National Volunteer Week: Volunteers are the Heart of the Red Cross

(The following information was provided by the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania.)

National Volunteer Week is April 16 through April 22, and the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region is recognizing the work of the selfless individuals who generously give their valuable time to support people in need.

Across the country, more than 275,000 Red Cross volunteers serve their communities by responding to thousands of disasters of all sizes, supporting the collection of blood to help patients receive the critical care they need, supporting members of the military and their families, helping communities prepare for emergencies and much more.

Last year, more than 2,000 Red Cross volunteers in southeastern Pennsylvania alone provided food, shelter, comfort, and hope to nearly 1,100 local families who faced emergency situations. They staffed blood drives that collected more than 100,000 lifesaving donations and provided over 2,300 services to military members, veterans, and their families.

“National Volunteer Week is time to honor these community heroes for their constant service and support,” said Guy Triano, CEO, Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania. “They are the true heart of the Red Cross.”

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are more critical than ever as the climate crisis worsens and the need for shelter, hot meals, health services, emotional support grows. The Red Cross is now launching nearly twice as many relief operations for major disasters than we did a decade ago, and with hurricane and wildfire seasons on the horizon, we have a critical need to fill vital volunteer positions.

• Disaster Action Team Members: Sign up for on-call shifts as part of a team to help provide 24-hour emergency response to local disasters, ensuring that your neighbors have access to resources for necessities such food, shelter, and clothing.
• Disaster Response Duty Officers: Volunteer from home to dispatch local Red Cross volunteers to meet with families impacted by home fires and other disasters so they can provide temporary relief such as a safe place to stay, food and clothing.
• Disaster Health and Mental Health Services: These valuable volunteers use their professional skills as licensed healthcare providers to deliver hands-on care to people recovering from disasters.
• Blood Transportation Specialists: Help deliver blood from our collection sites throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey to our lab in Philadelphia for testing and processing and/or to deliver blood products from our lab to hospitals in the area using a Red Cross-owned vehicle.

Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to get started today. Training is free, but the hope you provide as a Red Cross volunteer to people in need is priceless. Join us at a virtual volunteer information session on Tuesday, April 18 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., to learn more about our most-needed volunteer positions and talk with a Red Cross representative. Register today.

See also:

Daylight Saving Time: Turn Your Clocks Forward and Test Your Smoke Alarms

Red Cross Offers Safety Tips Following Steep Increase in Local Home Fires