09/30/2026
American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region
The September 1st meeting of the Struthers Rotary Club included a presentation by Katie Bensinger on the activities and goals of the American Red Cross in Northern Ohio. Katie was hosted by Rotarian Cat Miller and described the five main services provided to those in need. These include Disaster Relief, Biomedical, Training, International and the Armed Forces.
Disaster Relief includes rapid response to home and residence fires, floods, etc. and addresses the need for shelter, clothing, food, health services, mental health and the many intangibles with a focus on hope. Biomedical focuses on supplying blood and platelets that are needed for many reasons and provides nearly 40% of all the blood used in the United States. Training teaches and empowers more than 4.8 million people annually to provide assistance services including first aid, CPR, AED and water safety. As the Red Cross is an international organization, support is provided for disasters that occur in other countries as well as in the US. The Armed Forces segment provides support to service members and their families to facilitate emergency communications, financial assistance, re-integration and veteran services.
Katie is the Senior Volunteer Recruitment Specialist for Northern Ohio and 90% of the American Red Cross is comprised of volunteers. There is a constant and ongoing need for more volunteers to assist with the programs supported. Positions such as Blood Donor Ambassador, Blood Transportation Specialist, Disaster Action Team Specialist, Disaster Health Services Responder and Disaster Mental Health Responder are a few of the many that are currently seeking volunteers.
Whether helping one displaced family or thousands, providing care and comfort to an ill or injured service member or veteran, or teaching others how to respond in emergencies, it’s through the efforts of ordinary people that the American Red Cross can do extraordinary things. If you wish to be a part of this very necessary work more information about volunteer positions and training can be found at https://redcross.org/volunteer today or by reaching out to Katie at 216-569-2327.
More information about the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region can be found at https://nohredcross.org/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NOHRedCross.
Speaker Katie Bensinger of the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region (left) with Struthers Rotary President Lisa Daprile (right). A $100 donation in Katie’s name will be submitted for the 2027 Rotary Scholarship program for Struthers High School Students.
