Look for the Helpers: Two Years at the American Red Cross

At a time where our world remains in the throes of big disasters, humanitarian crises and?other emergencies, it's easy to let hope slip away and fear creep in. In my two years at the American Red Cross, despite the proximity to the never-ending disaster reports and increased awareness of nationwide catastrophes, I’ve never felt more hopeful.

Mr. Rogers famously said that as a child, when he’d see scary things on the news, his mother would encourage him to “look for the helpers” to find hope. My career shows me that I need not look far. I’m heartened daily by the compassionate volunteers that I work with, the community-healing initiatives I work on and the stories I help tell as a Red Cross communicator. ?

My Red Cross journey has spanned two regions and multiple roles, from operations to communications, and a volunteer leadership position. In honor of my two year milestone, here are a few of my favorite Red Cross “mission moments”.

Los Angeles Region

After my first few days of being a Red Crosser, I knew I'd found alignment. I threw myself into the mission and let my curiosity guide me through this new world of humanitarian work.

My first (ever!) blood donation in 2022 put everything into perspective. I'd learned that every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Days after my appointment, when I was notified that my potentially lifesaving blood was used in multiple hospitals in California, I felt so moved by the power of a single 20-minute blood donation. As a part of my shared personal mission to alleviate suffering, I continued to donate blood and platelets.

On the business operations team in the Los Angeles Region, I enjoyed onboarding new Red Crossers, contributing to employee engagement and recognition events and ensuring our facilities were in tip-top shape for community use.

One of my favorite projects was the beautification of the historic chapter office in Santa Monica, where locals and volunteers were invited to come paint a new mural, donate blood and enjoy some BBQ and Hawaiian shaved ice.

My experience in event coordination afforded me the chance to support an advocacy event in Washington D.C., where Red Crossers from all over the nation gathered on Capitol Hill to share organizational initiatives with state legislators. It was an honor to deepen my understanding of how Red Cross works from a national lens and meet with senators from my home state, Louisiana.

I recall seeing our nation's capitol dotted with Red Cross polos and thinking, "Wow, we're all to here as individuals, collectively using our voices to help to veterans, people in crisis, communities impacted by the climate crisis, and more."

Pride Resource Group, Executive Steering Committee

Since 90% of the Red Cross workforce is volunteers, I was inspired to volunteer with the Pride Resource Group, an internal support network for members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Since joining the Executive Steering Committee, I've organized Pride membership events that help facilitate real conversations and connections in our workplace, helped amplify LGBTQ+ voices and issues, and promoted an environment where everyone is welcome.

This effort exists on every level of the organization. The Pride Resource Group got nearly 100 executives to sign our 'Pride Pledge' at the Executive Leadership Expo in 2023, pledging their commitment to inclusivity. It meant so much to be the first to sign, and even more to watch the pledge fill up throughout the event with support!

I continue to be blown away by the world of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Red Cross and am proud to have a hand in sharing resources, building understanding and creating a safe place for folks in their professional world.

Louisiana Region

One year into my Red Cross journey, life and family brought me back home to Louisiana, and I was fortunate to step into a regional communications role. My love for storytelling, imagery and the humanitarian mission collided in an explosion of opportunity to bring awareness to my home state.

I'm extremely proud of my written work thus far, including the impactful story of my colleague's life being saved by a smoke alarm and a profile of a lifelong Red Crosser celebrating 40 years of volunteer service- not to mention the daily short-form content I help craft for our social channels that showcase the year-round work of my team.

As a communicator, it's an honor to help drive people to join our mission. In March 2024, we used digital and traditional media to recruit more than 50 volunteers to Disaster Training Camp in Baton Rouge. Working with local volunteers, including a senior-level Public Relations class at LSU, my alma mater, we garnered media coverage from every major station in the area.

In disaster-prone and historically underserved areas, I've now been a part of disaster response operations that show me the best of humanity at the worst of times. My first disaster deployment supported our response in Slidell, LA following damaging tornadoes this April. Serving as public affairs manager, my team and I followed the response closely to share resources, help families and capture stories for weeks after the disaster.

More recently, when Hurricane Francine impacted much of coastal Louisiana, I was moved to see hundreds of volunteers raise their hand to support shelters, feeding and immediate services in our most vulnerable areas. There's so much more to be said about Red Cross' intentional presence in repeatedly-hit communities like my husband's hometown, Houma, Louisiana, but I'll start by saying: it gives me great hope for the future.

I hold a special place in my heart for the volunteers, trailblazers, leaders, friends and heroes I've met who have shaped my experience here. There are too many to tag, which only speaks to the volume of leadership I'm surrounded by every day.

Here's two an amazing two years at the American Red Cross. May we always look for the helpers, and whenever possible, may we be the helpers.