Newsmakers 2014: Beth Seabaugh, community resilience services coordinator for the American Red Cross - Southern Missouri Region

Beth Seabaugh has made it her career and personal mission to increase the level of emergency preparedness in Southeast Missouri. As community resilience services coordinator for the American Red Cross -- Southern Missouri Region, one of Seabaugh's biggest projects has been carrying out the brand-new Pillowcase Project, a disaster preparedness program for children. The pilot program was designed for classroom use, but the local chapter of the Red Cross gained national attention by expanding the Pillowcase Project for Brownie-level Girl Scouts to earn their first aid badge while completing the program.

"In this expanded pilot, we will reach more than 3,000 youth across the 40 counties in the Southern Missouri region," says Seabaugh. "Just think, if we reach more than 3,000 kids this year, how many adults will be influenced -- how many more homes will become better prepared and educated for emergencies. A part of the Red Cross vision is to have at least one person in every household trained in emergency skills. We hope that through this project, we will be closer to this goal."

Seabaugh previously worked in food service and hospitality management for 30 years and joined the Red Cross just in time to help those affected by the Spring 2011 floods and storms in Southeast Missouri. In November 2013, she traveled to Central Illinois to assist in the aftermath of a deadly tornado.

"I spent two weeks working side-by-side with volunteers from across the nation, each one trained and prepared to drop their personal lives and go the assistance of strangers at a moment's notice -- witnessing each day the difference made in families' lives through the power of volunteers and the generosity of the American public," says Seabaugh. "The best part about working with the American Red Cross is that each day, in everything we do, we are helping someone."

--Robyn Gautschy