disaster volunteers – American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region

Listen, Listen, Listen Without Judgment

Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Volunteer Marks 15 Years of Service

MaryJane Westra, October 26, 2023. Photo: Dan Williams/American Red Cross

MaryJane Westra received her 15 years of Red Cross volunteer service in late October. To mark the occasion in MaryJane fashion, a couple days later she hopped on a plane for a multi-week deployment to Hawaii.

MaryJane’s role as a Disaster Mental Health volunteer means that she’s helping people deal with their lives being turned upside down, sideways and more after disasters like the terrible wildfires on Maui.

We had a chance to speak with MaryJane before her departure. “I’m doing the tiny bit that I can do to make them feel better sooner, to prevent long term trauma, especially in children,” she said. MaryJane’s base chapter is Eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota.

Her top tip for providing emotional support for people dealing with disasters is “to listen, listen, listen without judgment.” She said, “It’s also important to pay attention to what people say their needs are. And with kids, help them get into their routine as best as possible like getting kids back to school and on regular mealtimes.”

She knows what she’s talking about. MaryJane is a retired social worker. Her Red Cross experience includes helping people in Texas after Hurricane Harvey and in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.

The need for more experienced mental health volunteer responders continues to grow, especially as climate-related disasters increase and more people need the Red Cross for help. During 2020 and 2021 alone, the Red Cross averaged a new, major disaster response every 10 days with volunteers like MaryJane continuously on the ground providing critical relief for thousands of people with no place else to go.

We know this can be tough to hear and grasp, but people are depending on the Red Cross being there to help. To get started, please go to redcross.org/givetime.

Volunteer spotlight: Disaster responder Willen Korkowski

Red Cross volunteer Willen Korkowski. Photo: Carrie Carlson-Guest

Recently we were pleased to speak with Willen Korkowski about her volunteer experience. A transcript of the conversation is below. To see Willen tell it, click here. Thanks Willen for your service helping others!

Please introduce yourself and your role with the Red Cross.
Hi. I am Willen Krokowski. I am a Disaster Action Team volunteer with the Red Cross since 2004.

What do you do as a Red Cross volunteer?
As a volunteer I respond to local disasters such as house fire, could be a single house unit or multiple units in an apartment. What we do when we respond to a fire is we make sure that the clients have what they need. Is there an immediate need that we are so concerned for; could be a safe place to stay for the night, food and clothing, or for the kids to let them know that there is someone there that cares for them especially when they are in need.

What’s your favorite part or memory of volunteering?
My favorite part is when the clients smile and you see the hope in their eyes. So it’s, to me, it’s giving back to my community.

Would you recommend volunteering with the Red Cross to others?
If you care about your community, you care about your neighbor, if you want to live in a place where it is safe and loving then I would suggest you volunteer for the Red Cross. You would love it too.

We’re always looking for volunteers to help their neighbors in need after disasters like home fires. To volunteer or for more information, click here. Or join us during upcoming 30-minute “Call to Serve” conferences calls.

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