By Ashley Peterson-DeLuca
Each day for Jessica Gutierrez, Community Engagement and Partnership Manager for the Nebraska and Iowa Red Cross region, looks a little different. One day she is she staffing a booth at a Mexico Independence Day festival. On another day, she’s meeting with representatives from the Guatemalan embassy in Omaha. Next, she’s serving as an in-person translator and advocate after a disaster in rural Iowa. Then, she’s featured on a Spanish-speaking radio station talking about an upcoming blood drive or disaster.
“When you’re part of a minority group, you don’t often get information right away,” says Gutierrez. “I help inform communities of what’s going on and what services are available from the Red Cross.”
She is a relentless problem solver, breaking down barriers to help the Red Cross better serve the diverse communities in the region.
“I’ll do what it takes,” she adds. “I look for and create opportunities to build relationships.”
After just over a year in the role, all the work she’s done to forge relationships is already paying off. For example, after the storms in Northwest Iowa this June, there were a high number of members of the Hispanic/Latino community who primarily spoke Spanish in Red Cross shelters. Because of the relationships built with a local multicultural center, Gutierrez was able to borrow handheld translation devices to help onsite Red Cross staff and volunteers better communicate with non-English speakers. These devices were used, in addition to Red Cross volunteer translators who were onsite.
This highlights another area of her work: encouraging more diverse volunteers.
“There’s a huge need for Spanish-speaking volunteers,” she says. “Everyone is welcome at the Red Cross, and there are opportunities to help and grow.”
Gutierrez has deep roots in Mexico, and she always loves building connections with the Mexican communities in major cities like Des Moines, Omaha, Lincoln and beyond. One focus of her education outreach is fire safety.
“In Mexico, most homes don’t have smoke alarms. So, when people come to the U.S., it just isn’t a priority for them,” says Gutierrez.
Another focus of her work is outlining the services of the Red Cross. In other countries, the work of the Red Cross is different. For example, in Mexico, the Red Cross runs ambulance services, provides disaster relief and focuses on health education within other services. Through her community outreach, she shows how the American Red Cross provides help to people after storms and fires, promotes blood drives, provides safety education and welcomes diverse volunteers.
Gutierrez’s work doesn’t just focus on Hispanic/Latino communities. She also connects with representatives from other cultural backgrounds, diverse and multicultural.
“Everyone deserves to be treated like an equal,” states Gutierrez.