Veterans Day: Red Cross Volunteers Embody Clara Barton's Spirit Of Service (Photo) - 11/06/23
Veterans continue to answer the call to serve by volunteering in their local communities.
Portland, OR (October 6, 2023) — This Veterans Day, November 11, 2023, the American Red Cross is recognizing veterans who continue their service in local communities across the country.
For more than 140 years, the American Red Cross has served military members, veterans and their families. Throughout the many decades, veterans have stepped up to support their communities after their active-duty service ends by volunteering with the Red Cross. From the front lines of disaster recovery to service in the Veterans Administration (VA) and military hospitals across the nation and around the world, their impact is integral to the Red Cross mission.
"The Red Cross is a lot like serving in the military," says Tom Murotake, a veteran who served 10 years in the US Army and 25 years in the Army National Guard, and has been a dedicated Red Cross Cascades volunteer for 6 years. Tom says he likes deploying to disasters with the Red Cross, “It's almost like being in the military. I get a task, I do the task, and then we are done, except this time I am doing it for people who smile at me a lot.”
Much like Clara Barton, when Tom sees suffering, he’s moved to act. When recalling one of his most touching moments as a disaster response volunteer, he shares, "There is no greater feeling than to be at a home fire, and giving a small child a stuffed animal, that will be the first toy they have that doesn’t smell like smoke."
As disasters roil communities across the country, veterans like Tom are donning the Red Cross vest and lending a hand to those in need in their local communities. At military bases and in local neighborhoods, veterans are rolling up their sleeves to donate blood and help give the critical gift of life. Whether teaching lifesaving skills or giving back to their own by volunteering to assist fellow veterans, they are making an impact through the teamwork and dedication that served them well during military service.
THE HEART OF OUR WORKFORCE
Over 20,000 Red Cross volunteers are veterans, including 100+ here in the Cascades Region. Veterans hold many positions at the Red Cross, from nurses to logisticians, emergency management experts, project managers and preparedness experts, as well as a number of veterans in leadership roles at local Red Cross chapters across the country.
GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME
Join the Hero Care Network as a volunteer caseworker and help provide the critical link for military members, veterans and their families during emergency situations. To learn more about how you can give back to your community this Veterans Day, visit www.redcross.org/HeroCareVolunteer.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood and is the primary blood supplier to 65 hospitals throughout Washington and Oregon; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.
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