Critical Need for Red Cross Disaster Volunteers in the Evansville Area
EVANSVILLE, Ind., December 1, 2025 — In 2025, local volunteers became a lifeline for hundreds of neighbors reeling from disasters across our community.
In a powerful display of service, volunteers with our Southwest Chapter responded alongside local partners to more than 200 disasters, from devastating floods and tornadoes to home fires. Our volunteers provided safe refuge, hot meals, emotional support and basic health services for families affected. Their compassion made a profound difference for those facing their darkest moments.
Among the volunteers answering the call is Disaster Action Team member Charlene Kaufman. As a member of the team, Charlene responds to home fires across the Southwest Chapter. She says that volunteering fulfills her purpose to help people, “To just be there for the folks who have basically lost everything. I’m able to help them make it through the disaster that they’re involved in.”
“Emergencies don’t wait, and because of dedicated volunteers like Charlene, we’re able to show up right after a home fire to provide comfort, hope, and support,” said Beth Sweeney, Executive Director of the Southwest Chapter of the American Red Cross in Indiana. “The demand for Disaster Action Team volunteers is urgent, and I encourage community members to step forward and join us.”
The need for this support shows no sign of slowing. Across the U.S., Red Cross home fire responses spike nearly 20% during the holidays, when cooking and heating risks increase. In the Indiana Region alone, more than 1,100 people typically rely on the Red Cross after home fires in November and December.
Access Disaster Action Team/Home Fire B-roll here.
This Giving Tuesday and throughout the holiday season, visit redcross.org to give back through volunteering.
Our lifesaving mission is also made possible by generous financial donations, which ensure volunteers have the resources they need to bring light to a family’s darkest days — right when it’s needed most.
To read stories of how people in our community and across the region made a difference in 2025, visitredcross.org/inyearinreview.
About GivingTuesday:
GivingTuesday is an annual event dedicated to boosting radical generosity, held on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y, the idea behind GivingTuesday was to set aside a single day to give back. Over 13 years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires millions of people to donate, volunteer and spread awareness. For many nonprofits, funds raised on GivingTuesday serve as an important kickoff for year-end charitable campaigns.
