New National Youth Council Members

New National Youth Council Members Begin Three-year Terms

September 9, 2010 –

The National Youth Council is very excited to announce the selection of three new youth members and two adult advisors. They began their three-year terms on July 1, 2010. The selection process was highly competitive. This was the first year the National Youth Council asked youth advisors to provide a letter of recommendation from a youth volunteer. It was great to see how passionately youth wrote about their adult supporters.

The new youth members of the National Youth Council are the inspiring result of field units who choose to invest in young people and give them opportunities to grow and flourish as American Red Cross volunteers. It is our pleasure to introduce them to you and we are confident this is only the first of many times you will be hearing about them.

Anna Bevington joins us from the Westmoreland-Chestnut Ridge Chapter of the American Red Cross based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. She is in her senior year at Seton Hill University studying business. Anna has been a Red Crosser for over five years and is an active board member at her chapter. Her motivation to help others led her to start two Red Cross Clubs and establish long lasting preparedness programs in each.

Joe Gibson comes to us from the North Central Blood Services Region where he is a board member and youth specialist. He has extensive experience with biomedical services; in Minnesota, he lobbied and successfully had the blood donor age changed to 16. He also traveled to Belgium to work with the Red Cross society there on blood related issues. Joe is a freshman at George Washington University.

Stewart Zellars started his Red Cross career with the Augusta Chapter in Georgia. During high school he took every leadership position available including but not limited to: chapter board voting member, youth board co-president and Leadership Development Camp staff. He has contributed well over 1200 volunteer hours. Stewart also joined members of the National Youth Council and the National Youth Council Alumni Board last year as a youth delegate to the World Youth Meeting in Solferino, Italy. He is a sophomore at the University of Georgia double majoring in biology and economics.

Two new adult advisors provide balance and perspective to the Council. We are thrilled to have them join us.

Bee Kong began his Red Cross service as a youth volunteer at the Long Beach Chapter in California. Currently he is the volunteer manager for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter. Bee is a perfect example of how a dedicated Red Cross volunteer never leaves but simply changes roles. Throughout his Red Cross service Bee has had a passion for youth service and in particular, Leadership Development Center (LDC), a Red Cross youth camp where he thrives.

Ellen Valway joins us from the Pacific Northwest Blood Region where she is the volunteer program coordinator. Ellen is relatively new to the Red Cross but has a long history of working with youth and young adult volunteers. The youth who recommended Ellen said it best, “She is great when it comes to fitting a person’s specific personality with the type of service that suits them, ensuring not only that organizational needs are met but that the volunteer is doing something they find personally fulfilling.”

In addition to welcoming our new members, the National Youth Council would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those members who are rotated off of the Council this year: Chris Chen, former vice-chair who was instrumental in starting RedCrossyouth.org, Lucas Pierce, who worked on the Youth in Disaster Manual, and Bianca Kahlenberg, former vice-chair and co-chair who worked on the National Youth Institute and was the “voice” of the YouthWire. A wholehearted thank you for your years of commitment to the National Youth Council and thank you for your continuing service to the American Red Cross.