Yuba City couple heading to Cambodia

Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, would be proud of Yuba City residents Charles and Cynde McCaul.

Charles McCaul, who began volunteering at the Northeastern California Red Cross office in Yuba City in 2007, began his service years before when his family moved from Eugene, Ore., to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1995.

For 12 years, their goal was to provide schooling, health care, and to teach families some type of "micro-enterprise" on which they could survive. They started a school, a church and a skills training center.

Additionally, the McCauls organized a children's ministry that provided basic necessities to more than 300 children living in dumps and on the streets.

"Our goal was to give the kids a bright spot in a dismal week," Charles McCaul said. "Now these kids are grown up and are the leaders of the ministries.

"I'm good at getting things going," he said. "I start it, then train someone to do it. I can find human or financial resources, then I want to work myself out of a job. This is the same philosophy I used with the Red Cross." McCaul and his wife have worked at the Red Cross in Yuba City, where he has served as emergency services manager since 2008 and Cynde McCaul has overseen the office and grounds volunteers.

But later this month they will be leaving and returning to the home they own in Cambodia.

A year ago, Charles McCaul was asked by his son, who had remained in Cambodia to run Cambodia Outreach, to return.

His son told him that "there are certain things that only you and Mom can do."

"In July, he really pressed us to make a decision, and we knew we needed to go," Charles McCaul said.

An important factor in their decision was the relationships they had made during their prior service.

"The young people we've taught while we were there are now getting married and having babies," Charles McCaul said. "We want to go back and be moms and dads to our spiritual sons and daughters."

Last week, Red Cross volunteers and staff surprised the McCauls with a going away party. Volunteers from five counties attended, where there were "speeches, tears, and lots of food," he said.

"A good Red Crosser loves good food."

Charles McCaul has also handed the Blackberry he kept on his pillow every night during his years as emergency services manager to Disaster Chairman Daryl White, who will take over until the responsibilities of McCaul's job are distributed.

"It's a nice feeling that Chuck is going to be able to walk out the door with competent people in place," said Martha Griese, CEO of the Northeastern California chapter.

Griese said that emergency disaster services will merge with the Capital Region in Sacramento to increase the capacity to get volunteers in a disaster.

The Northeastern District headquartered in Yuba City covers 27,800 square miles and 13 counties.

"It's all on Charles to find volunteers within that," Griese said. "Merging his job with other counties distributes that responsibility to more people."

The McCaul's 17-year-old son will move with them, but their 20-year-old daughter will remain in Yuba City.

"Taking our children to another country is the best thing we ever did," McCaul said. "It gave them a great exposure to life."

Cynde McCaul is ready for the next phase in their life.

"Working at Red Cross has been great," she said. "I don't know what's going to happen in the next part of our journey, but I'm excited. I've prayed about it and God gave me peace. He has a way of doing that when he has something for you to do."