Red Cross urges Greater Lowell volunteer push, committee asks city manager to explore resilience coalition

Kyle McGuire Lopez, executive director of the Northeastern chapter of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts, told the Lowell City Council nonprofit subcommittee that the chapter is expanding volunteer outreach and preparedness work in Lowell and invited residents to a volunteer event at UMass Lowell on Tuesday, May 20 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Lopez said the American Red Cross’s “mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies,” and stressed that volunteers are central to that work. “Ninety percent of our workforce is made up of volunteers,” he said, and described programs that range from disaster response and sheltering to school-based preparedness and hands-only CPR instruction.

The presentation outlined how the chapter responds to large disasters and to more frequent local incidents: Lopez said the Red Cross nationally responds to more than 60,000 disasters each year and had been responding to “twice as many major disasters as we were just 10 years ago.” In Massachusetts, he said, disaster volunteer teams respond to an average of two home fires a day; within the Northeastern chapter he cited 13 incidents so far in fiscal year 2025 and 104 incidents over the past five years in the chapter’s territory, noting Lowell as a community where they respond to more fires than many other cities.

Lopez described the chapter’s preparedness programs, including the Home Fire Campaign (installing free smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and delivering fire-safety education), “Sound the Alarm” events (the chapter reported making more than 100 homes safer in a recent Lowell event), Prepare with Pedro for young children, a Ready Rating online preparedness membership for businesses and nonprofits, and hands-only CPR training. He encouraged local organizations and residents to RSVP for the Greater Lowell Volunteer Initiative via a QR code on his slides and to contact him directly by email or at (617) 467-8859 for follow-up.

Committee members responded with support and local examples of Red Cross work. A committee member recalled Red Cross assistance during the Pawtucketville flood and urged connections with the senior center and the school system to expand training and volunteer recruitment. A council member suggested tying the Ready Rating program to city grant awards so grant recipients would have a basic emergency plan; another recommended using the senior center as a recruitment source. Sandra McNamara, president of the Centerville Community Coalition, spoke during public comment to thank the Red Cross for its Pawtucketville flood response.

Following the presentation and discussion, the subcommittee voted unanimously to request that the city manager reach out to the Red Cross to explore establishing a community resilience coalition if one is not already in place. The transcript does not identify a formal mover or seconder by name; committee members present indicated a second and then voted unanimously in favor.

Lopez also noted the chapter’s blood-collection role—“the American Red Cross collects 40% of the nation’s blood supply”—and said the chapter coordinates with hospitals and emergency managers and seeks partnerships with local nonprofits to improve preparedness and recovery.

The committee did not adopt city policy changes at the meeting; members directed staff to prepare the suggested motion to the city manager for follow-up.