“Because I feel passionate about mission of the Red Cross, I took two weeks’ vacation from my regular full-time job to deploy to Macon, Georgia, to help with hurricane relief efforts, and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” said Red Cross volunteer Cara from Yankton, South Dakota.
Cara recently returned home from Georgia and quickly chose to extend her service for another week virtually. She said during this assignment her primary responsibility involved working in the office, but she did have the chance to work in the field for a day doing damage assessment.
“Although most of my time was behind the scenes, I was doing a job that I love,” explained Cara. “The people you meet and bonds you make through these shared experiences are the things that make it so easy to say ‘yes’ when I get a call, especially when work and family commitments fall in line and I was able to get away for two weeks.”
At the end of each workday, her team reviewed daily achievements and the forthcoming day’s priorities. “I was energized and amazed by the stories from the field,” Cara said. “The impact of the Red Cross’s work – whether it was the number of meals served or people sheltered was astonishing. Fellow volunteers shared about being recognized with their Red Cross vests on – and how it gave people hope that we were there to help.”
A heartbreaking memory of her deployment was the day she conducted damage assessment in the field. Witnessing the aftermath of the hurricane was an emotional reminder of the importance and relevance of the work the Red Cross does.
One of the unforgettable encounters Cara had was with a man whose home was severely damaged – living without electricity and a fallen tree in his living area. When the storm hit, he woke up from sleeping and went outside to get his dog, but found the dog had passed away after a tree had fallen on his doghouse. “If he had made it outside in time to get his dog, they both would have been sleeping in the room where the tree fell through the house,” Cara sadly recalls. “I will never forget that experience.”
Cara’s biggest takeaway from this experience was the understanding that every role, whether front-line or behind the scenes, contributes toward a unified goal. “There are lots of moving pieces in a disaster relief operation, pieces that frequently change but all have a way of coming together. And that, to me, is the meaning of One Red Cross!”
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 