Why I Volunteer: Holly Thode

I was introduced to the Red Cross through my work and family, but I was drawn to volunteering because of the opportunity to help other people. When my company, Paul Davis Restoration, started getting more involved with the Red Cross, I got to see more of what volunteers were actually doing – how much their work made an impact, and I wanted to do that too.Also, my mom had been on a DAT (Disaster Action Team) for a little while, and she was loving it. The stories from it, and the work they were doing made me want to be a part of a team too.

What better things do I have to do with my time? I realized after the first call I went on, that this was something I needed to do. In all these moments of disaster and trauma, the Red Cross brings hope and opportunity to people who in most cases, have nothing.

It’s the people who keep me coming back, the ones affected. There are always going to be disasters, there are always going to be people in need, and there will always be a need for volunteers and education. Everything about the volunteer experience is rewarding.

I’m not sure I can find the right words to describe my feelings over the past year. It’s incredibly humbling and heartbreaking. It just makes me feel thankful and reminds me I am where I’m meant to be. We are often with people when they are most vulnerable, and to be with people during that time is such an honor.

Volunteering makes me thankful. Thankful that I get to go home at the end of the day, that my family is safe, that I’m alive. Every time I leave a DAT call, I end up driving in silence on my way home, praying for continued care of the people we help and thanking God for the opportunity to do so.

There is so much going on in our little part of the world. I wouldn’t know half of it were I not part of the Red Cross. It has helped me to refocus my own life, and my relationship to the communities around me as well.

And as a young adult, I have learned that nothing is more important to own… than renters insurance. 🙂