Volunteers make a real difference at the American Red Cross. Whether it's disaster preparedness and response, providing emergency shelter aid, First Aid and CPR training, lifeguard and water safety instruction or offering Babysitting or Family Care-giving courses, the Red Cross stands ready for Arizonans too.
It’s 2 a.m. when the phone rings. A voice on the other end is telling you about a home fire. Two adults and three small children were in the house. You get dressed and head out the door to help your neighbor in need. When you arrive, the pajama-clad family is on the sidewalk. They don’t even have shoes on their feet. But, as a volunteer for the American Red Cross, you’re going to help. You’ll make sure they have a safe place to sleep, clothing, food and emotional support. This is just one of the kinds of jobs you’ll find at your local Red Cross. A volunteer-led organization, the American Red Cross provides relief to disaster victims and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Linda Searfoss, the Grand Canyon Chapter’s chief executive, says, “Many people recognize the Red Cross during large disasters such as a hurricane or tornado, but few understand the impact the Grand Canyon Chapter has on our community.” The Grand Canyon Chapter serves more than 4.4 million people in Apache, Coconino, Gila, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pinal, Yavapai and Yuma counties. “Volunteers are vital to the Red Cross mission and are the core of the delivery of services to the members of our community,” says Nina Mirco, Grand Canyon Chapter Volunteer Resources Manager. “They are amazing people who come together when it matters most.”
Local volunteers also train thousands of people each year to save lives through CPR, first aid, water safety and lifeguarding. Additionally, Red Cross volunteers relay critical messages to military families around the world 24/7. Searfoss says, “Every single day, the local Red Cross touches dozens of lives by meeting basic human needs following a home fire and relaying critical messages to our military members during family emergencies. Every single day, local volunteers teach CPR and first aid.” To get everything done, volunteers are needed from Phoenix to Flagstaff and Yuma to Casa Grande. Volunteers give help in disasters
“I’ll never forget my first fire call. It was in the middle of the night. I was anxious and apprehensive,” recalls Susan Lickman. “I had been through all the training, but it’s not until you actually live through the experience that you fully understand,” she adds. “It was a good feeling knowing we were helping people.” Local Red Cross volunteers can also deploy on national assignments. Less than a year after her first fire call, Lickman went to Washington State to help people impacted by floods. Her job: client casework. It was cold and damp; one example of the varied and sometimes harsh physical conditions volunteers can face during an assignment. The hours were long and the work was emotionally draining, but she wouldn’t trade the job. “What I remember most is seeing people’s faces when the Red Cross drove into neighborhoods. It was like we were the cavalry coming in.” She was proud to be wearing the Red Cross emblem. Saving lives, protecting people That emblem impacted Pooja Rajguru when she was just a little girl.
“When more people learn Red Cross lifesaving skills, our community will be a safer place,” says Raiguru. Keeping people safe in and around water is Kristin Bolick’s primary focus. She’s been training Red Cross lifeguards and water safety instructors for more than 25 years. “My daughter had to be saved by a lifeguard. Since then, water safety has been my life’s work,” says Bolick. The Red Cross instructor volunteers her time to raise awareness about the importance of water safety. “When I connect with people and they grasp the importance of Red Cross swim lessons, CPR, barriers and supervision, I feel like I’ve made an impact on our community.” Volunteers make real differences American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton made an impact, too, back in the 1800’s when she nursed Civil War soldiers. Volunteers help the Red Cross continue that unique bond with our Armed Forces with round-the-clock emergency assistance and communications between military members and their families. “After I verify the information and relay a vital message, I am gratified knowing I helped a family stay connected,” says Pat Schirmang. The 25-year National Guard veteran donates her time to the Red Cross every Tuesday and Thursday. Volunteer opportunities at the Red Cross run the gamut. Besides military services volunteers, disaster responders and CPR instructors, your local Red Cross needs people who can work in the office, handle public affairs, answer questions in a call center, secure shelter agreements, take care of vehicles, you name it. Red Cross provides free training for volunteers. “We take people’s skills, interests and background and find a good fit for them,” says Mirco. “We never expect an emergency to happen to us, but they happen all of the time. When you volunteer or donate to the Red Cross, you're making a difference by saving a life, keeping a family connected or helping a family pick up the pieces after losing everything,” says Searfoss. “By helping the Red Cross, you're helping a neighbor in need and one day that neighbor might be someone you know.” Volunteers make up nearly 95 percent of the Red Cross workforce. They are the very heart and spirit of the organization. Just last year, volunteers donated more than 170,000 hours of time. That time carried a value of $3.35 million. “Volunteers help us fulfill our mission to help people prepare for, prevent and respond to emergencies,” says Mirco. “We couldn’t do it without them.” If you are interested in learning about Red Cross volunteer opportunities, visit www.arizonaredcross.org.
Grand Canyon Chapter Headquarters Lake Havasu City Yuma Flagstaff Prescott Pinetop Southern Arizona Chapter Headquarters
To learn about Red Cross opportunities, visit www.arizonaredcross.org in Central to Northern Arizona and www.redcrossarizona.org for southern Arizona. |
Volunteers with the American Red Cross respond to man-made and natural disasters, teach life-saving skills and more. Throughout Arizona, the Grand Canyon Chapter works with more than 4.4 million people. 
Whether it’s a home fire, wildfire or flood, the Grand Canyon chapter is ready to respond to any disaster. 
Disaster volunteers are a major need. Nearly twice a day, local Red Cross volunteers are called to the scene of a disaster. Most of them are home fires. 
She remembers watching Red Cross volunteers in action on the news. Now, the 17-year-old is the chapter’s youngest volunteer CPR and first aid instructor. Her goal is to help fulfill the mission by teaching people how to save lives. 
In Arizona, the Red Cross could use a few more hands…
ROC172120 Residential