Editor’s Note: We’re profiling outstanding Red Cross volunteers throughout National Volunteer Week April 21-27. Be sure to check back daily!
Gail Bube (third from left) receives the 2023 Biomedical Volunteer of the Year Award for Chester County during the Celebration of Volunteers on Dec. 6, 2023. She is pictured with Red Cross Regional CEO Jennifer Graham (second from left); Delaware Valley Board of Directors Chair John Susanin (far left) and Philadelphia Board of Directors Chair Larry Pockers (far right). Photo by Bill Thawley/American Red Cross
By Alana Mauger
Like many American Red Cross volunteers, Gail Bube started her service as a blood donor. One day, she struck up a conversation with a friendly Blood Donor Ambassador who was volunteering at the drive where Gail was about to donate.
At the time, Gail was a few years from retirement, but she remembers thinking it would be an interesting volunteer opportunity to explore. So when retirement came, she signed up and hasn’t looked back since!
“I just love being part of the Red Cross and love being at the donor center! It’s so full of kind people and good donors,” she shared.
Gail says the center is “like a little family” since many of the platelet donors return regularly and the staff remains pretty much the same.
“You go in and it’s like you’re walking into your own house,” she said. “It’s just so fun to be in one place, to be yourself and get to know all these people really well.”
In her first year, Gail logged over 300 volunteer hours, earning her the 2023 Biomedical Volunteer of the Year Award for Chester County. During the award presentation at the Celebration of Volunteers on Dec. 6, 2023, Gail was commended for her “friendly disposition and excellent customer service, which makes donors feel welcomed and valued.”
“I’m so glad that I found this opportunity,” she said, noting that her favorite part about volunteering is “being with people and doing some good.”
The Red Cross isn’t the only organization that benefits from Gail’s enthusiastic service. She also volunteers every Tuesday in the library of her grandkids’ school, and she helps maintain the food gardens with the Chester County Food Bank.
Of course, she also continues to donate blood herself nearly every 56 days.
Red Cross graphic – National Volunteer Week: Celebrating our dedicated volunteers. Thank you for your service.
During National Volunteer Week, April 21-27, the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Region is celebrating community heroes whose daily support and hard work embody the organization’s lifesaving mission to help people in need.
Last year, more than 2,000 local Red Cross volunteers supported blood drives, assisted veterans and military families and helped families recover after local disasters, including home fires. Nationally, volunteers represent more than 90% of the Red Cross workforce providing comfort and relief in the face of emergencies.
“Our volunteers are the heart and soul of the Red Cross,” said Jennifer Graham, CEO, Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania. “Their support is immeasurable. Without the gift of their time and talents, we wouldn’t be able to help people in what can be their darkest hour.”
The combination of heartbreaking home fires and the worsening climate crisis iscreating a critical need for disaster volunteers. Last year, the country saw an all-time high of billion-dollar disasters which forced hundreds of thousands of people out of their homes.
In Southeastern Pennsylvania alone, our volunteers responded to more than 775 disasters, mostly home fires, providing nearly 2,500 people with emergency assistance, including financial support, recovery planning, emotional and health support and more. Eighty-five of our local volunteers also deployed over 200 times across the country to support national disaster relief operations.
JOIN US ─ VOLUNTEER
While volunteers of all types are needed, the Red Cross has a critical need for four specific positions. These roles are a great fit for those who are team-oriented and want to make an immediate difference. Free training will be provided.
Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers, people can be a source of refuge and comfort for neighbors when they need it most. DAT team members provide emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover.
Recovery Client Care associates volunteer from home or from a Red Cross facility to provide advocacy and guide those impacted by a disaster through their recovery phase.
Shelter Services volunteers support the day-to-day activities within an emergency shelter. This includes helping residents in different shelter areas such as reception, registration, feeding, dormitory, information or others.
Duty Officer volunteers liaison with local authorities from home and dispatch Disaster Action Team volunteers to meet with families impacted by home fires and other disasters.
Just like the people served by the Red Cross, the organization is proud its volunteers represent a wide array of cultures, backgrounds, ages, gender identities, lifestyles and beliefs. Everyone is welcome.
This Volunteer Week, the Red Cross is inviting community members to put on a red vest and join the team. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to get started today.
