From Saving Lives to Sharing One: A Red Cross Romance
Some stories remind us that service is more than a calling—it’s a thread that weaves lives together. This is one of those stories.
Tag Archives: Volunteers
Finding Adventure Through the American Red Cross
Susan Lugo has always sought out new adventures.
Just four days after graduating high school in the Central Valley, she joined the United States Marine Corps to see the world. For four years, she learned resilience, teamwork and the joy of being part of something bigger than herself.
That same spirit carried her to the American Red Cross.
From Rhode Island to California, Susan has stood shoulder to shoulder with others in times of crisis as a Red Cross volunteer. Whether it was walking through flooded streets after Hurricane Irma to deliver meals, comforting families in devastated neighborhoods, or finding strength in the bonds of a new family of volunteers.
“I’ve never been that close to the damage before,” Susan recalled her Hurricane Irma experience as an Emergency Response Vehicle driver tasked with delivering meals and essential supplies. “To go in there and be able to help, it’s a good feeling. And of course, this group of people… you feel like family.”
Today, Susan continues to show up when her neighbors need help. As a Disaster Action Team volunteer, she serves on a team that helps deliver immediate relief, emotional support and long-term recovery resources to people who just experienced a home fire. Thanks to volunteers like her, when disaster strikes, we make sure families never face it alone.
But her Red Cross adventure doesn’t end there. When large disasters strike, she’s ready to help open emergency shelters here at home or across the country as a shelter worker. When a community calls upon the Red Cross, trained and compassionate volunteers show up when help can’t wait.
Discover Your Next Adventure through Volunteering
Whether you want to lend a hand during disasters, support lifesaving preparedness efforts or help behind the scenes — there’s a meaningful role for you here.
Each day, our volunteers support blood drives, assist the military, veterans and military families and provide food and shelter after disasters of all sizes. They teach lifesaving classes like First Aid and CPR and help restore order in other countries through programs such as Restoring Family Links and International Humanitarian Law. Our volunteer opportunities match a wide range of interests and time commitment.
Join our team of changemakers working together to make an impact. Every contribution matters — find the best way for you to get involved. Sign up here today and help our community with one act of kindness at a time.
From Royal Encounters to Red Cross Shelters
Not every British Red Crosser can say they met the queen of England, but Marco Couch is one of the lucky ones!
Marco joined the British Red Cross in the UK after graduating high school to keep himself busy during the summer. Little did he know it would set him on a path of volunteerism for 17 years that would eventually lead to his current job at the American Red Cross in California.
In England, Marco volunteered at large festivals and concerts all over the country doing operational radio communications in control rooms, coordinating the Red Cross first aid response. When people at the events got sick or injured, he would dispatch emergency responders to the scene.
Read moreFrom California to the Carolinas: How one Red Crosser is helping those impacted by winter storms
By South Carolina Red Crosser Nick Gibson
As winter storms have affected South Carolina over the past two weeks, many American Red Cross employees and volunteers deployed to the Palmetto State to help those in need. One of those employees was Andrew Rosenberg, who traveled from California.
Andrew is a community disaster program manager in the Northern California Coastal Region, based in San Francisco.
He believes deploying and helping others is incredibly important.
Read moreAmerican Red Cross NCCR Volunteers Provide Relief to Thousands of Alaskan Survivors of Typhoon Halong
When American Red Cross volunteer Karl Matzke, from Santa Clara County, received the call to organize a team and deploy to Alaska, there was no hesitation in his decision to go. As one of the Divisional Leads for Operations Management, he ran the operations for the first shelter that opened in Alaska just three days after Typhoon Halong devastated the region on October 12.
The American Red Cross deployed hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers from across the country to help during what could be a prolonged relief response from Typhoon Halong.
You Don’t Have to Be a Nurse to Help: Volunteer’s Story Shows There’s a Role for Everyone at the Red Cross
Tammy Salwasser from Alameda County thought she had to be a nurse to volunteer with the American Red Cross.
“I first heard about it from a girlfriend of mine who was a nurse and she would deploy,” says Tammy. Her friend encouraged her to join as a volunteer, but Tammy’s work experience was in customer service and sales; so, she didn’t think she was qualified to help. That is, until she learned that there is no requirement for specialized credentials for many volunteer roles, since the Red Cross provides free training.
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