By Kathy Thompson 

Fairfax, Va. (March 5, 2009) – Arlington, Va. resident Heather Gordon is Fairfax County’s Emergency Response Coordinator for the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area. She has been on full-time staff with the chapter since June 2008, after having dedicated her time and energy to working with those left destitute in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 

Heather was moved by watching survivors of the devastating Aug. 2005 hurricane as they scrambled to live. She organized her fellow employees at Ann Taylor in Columbia, Md. to donate time off so she could go to New Orleans to help the victims. Her first trip was Thanksgiving of 2005, and was followed by another trip during the holiday season of 2005 and another in early 2006. By June 2006, after two more mission trips, she decided she wanted to move to the region in order to help on a more full-time basis. She accepted a position with AmeriCorps and moved to New Orleans, stationed with the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross. Her second day of work at the chapter, Aug. 29, 2006, was the first anniversary of Katrina.

During her time at the Southeast Louisiana Chapter, Heather went through neighborhoods gutting houses so residents would have a platform on which to rebuild. She also taught CPR/First Aid classes, revamped the chapter’s volunteer structure, oversaw the chapter’s first aid station during Mardi Gras week, hosted a guided tour for visitors from her hometown of Baltimore, and she passed emergency messages from family members to members of the armed forces stationed abroad through the Red Cross’ Service to the Armed Forces program.

In April 2007, while still living in New Orleans, Heather was awarded the Certificate of Merit for Lifesaving, given to those who have saved or sustained a life using skills they acquired from the American Red Cross. While at a wedding shower the previous March, a 4-year-old boy began choking on a piece of candy. Heather used her CPR skills to save his life.

Her tour with AmeriCorps ended in June 2007, and Heather returned to the D.C. area. She took a full time position with the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area in June 2008. In that capacity, she deployed to New Orleans again to assist victims of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, and she worked in the chapter offices as Financial and Statistical Information Lead for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration operation.

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The American Red Cross of the National Capital Area (NCA), a humanitarian organization led by volunteers, provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people in our community prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters and other life-threatening emergencies. With dedicated staff members and over 4,000 volunteers, NCA responds to local disasters in our Washington DC Metropolitan area two-to-three times daily and continues building capacity through educating, equipping and empowering our community to help save lives. American Red Cross of the National Capital Area includes the counties of Fairfax, Montgomery and Prince George’s; the District of Columbia; and the cities of Fairfax and Falls Church. NCA maintains a field office at Fort Belvoir, a presence at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Andrews Air force Base.

You have an integral part in helping your local American Red Cross of the National Capital Area by volunteering and through financial gifts enabling us to continue providing critical services to our community. Visit www.redcrossnca.org to learn more about what we are doing and how to get involved!