joe’s fondest keepsakes are his grandmother’s Red Cross identification card from Italy and a Red Cross celebrity cookbook, which has recipes from celebrated actors from the early 1900’s, such as Al Jolson, Harry Houdini, Douglas Fairbanks, Lillian Russell, Mary Pickford, and Sophie Tucker. The cookbook was dedicated to the American Red Cross and the Actor’s Fund. Joe thinks the proceeds of the cookbook went to both organizations. The cookbook was acquired by Joe’s great uncle, who was a mess sergeant during World War I. Joe inherited the cookbook from his great uncle, who kept it in a special chest along with military medals and memorabilia.

So, Joe could not help but step up and be part of the American Red Cross organization, first, as a part-time employee in college during the Vietnam War era, later as a full-time employee, and now, as a volunteer, post-retirement.

“I started working part-time for the American Red Cross when I was in college,” says Joe. “The father of one of my fraternity brothers was the Assistant Director of the Service to Military Families Department at the St. Louis Bi-State Chapter. At that time, during the Vietnam War, I started doing casework – interviewing local families of military personnel stationed overseas and helping them to learn how to handle a budget and live without a spouse. Sometimes, we would deliver messages to service members from their families, such as the birth of a baby or an illness of a family member.”

Joe eventually landed a full-time permanent job with the American Red Cross where he worked for 12 years in three states – Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio, doing everything from serving as a field representative, to chapter management, and deputy division manager.

“Some of my most memorable times working for the American Red Cross was when I was a field representative in Illinois,” said Joe. “I worked statewide with various small chapters and organizations. I would speak about the Red Cross at various functions such as the Kiwanis and Rotary clubs and conduct audits of different chapters. I remember that one small chapter kept all their financial records in a shoe box – of course, this was all before computers.”

Joe also reminisced about the people whose lives he was able to touch working for the Red Cross.

“During the post-Vietnam era, refugees were relocating to the United States, many settling first at military installations before assimilating into communities. The American Red Cross would offer night courses to teach the refugees English. We also provided job placement for them. I even hosted a party at my apartment where we had folks attend not only from Vietnam, but also from Korea, Cambodia, and Eastern Europe. Everyone brought a dish from their homeland and it was a delicious potluck. One of the fellows was a tailor and made me a suit as a gift.”

Joe then became a Red Cross chapter manager in Wisconsin, where he was a community leader, promoting the Red Cross.

“I had a monthly radio show,” said Joe. “I would talk about blood drives and their locations, swimming and safety courses we were offering, and I would recruit volunteers. It was a great way to promote the Red Cross.”

After leaving the Red Cross as an employee, Joe became a partner in an Ohio advertising firm for nine years, then moved to the Washington, D.C. area to become Vice President of Marketing for the Glass Packaging Institute, one of his former clients, and eventually President of the Glass Packaging Institute where he retired in 2012, after a 20-year career with the trade association.

“I was looking at doing something on a voluntary basis for my community after I retired, so I contacted the American Red Cross in Fairfax,” said Joe. “I started volunteering as a Community Leader for the Red Cross, representing the Red Cross at exhibits and attending various community meetings and fundraising activities. I was then referred to be the head of volunteer services to participate on their volunteer intake screening team. In volunteer intake, we screen people who are interested in volunteering – we are sort of like matchmakers. We gauge their level of interest, and what they want to do, and find them volunteer opportunities that fit their backgrounds and our needs.”

In January alone, there were 400 volunteer applicants for the Red Cross in the National Capital Region that needed to be screened for the right volunteer opportunity. The time commitment is flexible and the ways to help out are endless – from blood donor services, to disaster relief, to community engagement, to a home fire campaign, to helping out at military hospitals and installations. Their volunteer opportunities are endless.

“We always welcome volunteers,” said Joe. “For me, volunteering for the American Red Cross completes my life as it is now. When I do this, I feel active. I get to interact with young like-minded people, and I look forward to it every day. It is not like a job, that can sometimes get tedious. There is always someone to help, someone whose life you can make better helping through volunteer service.”

When Joe is not volunteering for the American Red Cross, he is helping out many other organizations, including heading up a food bank, helping to tutor kids, and providing help for the homeless. He is also a music aficionado who once played piano, trumpet, guitar, and was in a band in high school. He also enjoys symphonies, operas, theater and sports.

“I am a St. Louis Cardinal fan forever,” concluded Joe.

My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Sara El Saied

Inspiring Youth Volunteerism

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

Volunteer: Sara El Saied
Resides: Springfield, Virginia
Profession: Business Development Coordinator, Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nurses
Length of Volunteer Service: 2 years, and continuing

What inspired you to volunteer for the American Red Cross?

I think what inspired me to volunteer for the American Red Cross is its mission. I have always been a witness to seeing how different people are impacted from suffering, whether it is from disasters to homelessness. I asked myself, “What is it that I can do to make a change or a difference.” A friend of mine was volunteering for the American Red Cross and inspired me to get involved. So, I applied to be a community volunteer leader. At the time, the American Red Cross at the National Capital Region was looking to recruit and fill a position for a youth program officer volunteer to support youth volunteers in Fairfax County, so this became my focus.

What do you do as a volunteer? Where?

I started volunteering by supporting the youth program in Fairfax County, connecting with local high schools and helping the schools to start an American Red Cross club, where there are continuous opportunities for youth to participate in community service events such as fire safety canvassing to hosting a blood drive to making disaster care kits. After a year and half or so supporting youth program in Fairfax, I was recruited to be the American Red Cross regional youth lead for the National Capital Region under the direction of Jessica Adams. Most high schools have different clubs and students are required to do community service for graduation. My goal is to identify and work with the students in schools to volunteer for the American Red Cross so they can continue to support their community throughout their lives. By becoming a youth volunteer for the American Red Cross, a student as a club member or officer has the resources to make a positive impact in saving lives in their community.

Why is it important to volunteer?

Last year, at the annual meeting for American Red Cross in the National Capital Region, Joe Madison said, “The difference between a moment and movement is sacrifice.” His words truly embodied why it is important to give back to your community. By volunteering, you have an opportunity to make a change in someone’s life.  And with the American Red Cross, there are plenty of opportunities to be a helping hand.

What are some memorable experience you have about volunteering for ARC? How have you made a difference?

Going on my first fire safety canvassing with high school students was memorable. I watched the students conquer their own fears, knocking on somebody’s door, providing fire safety information, and helping to get fire alarms installed.  It was amazing to see the students have a camaraderie with people of different ages and backgrounds that they might not regularly encounter. I was also invited to represent the American Red Cross at a National Youth Forum conference as part of a round table. I met two inspirational young students—one from Maryland and one from San Francisco making differences in their communities. One was working with a local homeless shelter and the other student, 11 years old, authored a book about what it is like to be a child whose father is incarcerated. It was a therapeutic way to help the child deal with depression after her father went to jail. The story of these kids making a difference not only inspired me but it empowered me by seeing how they were taking something negative and helping others.

What are you most proud of regarding your volunteer work for ARC?

I think what I am most proud of is how I have evolved not by the things I have done, but by being empowered constantly by the stories of many volunteers who selflessly serve others and seeing first-hand how they are making a difference in every person they touch. It has changed and recharged my duty to give as a millennial. There are so many people out there who want to help. I feel that I have found a second home through the American Red Cross and it has been empowering.