Opportunities in Red

Ever wanted to make a difference in your community? Want to do more than donate blood? The American Red Cross (ARC) could use your help then. The organization recently held a volunteer opportunity fair, providing the opportunity to see exactly what they do for communities and how it helps people. Visitors who came to the fair had the opportunity to speak with representatives of the different branches of the American Red Cross, giving them the opportunity to decide how they want to best help their communities; branches include: Logistics, Client Casework, External Relations, Technology, Staff Services, Public Affairs, Community Outreach, and Youth Services. Each branch serves a particular function, but all work together to help those who have been affected by disasters, on both large and small scales. Patricia Smith works in the Client Casework branch and was on-hand to explain some of what they do. According to Smith, they manage the paperwork of a client, specifically files that pertain to damage reports. When a client reports damage to their house, they write it down for legal purposes; this is to help avoid and identify fraudulent claims. According to Smith, there are times when a client will call again to change their damage report. Smith explained that this is a warning sign for a false claim in an attempt to claim more money in damages. External Relations is yet another branch. John Carrigan, a representative, talked a little about what volunteers of this branch perform. Carrigan explained that the branch is essentially "liaison work" and that members work with government bodies, usually at the state or county level, or reach out to community organizations. According to Carrigan, the main idea of this liaison work is to reach out to these entities and see what each can contribute in the case of a disaster. This can range from services to food for shelters. While many visitors are just possible volunteers, Crystal Jones know walking in that she wanted to contribute and wasted no time in signing up for the Mass Care branch. According to her, there are several classes that must be taken before becoming a full volunteer. This is so volunteers fully understand what is required of them and how to perform well before going into the field. According to Jones, some of these classes are online, allowing a person to take them at their leisure. Mickey Stanring, an ARC representative, had this to say about her experiences: "I've had people from all over the world come up to me and say 'thank you.'" Monica Ruzich was also greatly moved by her time with the Red Cross shares: "To me, Red Cross is the community!" Such passion and devotion to helping people appeared to serve as a powerful inspiration and will serve to draw in yet more like minds, whose goals are to help their communities.