SEIBERT INSPIRES DAUGHTERS WITH MESSAGE ABOUT “SERVICE TO VETERANS”
Jacob Gaskins Chapter, NSDAR, Hears from Guest Speaker During November Meeting
Guest speaker Melissa Seibert inspired Daughters of the Jacob Gaskins Chapter, NSDAR, with her message about “Service to Veterans” during the group’s November meeting.
North Canton, OH — The Jacob Gaskins Chapter, NSDAR, hosted an inspiring presentation entitled “Service to Veterans” during its November meeting.
Regent Stephanie Martin Shively introduced guest speaker Melissa Seibert, whose life of service has spanned emergency response, military support, and veteran outreach.
“Ms. Seibert has dedicated her life to serving others through emergency response, military support, and veteran outreach,” Regent Martin Shively said in her introduction. “Her compassion and commitment to those who serve our country truly embody the DAR’s mission of historic preservation, education, and patriotism.”
Seibert began her journey of service in 2000 with the American Red Cross, where she led first aid stations and taught CPR and safety courses. She later became assistant director for emergency services and disasters for the organization. In that role, she was deployed to assist after 9/11 at the Flight 93 crash site. She later served as a medical emergency communications specialist with the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces, supporting deployed service members and their families.
Reflecting on that path, Seibert said her inspiration came from a moment of personal loss in 1983, when her grandmother and great aunt’s home was destroyed by fire.
“I remember a vehicle off to the side with a big red cross on it,” she told the audience. “Two women came up and said, ‘Don’t panic, we’re here to help you.’ I thought, how wonderful – it made me realize the Red Cross was so much more than I ever knew.”
That encounter led her to volunteer and she eventually built a 26-year career with the Red Cross.
“I never looked back and said, ‘What did I do?’” I look back and say, ‘It was destined,’” Seibert said. “There was a reason I was led to stop at the Red Cross that day.”
Throughout her presentation, Seibert wove together stories of the women who came before her, including her grandmother, who operated a World War I and II veterans’ canteen in downtown Canton.
“There were always women involved,” she emphasized. “From the battlefields of the Revolutionary War to the Civil War and beyond, women have always had the fortitude to say, ‘You’ve got a problem, you’ve got a need – let’s work together and see what we can do.’”
After retiring from the Red Cross in 2014, Seibert co-founded the SAM Center in Massillon, which provides food, clothing, and support to veterans and their families. She also serves as a captain with the Patriot Guard Riders, a member of the Civil Air Patrol, a volunteer at the MAPS Air Museum, and a liaison with the North Canton Cares Pantry, where she coordinates food distribution for military families in need.
At the pantry, she said, “We’re up 37 percent at our last distribution because of the government shutdown. I had a young Navy wife tell me, ‘My husband’s not getting paid, and I’m pregnant.’ That, my dear ladies, is our job. That’s what we do. It’s always been the women who step up.”
Seibert’s passion for service, she said, is driven by a simple conviction – no hero and no hero’s family should go hungry or feel forgotten.
“We just don’t give them a box of food,” she explained. “We give them dignity, respect, and a reminder that someone still cares.”
She closed by thanking the DAR members for their own commitment to history and patriotism.
“Those men and women who forged this country cannot be forgotten,” Seibert said. “Because of their tenacity and vision, we can sit here free today. Together, we can make a difference.”
Individuals interested in learning more about their genealogy or membership in the NSDAR should contact the chapter.