Serving with the Red Cross #607: Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross Service Records

Published June 25, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Donna W. Afflerbach’s certificate of appreciation from the American Red Cross for her service in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Box 1, Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross service records, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of Donna W. Afflerbach from the Greeley Tribune, February 28, 2002. Box 1, Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross service records, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of Donna W. Afflerbach’s 9/11 Hardhat and Red Cross ID badge. Box 1, Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross service records, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Remembrance program for September 11, 2001. Box 1, Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross service records, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Donna Afflerbach arrived in New York City just three weeks after September 11, 2001. She was there as a Red Cross volunteer. The retired administrative assistant was one of 20 members of the Centennial, Colorado chapter of the American Red Cross who travelled to New York in the wake of 9/11.

At first, Afflerbach was assigned to a respite center for Ground Zero rescue workers. Many of them were firefighters. Afflerbach worked in the kitchen area, preparing and serving food. Later, she assisted victims seeking financial support.

Her Red Cross volunteer work also took her to Mississippi, where she aided the victims of Tropical Storm Isidore. And when fires threatened Estes Park, Colorado, she manned a shelter there. But in reflecting on her volunteer experiences, Afflerbach said nothing could compare to the physical and emotional damage of 9/11.

To learn more, see Donna W. Afflerbach Miller’s 9/11 American Red Cross service records at UW’s https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/show/archives-on-the-air