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Red Cross awards Jeff Stone alongside Brasfield & Gorrie for their volunteer efforts in Birmingham and beyond
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Jeff Stone, Executive Vice President of Brasfield & Gorrie, is being honored at the annual American Red Cross Gala. Read on to see why the American Red Cross selected Jeff as their Volunteer Services Hero and grab your tickets to the 2020 Red Cross Gala.
Volunteerism Starts From the Top…
“By participating in the board, I got to see behind the scenes at the Red Cross. It’s a complex organization and does unbelievable work, certainly locally but also in our region and around the globe.”
Jeff Stone, Brasfield & Gorrie
If you know Jeff Stone, you know that volunteering is in his DNA. From United Way of Central Alabama to the Red Cross, Jeff is committed to supporting the Birmingham community in a multitude of ways.
Although Jeff Stone has participated in the Red Cross for many years, his main involvement started around 10 years ago when he joined the local board of the Red Cross. Around this time, the 2011 Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado destroyed large portions of both cities. As always, the Red Cross was the first on the scene. Jeff witnessed firsthand how many volunteers were mobilized and how much money was raised in such a short span of time.
“As individuals, we are limited in our capacity to go out and respond to a large-scale emergency. However, by giving to the Red Cross, you are part of a massive community of volunteers and donors dedicated to helping our brothers and sisters in the community in their time of need.”
Jeff Stone, Brasfield & Gorrie
…But it Doesn’t Stop There
At Brasfield & Gorrie, volunteering and serving the community are embedded in the organization’s culture. Rather than choosing one overarching charity to support, various offices, divisions, and departments choose ways to volunteer that speak to their mission. For instance, the Safety and Field Operations departments chose to donate their time to the Red Cross’ Sound the Alarm campaign.
“At Brasfield & Gorrie, we don’t dictate the ways that our teams get involved–we just encourage them to get involved in something. Since these are OUR communities, we want to go out and lift them up.”
Troy Ogden, Brasfield & Gorrie
Sound the Alarm
Since home fires claim an average of seven lives each day, the Red Cross launched the nationwide Sound the Alarm campaign. During these events, volunteers would:
- Install free smoke alarms.
- Share safety information in at-risk communities.
- Fundraise to help families prepare for, respond to, and recover from home fires.
“These events turn into a competition of how many smoke alarms your team can install. Those Red Cross guys can’t be beat. We’ll install 20 before lunch and think we’ve done good, and we meet up with the Red Cross and they’ve installed more than 80!”
Troy Ogden, Brasfield & Gorrie
Brasfield & Gorrie Made a Huge Impact
By participating in Sound the Alarm, the Brasfield & Gorrie team knew that their efforts would help keep these families safe. However, they didn’t know that they’d see their impact so soon.
Four days after Troy’s team installed those smoke alarms, the Red Cross informed them that one of those homes experienced a kitchen fire. However, the family of five was alerted of the fire by the smoke alarm that had been installed just days before.
“Hearing that the smoke alarm we installed help save the lives of a family of five was incredible. It’s funny, when you do things for other people, you get something out of it too. You feel good.”
Troy Ogden
Awarded by the Red Cross
Due to Brasfield & Gorrie’s embedded culture of volunteerism, the American Red Cross has selected Jeff Stone as their 2020 Volunteer Services Hero. Jeff will be honored at the American Red Cross Gala, along with four other honorees:
- Biomedical Services – Dr. Jarralynne Agee
- Disaster Services – Kelly Caruso
- Service to the Armed Forces – General Charles Krulak
- Training Services – John Sherman
The Gala takes place on Friday, April 3 at the Grand Bohemian Hotel. To attend, you can purchase tickets online.
Make sure to share your experience with the American Red Cross by tagging @bhamnow on social media.
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