25Nov

Connecting With Family: Our Favorite Stories

by: cowyredcross International‚ Mission Moments‚ Power of Volunteers Comment off

For many people, the holidays are about spending time with loved ones. The Red Cross recognizes the importance of family, and our programs and services aim to ease the stress, fear and uncertainty people experience when they can’t connect with their loved ones during — or because of — emergencies.

In honor of family time and the holidays, we’d like to share some of our favorite local stories of families our volunteers have helped to bring together – some are sad circumstances such as the illness or death of a parent, others are joyful reconnections after years apart.
We hope these stories will inspire #gratitude during this time of thanks-giving, and that you will be moved to share them with others and support our mission.
1. Yowali was reconnected with her family after FOURTEEN years apart with no contact!

2. Marine PFC Garcia stopped by to say thanks after we helped get him home for his grandfather’s funeral:

3. This Denver resident received the first communication from her husband in six years after being separated by conflict – it came in the form of a hand-written letter: 
http://coloradoredcross.blogspot.com/2015/09/husband-and-wife-reconnected-after-6.html 

4. Desire was having a tough time. Her husband had just deployed to Korea, they were struggling, and his father died. She turned to the Red Cross to bring her husband home:

5. George Kantor fled his homeland of Hungary as a youth during the anti-Communist revolution. He went home in hopes of reconnecting with his long-lost family, but was unable to reconnect until the Red Cross was contacted.