Editor’s Note: In commemoration of Red Cross Month and Women’s History Month, we are publishing a series of #LeadLikeClara profiles featuring local women volunteer leaders who emulate the leadership characteristics of Red Cross founder Clara Barton.
Jeanne Vissa (second from right) receives the Helping Hand Award during the Red Cross Celebration of Volunteers event on Dec. 6, 2023 at Springfield Country Club. She is pictured (from left) with Delaware Valley Board of Directors Chair John Susanin, Regional CEO Jennifer Graham and Philadelphia Board of Directors Chair Larry Pockers. Photo by Bill Thawley/American Red Cross
By Maureen Zug
Clara Barton was a strong-willed, intelligent woman who knew what she wanted and found ways to accomplish her goals. In honor of International Women’s Month and Red Cross Month, we are spotlighting one of SEPA’s own amazing women, Jeanne Vissa. She is a 2023 winner of SEPA’s Helping Hand Award and was recognized at the Celebration of Volunteers in December. Jeanne has volunteered as a Biomed Transportation Specialist and Scheduling Lead for the past 4 years.
Why the Helping Hand?
The Helping Hand Award recognizes a volunteer who has stepped up when the SEPA Region had a specific need and has shown generous responsiveness and given reliable, exemplary service. In her lead role, Jeanne analyzes and highlights open shifts for Biomed Transportation and proactively communicates openings to the transportation volunteers. These volunteers are the vital link in moving Red Cross donated from blood drives to the Philadelphia Blood Donation Center for processing, then moving blood products from the Center to hospitals across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
According to her award nomination, Jeanne not only excels in scheduling, but she also extends her responsibilities to hospital delivery shifts while still fulfilling her original role of component pickups. She took the initiative to try hospital deliveries, opting for less preferred shifts like late afternoons or early evenings, which contributed significantly to the department’s operational success. The result of Jeanne’s work was a significantly increased shift fill rate.
A Professional Life of Service
Prior to her joining the Red Cross, Jeanne spent her career in education, much of the time as a school principal.
“My first teaching job was in a school where the principal valued and noticed teamwork,” she explained. “In my Red Cross experience, I see the same.”
Jeanne notes that her team’s leaders – Jim, Ben, Mike and others – consistently show their appreciation for the work volunteers do.
“I try to communicate that appreciation to others, not only in my collection and distribution work, but also in the role of communicating to the team weekly about our urgent needs. We bounce ideas off of one another, always with the idea of improving people’s experience,” she shared.
Personal Interests
Jeanne lives with two senior cats, Folly and MeMe. She is the honorary grandmother to a family with four children, sometimes taking care of them overnight when the parents work out of town. She is an avid attendee of dance performances in Philadelphia and travels to the New York City Ballet six times a year. She also teaches an English as a Second Language class two nights a week.
Written by Alana Mauger with Photography by Bill Thawley
American Red Cross volunteers took center stage on Dec. 6 during Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Celebration of Volunteers at Springfield Country Club in Delaware County. Organized a committee of staff and volunteers, the event included dinner, contests and an awards program to recognize outstanding individual volunteer accomplishments. The Red Cross mission would not be possible without the work of our extraordinary volunteers, who comprise 90% of our workforce.
Award recipients are pictured below with Red Cross Regional CEO Jennifer Graham, Delaware Valley Board of Directors Chair John Susanin and Philadelphia Board of Directors Chair Larry Pockers.
Congratulations to the following recipients:
Exceptional Volunteer Award for Communications: Jenny FarleyExceptional Volunteer Award in Service to the Armed Forces: Robert PollackRed Cross House Exceptional Volunteer: Lestonia GloverVolunteer Services Exceptional Volunteer: Kristen WormanExceptional Musser Center/Transportation Volunteer: Vahe “Jim” Hagopian Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer in Chester County: Gail BubeExceptional Biomedical Volunteer in Delaware County: John GebhardtExceptional Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer for Bucks County: Susan Davis-KienscherfExceptional Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer for Delaware County: Larrye LossExceptional Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer for Montgomery County AND Red Cross Spirit Award: Jayne CabnetExceptional Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer for Philadelphia County: Karen Jackson.Regional Disaster Officer Lisa Magee is also pictured. Rising Star Award:Deborah WarringtonHelping Hand Award:Jeanne VissaCommunity Partnership Award: Volunteers from Woods Community at Brian’s HouseAnita Lockwood Board of Directors Award: Ralph GalatiBetty Robinson Board of Directors Award: John Susanin
Among those honored were 11 volunteers who worked 1,000 or more hours during the last fiscal year. Collectively, they recorded over 23,000 hours of service! These special volunteers include Jayne Cabnet, Heidi Dampman, Will Dobnak, Fred Lehman, Gene Maxey, Mary Noll, Debbie Tevlin, Steve Thomas, Marty Westermann, Janice Winston and Donna Zacker.
