“I soon heard back that the British Red Cross had confirmed Ken’s birth mother was alive and welcomed hearing from Ken,” she said. She met with Ken to share the good news, and shortly after, Ken called his mother in England and said ‘Hey Mom, it’s me.’”  

Marilyn Vineyard’s work with the American Red Cross over 50 years has been throughout the U.S. and across the world, supporting members of the military, veterans and families, leading chapters, fundraising and serving during disasters.

Now living near Kalamazoo, Michigan, Marilyn took part in ARCAN’s 2^nd Annual Virtual Summerfest in June, where she and others shared their Red Coss experiences. We caught up with her recently to hear more about her work and what she is doing now. 

Memorable Red Cross Experiences – Little Boy Blue Case 

Marilyn remembers the “Little Boy Blue” case when Vietnam veteran Ken Maloney came to the Grand Rapids office in 1976 to ask for assistance in finding his birth mother. Ken’s father had been killed in England while serving with the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II; his birth mother was British and the two had not married. When the father died, the mother was not in a position to support Ken, and she gave the baby up for adoption by his father’s parents. A Red Cross nurse brought the baby across the Atlantic Ocean and the case was cited in many newspapers... 

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“I remember going to their huge and extensive basement [in Poland] where they keep all the paper files of the people from the Holocaust that the Red Cross has worked over all these decades to link family members – from the time of the horrible death camp releases to very recently.”

Sue Hassmiller decided to devote her life to the Red Cross when she was 20 and the organization helped her find her parents after a Mexico City earthquake. It was the beginning of a Red Cross journey that would last 50 years and include roles at every level of the organization, nearly every part of its service, disasters of all sizes and national leadership. 

“I have loved every minute and consider it all a privilege to be part of this family,” she said.

Sue has been a member of the Board of Governors, chair of several local boards, a founding member of the Tiffany Circle in the New Jersey region and a longtime member of the National Nursing Committee. She has responded to disasters such as the 9/11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Only two of her 50 years have been as a paid staffer, the rest have all been volunteer roles.

She gives out two national awards each year to deserving volunteers....

"Air Madagascar was SELLING our empty seats to random strangers at the airport! I noticed they had put our contract on the board and added in pencil, “we can sell any seat the Red Cross is not using.” Not so much! I was standing in an X shape in the door of the aircraft until we took off, blocking access from these random strangers coming up the boarding stairs."

We recently reached out to ARCAN member Megan Allday whose work has taken her around the world. Megan worked as the global events manager in International Services at Red Cross National Headquarters from 2005 to 2016. In 2017 she parlayed that experience and skills gained at earlier jobs into opening her own business, Confluence Global Meetings and Events. The following only touches on her many stories:

What are some of your most memorable trips/projects with the Red Cross? 

China Earthquake: Visiting Chengdu after the earthquake. It felt like a spooky ghost town. India: Spending a night (until 5:30 a.m.) debating Red Cross/Crescent policies and communications with Swedish arms dealers in New Delhi, Chad: Dancing with then American Red Cross Chairperson Bonnie McElveen-Hunter and the French-speaking head of the Chad Red Cross in a refugee camp, interpreting for her and her dance partner. Working with volunteers everywhere.

Who are some of the celebrities you’ve arranged logistics for?

Sidney Poitier. Ahhhh. A true gentleman....

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