An Aitkin teenager was recently honored by the Red Cross with other notable northern Minnesota volunteers.
Jodi Banks, Aitkin, was recognized Tuesday as a northern Minnesota chapter honoree of the American Red Cross at its Minnesota region recognition event in Golden Valley.
Banks is the daughter of Red Cross volunteers Charlie and Diana Banks. She was part of the Vigilant Guard exercise in Duluth, participating both as a volunteer and as a victim coming to register at the mock shelter.
As a volunteer, she took responsibility for the Safe and Well online tool for all participants, including registering mock shelter residents on the site and training other volunteers how to use it. She was 13 years old at the time.
When a supercell thunderstorm tore through the Brainerd lakes area in July 2015, Banks volunteered everyday by distributing water and ice.