Volunteers who worked 1,000 or more hours during the last fiscal year (from left): Mary Noll, Gene Maxey, Marty Westermann, Steve Thomas, Jayne Cabnet, Debbie Tevlin, and Janice Winston.
The following award recipients are not pictured:
Exceptional Volunteer Award for Financial Development: Boston Consulting Group Volunteer Partners – Troy Mullane, Jonathan Diaz, Leah Budson and Kara Hardie
Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer in Bucks County: Russell Massey
Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer in Montgomery County: Naureen Schnee
Exceptional Biomedical Volunteer in Philadelphia County: Sister Maureen McGarrity
Exceptional Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer for Chester County: Bill Gausch
The Red Cross offers a special “thank you” to members of the SEPA Recognition and Appreciation Committee: Anne Arnold, Ned Bloom, Terri Boylan, Lynn Cohen, Ellen Ginda, Jennifer Graham, Mary Harper, Susan Kalkhuid-Beam, Sean McKee, Elizabeth Stinson, Nancy Tobin and Mimi Yong.
Mary Noll receives the American Red Cross Bob Hasmiller Award from Cliff Holtz, chief operating officer, and Gail McGovern, president and CEO, on April 26, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Dermot Tatlow/American Red Cross
For the past 18 years, Mary Noll has volunteered for the Red Cross. She has deployed at least 30 times, helping out after disasters at home and throughout the country. Now, her service and dedication have been nationally recognized with the prestigious Bob Hasmiller Award as the disaster services volunteer of the year. She received the honor at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Mary said she felt humbled by the award and shared the credit with her fellow volunteers. “I owe a lot of the award that I got to the people that I work with. I’ve had a lot of good people that have taught me and as a result I’ve turned around and tried to teach others what I’ve learned.”
In 2022, Mary volunteered 3,800 hours. “That’s almost two full time jobs,” she said. Mary has several roles with the Red Cross including instructor, mass care and many logistical jobs that help keep the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERV) on the road during a disaster.
She is a Red Cross fleet and facilities volunteer partner, transportation lead, a National Fleet Operations (NFO) administrator and the specialty vehicle operator lead for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Region.
“When I go out on national responses, I go out as an admin so I assist the mechanics in inspecting and repairing and servicing anything that is on the disaster relief operation.
So we keep as many vehicles as possible functional.”
Those vehicles are critical to providing people with the help they need to recover from a disaster, like the one that inspired Mary to begin volunteering.
“I’m a Katrina baby,” she said. During Hurricane Katrina, Mary said she was sitting on a couch in Atlanta, on her birthday, watching the devastation and misery of the storm on the news. What she did next changed her life.
“I just said, what am I doing sitting here when I should be there?” She signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross and was immediately deployed to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. “Basically, Ground Zero,” she said.
Mary fed people out of the back of an ERV for nearly a month and spent Thanksgiving with grateful residents in an empty lot in the middle of the Lower 9th Ward. “They said,
‘You’re part of our family and we need you to sit down and have dinner with us.’ So it was the most meaningful Thanksgiving I’ve ever had. Even to this day it makes me cry.”
Helping people survive after one of the deadliest hurricanes in U.S. history, taught Mary how important it is to cherish what you have because “you never know how much you have to lose until you lose it.”
Mary Noll donates blood at the 6abc blood drive on March 29, 2023. Photo by Alana Mauger / American Red Cross
Mary coped with her own immense loss when she kept volunteering with the Red Cross during the pandemic. “The Red Cross was there for me when my husband was diagnosed with a blood cancer,” she said.
After years of donating blood themselves, Mary and her husband Peter suddenly needed blood for Peter to fight cancer.
“Toward the end, he was getting 10 units of one type of blood product or another a week. If it hadn’t been for that, he wouldn’t have been around, as long as he had.”
