American Red Cross chief community services officer Rex Painter says, "The community supports the Red Cross. They may not know what we do or how we do it, but they believe in our symbol. We cherish that."

This Willow Glen resident, who has been working with the American Red Cross for 19 years, almost left the valley 20 years ago because he was unemployed. When he was offered an opportunity to work at the organization, he thought it would last about six months, but that was two decades ago.

"I absolutely fell in love with Red Cross," the 62-year-old says. "I came to believe in their mission and goals. I had worked in nonprofits before, but with Red Cross you see the end result."

And it's working on local relief efforts that brings the realities close to home on a daily basis for Painter.

While most people think of blood donation when they hear "Red Cross," blood services is actually a branch of the Red Cross that is separate from other types of Red Cross assistance. The organization also provides services for disaster, mental health, homeless prevention, youth, armed forces, international crises and health and safety.

On May 15, Painter accompanied Red Cross volunteers on a call for aid at a San Jose house fire. The organization provided the eight-member family with food, clothing and shelter after the flames were put out by the firefighters.

This incident, like others he has participated in, still continues to amaze Painter as he witnesses the dedication shown by the organization's volunteers. From teaching first-aid classes to providing emergency relief services for fire victims to staffing mental health hotlines or being on call during wildfire season, volunteers are the heartbeat of the organization, he says. And these volunteers range in age from 15 to 85 years old and come from all walks of life.

Painter remembers early in his career reporting to the Red Cross office during a 1985 wildfire in the Los Gatos Hills that burned 14,000 acres. As the newly appointed interim disaster director, he asked other aid workers what he should be doing in the situation.

He says veteran volunteers told him to stay to the side and that they would take care of procedures so he didn't have to worry.

"The volunteers have been making me look good for 20 years," he says.

It's been the individuals who step out to serve the community that have been the lifeblood of the organization and have helped shape and re-create the American Red Cross, he says.

The Red Cross movement came to the United States after renowned American Civil War nurse Clara Barton observed other Red Cross societies on a tour of Europe. She founded the American Red Cross on May 21, 1881, making the national organization 123 years old this month. The number of local chapters across the nation grew slowly until the United States entered World War I in 1917; the number of chapters exploded from 250 to more than 3,000. Today the national chapters number approximately 900.

The Santa Clara Valley chapter was formally recognized in 1916 and was originally located on First Street, Painter says.

"We've had a long and glorious history," he says.

Even before the chapter's founding, a local, unofficial group that did not have formal Red Cross training assisted in relief work in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Painter says. More recently, the nonprofit assisted local residents during the Alviso floods of 1982­83, the Los Gatos Hills fire of 1985 and the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

And one of its programs, which is unique to the valley, is the chapter's homeless prevention program. The American Red Cross provides financial assistance in case of eviction or potential loss of utilities to residents within certain ZIP-code areas on an emergency basis.

"A slight interruption of salary can threaten families with homelessness," says Painter, adding that homeless prevention is important to this community because of limited affordable housing and the escalating cost of living.

And even though 9-11 took place on the East Coast, its effects reverberated across the country, says Painter, adding that the Santa Clara Valley Red Cross assisted three families who lost loved ones in the Twin Towers with transportation and mental health services.

The outpouring of public support for the American Red Cross after 9-11 was phenomenal, he says. The valley's chapter received $17 million in donations that went into the Liberty Fund, earmarked for use only for services related to 9-11, he adds.

"We're stewards of the donated dollar," Painter says. "We exist because America trusts us. We can't fritter the money away."

And the impact of 9-11 was a continuation of major changes to the organization.

Working hand in hand with the federal government was a new evolution for the organization, Painter says. The American Red Cross provided the explanations to the public about what the color codes of the Homeland Security Advisory System Recommendations meant. And with the potential use of weapons of mass destruction, new considerations about whether clients in a disaster have been decontaminated from chemical agents before they enter a shelter was another change to the organization's way of thinking and policies, Painter says.

All these ways of rethinking were necessary for the organization's own survival. Painter says the American Red Cross had become "stodgy" and needed to update itself.

Several of those ways of rethinking were teaching citizens how to use an automatic external defibrillator for cardiac arrest, learning CPR and promoting youth involvement, he says.

As part of this self-review, more than five years ago, the local chapter decided to examine its demographics, concerned that its volunteer base was aging. What it discovered was that the average volunteer was a 66-year-old white male.

"It didn't reflect the community," Painter says.

Accepting a grant from national headquarters to develop youth programs, the chapter hired a youth director and looked for young people who wanted a role in the organization.

One of those younger volunteers was 16-year-old Justin Lam, who lives in Willow Glen.

Then a seventh-grader at St. Christopher's School, Justin looked for a place to volunteer for his community service requirement. He chose the local American Red Cross chapter because he recognized the name.

Initially he helped with office work, but he says his "big breakthrough" came when he was chosen as a delegate to attend the American Red Cross youth state conference in Burlingame in 2002.

"It opened a lot of doors for me," says the Bellarmine College Preparatory sophomore.

Attending the conference allowed him to have a voice in the youth program decisions and meet other volunteers his age from all over the state.

"The greatest opportunities to meet other youth is through volunteering," Justin says. "It strengthens relationships."

As the international services coordinator for the Youth Executive Board, which is made up of 10 local high school students, Justin is helping raise money and awareness about the Measles Initiative. Every dollar raised goes to one measles vaccination in Africa.

In April, Justin and other youth volunteers went door to door at a mobile park home in Almaden where a resident had died from a fire and helped install or check smoke detectors.

"Despite the size, there's a role for you," Justin says. "You're contributing to something that's also going on in Tulsa, Okla., and in New York."

Besides gaining experience and life skills, Justin says the strong sense of mission also motivates him.

"Whether it's lack of blood, poverty or inequality, there are problems," he says. "Help can't wait."

While he's played more of an educational and administrative role, he says he has "eyed" doing disaster work.

"The average person might not want to stick their neck out for three weeks at a disaster in another part of the country, but that has always inspired me," he says.

He has definite plans to continue his involvement through college, even considering a career in nonprofit administration.

"Once you start, you can't stop," he says.

It this level of enthusiasm and devotion in youth like Justin that Painter says has moved the chapter forward into the 21st century.

"It's brought us energy, creativity, new people, and new inroads in the community and has challenged our thinking," Painter adds.

It's also why Painter says, "We're your helpful neighbors."

For more information about the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the American Red Cross, call 408.577.1000 or visit http://www.redcross.org/ca/scv.