Meet Bekah and Bekah. Together, they make a great team.
Bekah Kinsella is a Red Cross disaster mental health volunteer. Golden Retriever Bekah is a therapy dog from Addison, Illinois-based Lutheran Church Charities. Whether offering a hand or a paw, both Bekahs were a comfort to Fairdale families arriving at the tornado survivor center at First Lutheran Church in Kirkland.
As a Red Cross mental health volunteer, Bekah helps people talk through their emotions so they can cope with disaster and loss. Bekah, the therapy dog, also helps the healing process as furry friend to hug.
Dog trainer Helga Berutti said Bekah started training as comfort dog when she was a puppy. And even through the three-year old Golden Retriever likes to run and play, “when she has her vest on, she knows she’s working.”
Volunteers, like Bekah Kinsella, have the same call of duty, too. Every time they put on their Red Cross vest, it’s an opportunity to comfort those who need our help.
Story by: Patricia Kemp, Communications Manager, American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois
Photo by: Ira Meinhofer, American Red Cross volunteer
American Red Cross of Illinois 