National Volunteer Week - Tony Tobbe

Tony Tobbe (right) receives the 2013 Exceptional Volunteer Service Award

Volunteer Tony Tobbe began his volunteer service with the American Red Cross in June of 2011. After retiring from GE, Tony joined the Red Cross to add something significant to his newly open schedule. He is now a cross-trained volunteer serving in both our Disaster Services program as well as our Blood Services program.

Tony is both a Disaster Action Team member and a Disaster Response volunteer. In his three years with the American Red Cross, Tony has responded to numerous house fires and emergency situations here in Louisville. He deployed for Hurricane Isaac and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Oklahoma Tornadoes and massive Colorado flooding in 2013. All together Tony has served 836 hours with our Disaster Services program.

Tony has also donated 1180 hours of his time to helping ensure a stable blood supply in our region. As a Blood Services volunteer, Tony not only volunteers at local blood drives, but also assists as a Blood Driver, couriering blood and blood products to and from locations as far away as Evansville, Indiana. In 2013, he received the 2013 Exceptional Volunteer Service Award for the River Valley Blood Region. And to top it off, he is a long time blood donor himself!

When he is not working with his Red Cross team, Tony spends time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He is also a University of Kentucky Committee 101 member, so he spends quite a bit of time driving down I-64 to help usher UK athletics events in his coveted blue coat.

To register to become a Red Cross volunteer and to see Red Cross volunteer opportunities in your area, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.

National Volunteer Week - Sara Shelton

Crossing Generations members Ainsley Jones and Sara Shelton promote the Wrapped in Red Gala & Red Lounge.

Sara Shelton joined the Red Cross in 2009 as a member of our Crossing Generations Society. Sara is a young professional and works for Triangle Talent as a Senior Producer. She travels frequently, primarily to state fairs and music festivals, to promote concerts and work with bands directly.

Sara’s impact has included assisting with the development and planning of our Wrapped in Red Gala, chairing the Red Lounge committee, setting up blood donation opportunities and CPR/First Aid trainings for young professionals, and more. She is currently the Chair of our Crossing Generations group and was previously the Director of Recruitment and Retention. During the March 2012 tornado relief efforts, she recruited other young professionals to help cover telethons, benefit concerts and other fundraising opportunities. She shadowed a Red Cross response vehicle the day after the storms. Finally, she believes in what she asks others to do—she is a blood donor, financial donor and is trained in CPR/First Aid.

To register to become a Red Cross volunteer and to see Red Cross volunteer opportunities in your area, visit redcross.org/volunteer.