Peter died of his rare cancer after a lifetime together and nearly 47 years of marriage. Mary credits blood donations with helping him live longer, giving them more time. Peter had a volunteer spirit too. The week before he died he helped move donated mattresses into the Red Cross House in Philadelphia.
The Red Cross House is the only one of its kind in the country. It’s a place for people who have lost everything in a fire or other disaster like a building collapse, to temporarily live while they rebuild their lives. Mary has volunteered there helping guests at the front desk when they first arrive.
If you are interested in volunteering for the Red Cross, Mary has some advice. “You get more out of it than you can ever put into it. People are so grateful that you’re there in their darkest hour.”
Mary plans to keep volunteering and sharing the Red Cross mission, with the memories of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters she has deployed to, never forgotten.
“That’s why I’m still here. I go out and I take care of people. People say why do you do it? And I say because if something like that happened to my family, I’d want somebody to do it for them.”
To learn more about how to become a Red Cross volunteer like Mary, or to donate blood, visit redcross.org.
The Disaster Cycle Services (DCS) Team would like to congratulate a few of its volunteers for their ongoing dedication and accomplishments. These individuals exemplify one or more of the Red Cross’s 5 C’s: Compassionate, Collaborative, Creative, Credible and Committed. Each month, DCS recognizes volunteers who are members of one of their specialized teams.
For the month of April , DCS recognized volunteers who are members of the Disaster Workforce Engagement (DWE) team. Hats off to the following volunteers:
Mary Hughes, DCS Regional Deployment Lead
Mary Hughes is Collaborative – As a 10-year veteran of the Red Cross, Mary embodies the Collaborative quality. She brought her extensive Red Cross knowledge and skills to SEPA from the Los Angeles Region in October 2021 and almost immediately stepped into the role of DCS Regional Deployment Lead. Mary leads the deployment team to ensure the Door is constantly monitored for deployment opportunities. She collaborates with the DWE Manager, divisional resources and numerous local volunteers to ensure the responders being deployed are set up for success. In March of this year, Mary’s collaborative skills and dedication were recognized, and she was selected for a new National role – Resource Mobilization & Support (RMS) – Mission Card Specialist.
Jacyln Judson, Bucks County DWE Lead
Jacyln Judson is Compassionate – Jaclyn has been with the Red Cross since July 2021, and became the Bucks County DWE Lead in October of the same year. In this role, and in the numerous other positions she holds, she personifies Compassion. Jaclyn builds relationships with fellow volunteers, clients, and community members. She frequently offers to assist staff with initiatives, including sitting on numerous interview panels, and her extensive corporate experience has been an asset! Since January of this year, Jaclyn has been doing a tremendous job of helping the Bucks County team thrive in the absence of a Disaster Program Manager. Her willingness to take on the additional responsibilities is truly appreciated!
Gene Maxey, Philadelphia DWE Lead
Gene Maxey is Committed – Gene personifies the attribute of being Committed. He is dedicated to supporting prospective and established volunteers. Gene gladly shares his vast Red Cross and corporate knowledge to support anyone in SEPA with the goal of helping them succeed. As the DWE Lead for Philadelphia, Gene ensures that volunteers have the appropriate training assigned to them and that their Volunteer Connection profiles are accurate. Gene also demonstrates his commitment to the Red Cross mission by taking numerous Duty Officer shifts, and by responding to voluminous DAT responses in all the counties. He frequently offers suggestions for projects and to assist with initiatives.
Diane Minanno, Montgomery County DWE Lead
Diane Minanno is Collaborative – Diane exemplifies the trait of being Collaborative. She is involved in no less than 12 activities, partnering with numerous colleagues to achieve the shared goals of each activity. Diane utilizes her extensive Red Cross knowledge, and her position as the Montgomery County DWE Lead, to mentor volunteers. Her investment in her peers helps them to have a fulfilling experience. Diane’s collaborative efforts set the standard for others to replicate!
