By Yzeppa Macias, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs
The Marshall Fire in Boulder County, Colorado, destroyed over 1,000 homes, led to the evacuation of nearly 35,000 people and devastated thousands of Boulder residents.
With the help of our local partners, the American Red Cross of Colorado was able to offer support during this tragic event. More than 100 Red Cross volunteers offered emotional support, information on resources and a safe place to take shelter for victims and their pets until they could return home or to temporary housing.
“The American Red Cross relies on strong, community based partnerships to quickly respond to those in need during and after a disaster,” said Sophia Conti, Director of Development of the Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming.
“Because every disaster is different, so are the needs of each community. We work closely with local partners and emergency responders to create plans and coordinate recovery services, ensuring that everyone gets the help they need.”
During the Marshall Fire many local organizations, churches, volunteer groups and individual community members stepped in to show their support.
“The amazing amount of support received from the people in Colorado and Wyoming are so generous,” Cori Tanner said, Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado. “We all come together and do what we can,” she said of the response to disasters like these.
From Airbnb to independent restaurants to Community Food Share in Boulder, to a long list of churches, church groups and many others — we witnessed the community, the state and the region come together as a whole to offer whatever they could; including hot meals, rooms to stay in, blankets, clothes and transportation.
“At the end of the day, Boulder County has done amazing things to provide for their citizens,” Tanner said, “they were quick in going above and beyond — I’m thankful every day that Boulder had that community support.”
At Canvas Credit Union, “getting out to our community is something we place a huge emphasis on,” Ashton Santos, branch manager at Canvas Credit Union, said when the Marshall Fire devastated the communities Canvas wanted to get involved any way they could.
“To partner with the Red Cross in a time of need was truly special,” said Santos, who helped respond to the disaster at the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC), working with volunteers who had served other areas in a time of crisis from Hurricane Katrina to the tornados in Tennessee.
“I am thankful for the Red Cross and all the incredible work they do to make the community stronger,” he said.
Other corporate partners such as Kaiser Permanente and Wells Fargo are essential. Through our Disaster Responder and Annual Disaster Giving Programs (ADGP), these partners make annual contributions ahead of time, enabling the Red Cross to be prepared in every way possible.
“Partnerships with companies like Crocs and BPX Energy are developed long before a disaster occurs and these partners have a strong understanding of the immediate needs that Red Cross meets in a disaster – their quick response to our request for financial support ensures comfort and care is delivered rapidly,” Conti said.
As one of the largest humanitarian organizations, the Red Cross is committed to helping communities prepare for unseen natural and home disasters. We understand that during these times, it is important to have neighbors, friends and organizations people can trust.
Parker, Colorado resident and longtime volunteer with SECORCares, Robert Nelson spent several days after the Marshall fire conducting a donation drive where residents brought water, pet food, toiletries, bedding and dry goods to the parking lot of both SECORCares Food Bank and Grace Baptist church where Nelson volunteers.
“I hope to do more with the Red Cross in the future,” he said. After receiving an overwhelming amount of donations for those affected by the fire, Nelson reached out to Tanner at the Red Cross who helped navigate the drive.
“Contacting Red Cross was the pivotal moment”, Nelson said. He and his wife, Judy Nelson do a lot of volunteer work. As a couple “we do a lot of liaison work between nonprofits and food banks.”
Our potential in helping communities relies on partnerships and volunteers who generously donate their time and resources. Donations to the Red Cross help maintain the reliable network of Red Cross employees, volunteers, response vehicles and technical resources needed to respond to more than 60,000 disasters each year in addition to providing immediate relief like shelter, food and relief supplies.
With continuous support needed after disasters like these, the Red Cross would like to encourage anyone still wanting to help to reach out to Red Cross for further assistance.
You can help people affected by disasters like fires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift is a commitment to helping people in need and every donation matters. • Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.