Why I Volunteer: Pooja Minhas

A passion for helping my community drew me to the American Red Cross. Volunteering has always been something I enjoy doing and I wanted to continue making an impact as I went through college.

I saw what the Red Cross did during Hurricane Sandy in my home state and it stuck with me over the years. With the time I had between work and college, I knew that if I could be a part of this organization, I would be able to help somebody somewhere and would be putting my time to good use.

I volunteer for the daytime Disaster Action Team and am on-call twice a week. I love the feeling of delivering service when I’m called to respond. There’s a sense of fulfillment and validation from being a part of DAT, providing assistance and hope at the scene of a disaster.

My most memorable moment volunteering would have to be the first time actually being with a client who had suffered a great loss. To be there during the interview process and seeing the scene of the incident, it gave me a sense of reality of how a crisis can happen to anybody at anytime. Being a part of the scene instead of seeing it from the sidelines, gave me the realization that what we do really impact people affected by and recovering from a disaster. It was incredible as a volunteer to see amazing leadership, having my lead go through everything step by step and involve me along the process.

I get to do what I love alongside amazing leaders and team members. The individuals I have met or volunteer with, whether or not I see them often, are always so helpful, active, and reliant. The Red Cross represents unity and humanity at its best.