Elizabeth Stinson, Regional DWE Recognition and Appreciation Lead
Elizabeth Stinson is Collaborative – Elizabeth has been an integral part of our region since she joined in 2017. She generously shares the wealth of knowledge she has gained through her Red Cross career with her fellow volunteers and staff. Elizabeth has held numerous positions and has had a positive impact on the lives of countless clients. In addition to co-chairing the 2022 Deployment Recognition Event, she was instrumental in creating the Hats Off recognition program. While Elizabeth models all 5 of the “C’s,” in her role as Regional Recognition & Appreciation Lead, she exemplifies Collaborative. She celebrates the accomplishments of the award recipients and lets them know how much their efforts are appreciated. She personifies the values of the Red Cross!
The Disaster Cycle Services (DCS) Team would like to congratulate a few of its volunteers for their ongoing dedication and accomplishments. These individuals exemplify one or more of the Red Cross’s 5 C’s: Compassionate, Collaborative, Creative, Credible and Committed. Each month, DCS recognizes volunteers who are members of one of their specialized teams.
For the month of April , DCS recognized volunteers who are members of the Disaster Action Team (DAT). Hats off to the following volunteers:
Jill Cherpack, Delaware County DAT Service Associate.
Jill Cherpack is Committed and Creative – Jill is very committed to the DAT program for Delaware County and other counties as well. She is eager to respond and willing to travel long distances to respond to clients in need. Jill is committed to furthering her advancement within the DAT program. She is creative in her response to clients as nothing seems to phase her. Jill takes the time to listen to clients’ needs and offers creative solutions to ease their suffering. She is truly an integral and important part of the Delaware County Disaster Action Team.
Hal Cohen, Chester County DAT Service Associate
Hal Cohen is Compassionate – Hal defines the DAT quality of Compassionate. The first lesson Hal provides to a DAT trainee is that we succeed in our Red Cross mission when we provide care and compassion to our clients. Hal is committed to ensuring that our clients have been shown nothing short of compassion and care. Hal not only provides compassion to our DAT clients but also displays this in his many other activities including Blood Services, deployments and Habitat for Humanity. Hal understands that compassion is an essential element in society and in performing our DAT mission.
Alyssa DuVal, Montgomery County DAT Service Associate.
Alyssa DuVal is Compassionate and Collaborative – Alyssa joined the DAT program in 2021, looking to balance her hectic professional work while helping her community. Despite work responsibilities, Alyssa signs up nearly every week for the 6 pm to midnight on-call shift. She has answered calls for Montgomery, Philadelphia and Delaware Counties during her shifts and her free time. She serves as a productive team member, compassionately supporting our residents and collaboratively supporting fellow responders with event tasks. Her gentle approach is comforting to unsettled clients, helping them focus on their immediate needs and prioritize their next moves. Even in training, her positive attitude helps develop collaborative results. Don’t be mistaken about Alyssa’s quiet ways, her impact is loud and clear.
Ashley Hulsey, Philadelphia DAT Service Associate.
Ashley Hulsey is Committed – Ashley began volunteering for the Red Cross in November 2022 and quickly made an impact on our team. She has shown her commitment to serving the Philadelphia community by consistently placing herself on call every week, participating in monthly meetings/trainings, and even responding when not on call. Ashley displays integrity, following through on her commitments, effectively administering disaster cycle services, and personifying a textbook credible DAT member.
Editor’s Note: A version of this article was originally published in the May 2023 issue of The Volunteer Voice.
Terri Sirocka (second from left) received the Helping Hand volunteer award in November. She’s pictured with Red Crossers (from left) Larry Pockers and John Susanin, board chairs, and Jennifer Graham, executive director, Delaware Valley Chapter. Photo by Donn Greenberg/American Red Cross
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.
Marty Westerman (center) received the Rising Star volunteer award in November. He’s pictured with Red Crossers (from left) Guy Triano, regional CEO; Larry Pockers and John Susanin, board chairs; and Jennifer Graham, executive director, Delaware Valley Chapter. Photo by Donn Greenberg/American Red Cross
Marty Westermann was recently honored with the volunteer-nominated Rising Star Award, an expression of the respect volunteers have for Marty! And Marty cares for the volunteers!
“When you’re working with a Red Cross volunteer you’re seeing a person who cares about taking care of other people. That’s just a beautiful thing. They constantly amaze me and teach me how to take care of our neighbors in need. I just watch them and learn from them.”
In March 2022, he volunteered for the Southeast Pennsylvania Region Red Cross, encouraged by his sister Lisa, a Blood Donor Ambassador. “My family’s in good shape, it was time for me to reach out and help somebody else .”
