Nothing in 57 years of marriage prepared Russell and Caroline Schwoch for the fire that severely damaged their apartment on August 6.

“It’s very hard to watch everything you have go up in flames,” Caroline says sadly.

It was 3 a.m. in the morning when Russell and Caroline were woken up.

“Police came pounding at our door. I’ve never heard such loud pounding,” Russell remembers.

They were told to put on their clothes and grab a few items. The police officer told them they had two minutes.

Moments later, they stood outside their burning building, watching firefighters battle flames shooting from the roof. They watched in a daze, leaving the scene only to accept a kind neighbor’s offer to come in and warm up. They had only the clothes on their backs, and no way to alert their kids in Missouri and Colorado.

Yet, amidst the hoses, emergency responders and flames, the Schwochs glimpsed something else: hope.

Red Cross volunteers were on scene, and two women came to the Schwochs and asked them if they were okay. What did they need? Did they have a place to go?

“They were there very quickly,” Caroline remembers. “It didn’t take very long for the Red Cross to arrive.”

The Schwochs didn’t have a place to go. None of their close relatives had extra space, and their kids lived hundreds of miles away. They found out a short time later their bathroom ceiling had collapsed, so they didn’t even have a toothbrush.

The Red Cross volunteers reassured them, and gave the couple a comfort kit full of essentials like toothpaste, soap and a toothbrush. They arranged lodging for the Schwochs, and gave them a number for a nurse to call for medical aid.

Gratefully, the Schwochs accepted the help, and finally collapsed into a deep sleep the next afternoon. Then the couple started to recover, just as the Red Cross volunteers had talked to them about the night before.

“We had a lot of replacing to do,” Caroline says. “I have never bought so many things in such a short time. We needed all the small things: an iron, glassware, silverware…”

They contacted the managers at Layton Terrace, an apartment complex they had planned to move to just before the fire. When the managers heard what happened, they arranged for the Schwochs to move into a furnished apartment for a short time.

Almost a month later, the Schwochs are settled into their new apartment. With the help of their children and a few donations from their kids’ friends, they were able to replace many of the basics they always took for granted.

Even now, Russell and Caroline admit they are still recovering from that night. But they are on the road to recovery, and choose to dwell on the gratitude for the two volunteers who were there for them that night.

“They saved us,” Russell says. “We wouldn’t have known where to go or who to turn to.”

The American Red Cross in Southeastern Wisconsin relies on donations of time and money so they can provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies in Dodge, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. To donate your time, please visit our Volunteer page. Financial donations can be made online through our secure contribution site.You can also support the Red Cross online by becoming a fan on our facebook page and following us on Twitter.