Meet Our Donors

Kay Dixon

Kay Dixon and the American Red Cross have enjoyed a long relationship of helping each other.

Kay's involvement with the Red Cross began in 1943, during World War II. With two brothers already in uniform, she wanted to do her part to contribute to the war effort.

"A friend knew I wanted to change jobs and suggested I might go to the Red Cross, as she had. Being 25, the possibility of serving overseas appealed to me also," Kay told us. "I was eager to help in any way I could."

It was a perfect fit for Kay, whose father had helped establish Wisconsin's Red Cross First Aid emergency stations on rural highways, and whose stepmother had been a Red Cross nurse during World War I. Soon, she was off to the Southwest Pacific as a recreation worker.

"There I was, embarking on the greatest adventure of my life," she said. "I found that being a Red Cross girl brought out the best in me and somehow let me just be myself, as I was representing a service organization much bigger than I, where I was needed and appreciated."

Upon her return from the Philippines in 1946, Kay continued her service by donning a Gray Lady uniform and serving at the VA hospital in Vermont for the next two years. She continued her Red Cross service by volunteering in blood programs. Today, she volunteers at her local chapter by helping edit one of its publications.

Kay still holds her first Red Cross experiences close to her heart and wishes to continue her support for years to come. She began arranging charitable gift annuities with us several years ago and has included us in her will to ensure the continuation of our work.

“The programs that are of greatest importance to me are the public relations and communications between the troops and their families back home during war time. Because of my experience in war time, I know how much these do for the troops and their families,” she said. “All these rewarding Red Cross activities convinced me that I could repay the organization by leaving a legacy to carry on their many compassionate good works.” Learn more about how the Red Cross provides assistance to the armed forces and their family.

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