By Alana Mauger

American Red Cross volunteer Terri Sirocka works behind the scenes to help ensure other volunteers have a positive experience. Her dedication earned her the 2022 “Helping Hand” award last November as nominated and voted by her fellow volunteers.

Terri began her service in 2019 as a Blood Donor Ambassador, but soon the COVID-19 pandemic led her to seek out a virtual role as a member of the regional Volunteer Services screening team.

When someone applies to become a Red Cross volunteer, the application and vetting process includes working with a member the screening team to help determine the best volunteer role for them.

“I look at the profile of the prospective volunteer, then I call them and we talk,” Terri explains. “I find out what their background is and what they’re interested in and what their availability is. If all goes well, I refer them to the supervisor in the area they choose. From there, they go on to another interview and training and hopefully get going with the Red Cross.”

Terri went through that process herself back in 2019 soon after she retired from the insurance industry.  The reputation of the Red Cross led her to the organization.

“The Red Cross does so many good things,” she shared. “I feel like I’m contributing and get a sense of accomplishment.”

In addition to her work on the screening team, Terri recently stepped into a new leadership role as Montgomery County coordinator with the recruitment team. These are the volunteers you see out at community events, providing Red Cross information and recruiting new volunteers.

“We staff tables at local fairs and festivals with flyers and little giveaways,” she said. “We try to recruit new volunteers, to let them know that the Red Cross is not just about blood donations – that there’s so many different areas that the Red Cross is involved with.”

As coordinator, Terri looks for events and opportunities for the team, then helps schedule the volunteers to staff the tables. She relishes “just knowing that I’m helping out somewhere.”

“Even though I’m not on the front lines, like with the Disaster Action Team, I’m still helping to get other volunteers out there,” she said. “Because if we don’t continue to get volunteers out there, it’s not going to work.”

When she’s not serving the Red Cross, Terri is active with her local community library and is a member of two book clubs.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities at the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/volunteertoday.