He began as a Disaster Action Team (DAT) Responder. In less than one year, Marty has taken a leadership role as Chester County DAT Coordinator and also volunteered for Mass Care Shelter/Feeding.
“One of my early experiences, I got a call at night for a house explosion in Pottstown. I was new and not qualified for anything. Debbie Tevlin, the DAT coordinator on site grabbed me and said ‘hey are you going to be OK? This is a pretty bad scene.’ Yes, I’ll be OK.”
“Watching Red Cross Volunteers taking care of those affected by the explosion was just unbelievable. It didn’t matter who they were or from what neighborhood, it was just taking care of a person on probably the worst day of their life. Just the comfort and care the volunteers provided to the people in Pottstown always stuck with me.”
Now he is Chester County DAT Coordinator leading DAT volunteers. Despite the small number of Red Cross response calls in Chester County, he helps volunteers find other activities. Marty volunteers for disaster response in Delaware County, Montgomery County, Bucks County and Philadelphia.
Marty recently stepped up into the role of Mass Care Feeding Lead. His wife Karen, who has eagerly supported Marty’s volunteer efforts, recently became a herself! She has been in the restaurant and hotel business and is a perfect partner with Marty. Coming out of the COVID pandemic the Red Cross has to re-establish many partnerships with restaurants and different organizations. If there is a need for food and comfort in Southeast Pennsylvania, then these partnerships contribute to the Red Cross to take care of those in need.
“I love working with our volunteers. It’s heart-lifting to see people who care!” he shared.
Marty’s joy is being “Grandpop” and spending lots of time with grandson, Ronan. And he has another grandson on the way. Son Michael and wife are expecting a boy in June! Ronan’s mom is daughter Caitlin, a Critical Care Nurse and Educator at George Washington University Hospital.
Jayne Cabnet (left) is recognized by Regional Disaster Officer Lisa Magee for several virtual deployments in 2022. Photo by Konrad Jones/American Red Cross.
Ten years ago, Jayne Cabnet was searching for ways to make acquaintances and create ties to a new community when she relocated to Pennsylvania. Today, she’s searching for people for an entirely different and very important reason!
As she settled into her new community, Jayne decided that volunteering would be a positive way to meet people with similar interests and joined the Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team case worker. This work allows her to partner with other volunteers to connect local disaster victims with basic needs such as housing, food, and emotional health services. Even though most of this work is done over the phone, she has made many lasting connections with people she meets through the Red Cross.
Over time, Jayne became interested in natural disaster recovery as she watched the Red Cross respond and help people across the United States. She learned of the Red Cross Reunification service that reunites missing victims with their loved ones after major disasters and enlisted to join that team of volunteers.
Reunification volunteers are deployed virtually, working from unaffected areas to ensure they have uninterrupted power, internet, and phone service to perform their searches. This team uses critical thinking and detective-like skills with the clues provided by family members or close friends of missing people.
In 2022 Jayne was virtually deployed as a reunification volunteer for disasters in California, Kentucky, Florida, and Pittsburgh and is now serving as a Mass Care Reunification Supervisor. Jayne and her teammates work in 12 hours shifts during these deployments, gathering information and searching for missing people. They use personal details such as place of employment, hobbies, and religious or volunteer affiliations as clues to where a person might go to seek refuge during a disaster.
Recently, Jayne helped reunite a young coffee shop employee with her family after a severe flood. Using Google Maps research to look for likely shelters, Jayne noticed a police station near the coffee shop. She called the station and verified the missing woman was indeed there seeking refuge. This story shows how Red Cross volunteers often partner with other rescue teams and first responders to help communities recover from disasters.
A decade of volunteering has made a significant impact on Jayne’s life. She began her volunteer journey hoping to make new connections and do some good within her new community. All these years later, she’s now connecting with other communities and helping people across the country.
Red Cross volunteer opportunities come in all shapes and sizes, tapping into any skills or time commitments a volunteer has to offer, including in-person and virtual options. Are you interested in learning more? Check out current volunteer opportunities to see how you might fit volunteer work into your lifestyle to help others in your community.
Editor’s Note: We’ll be profiling outstanding Red Cross volunteers throughout National Volunteer Week April 16-22. Be sure to check back daily!
