I’ve always enjoyed volunteering in my community and was looking for a new opportunity. To be honest, the Red Cross wasn’t the first organization that came to mind. But in December 2021, I visited Kentucky, very near where the tornados hit. (I live in Seattle where we don’t have tornadoes and have no understanding of the devastation they can cause.) 

We were safe, as were most of our friends. But one friend’s home was destroyed. Luckily, he was not seriously hurt. That’s when I had first-hand experience of the kind of devastation the Red Cross deals with. We spent a hard, sad day sorting through the rubble that had been his home. I heard many stories about the help the Red Cross was providing all over town. I realized that you always hear about the Red Cross being there when disasters strike and decided to learn more about the work they actually do. 

Once I got home, I looked into what kind of volunteer work might be available with the Red Cross. I was astounded at the variety of opportunities available and how thorough and professional the information was. I looked at many volunteer job descriptions and found one that seemed like a good fit: working on Disaster Recovery Teams as a caseworker. 

I’ve just about finished my training and have been impressed with the quality of the training and the support of the Red Cross staff and volunteers I’ve connected with so far. I have no doubt that volunteering for the Red Cross is going to be rewarding – I’ll be able to work with teams to provide assistance to victims of disasters in our community. 

Join Us. RedCross.org/volunteertoday