By Ashley Peterson-DeLuca
On April 26, Melissa Chambers was sent home early from work to prepare for bad weather. When the tornado sirens went off, she took her puppy to the basement and waited out the storm. Luckily, the EF4 Elkhorn-Blair tornado left her property undamaged. But others in her community, just a few blocks away, were affected. Many houses were flattened while others received major damage.
“I felt so helpless,” she says. “I wasn’t sure how to help them.”
Twenty years ago, after needing blood transfusions following the birth of her child, Chambers became a volunteer at Red Cross blood drives. Remembering her positive experience, she reached out to the Red Cross in May to again become a volunteer, this time for Disaster Services.
“There are so many organizations, some fraudulent, but you know you can depend on the Red Cross,” says Chambers. “And, once I started looking into it, there are so many (volunteer) opportunities, from IT to damage assessment.”
Not only was her child now an adult and living independently, giving her more free time, but she received days off for volunteering from her employer, Holmes Murphy. It felt like the perfect time to return to volunteering with the Red Cross.
After retiring, Mike Frantz also had more time on his hands. He was affected by seeing the hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding, all attributed to climate, and wanted to take action to help people after disasters.
He found it very easy to get started.
“I went online – to redcross.org – and clicked volunteer,” he says. “I told them I wanted to do the most in-demand roles.”
He was placed on track to be part of the disaster action team. Frantz, a 30-year higher education veteran, says, “I was really impressed with the quality
of online learning.”
But, the in-person training was paused when his home county, Buena Vista, Iowa, and neighboring counties, were hit by record-setting flooding this year.
“I could see the need right outside of town," he says. "It really highlighted the need for disaster services."
Frantz is now trained and ready to help, although he hopes there isn’t a need for it anytime soon.
After a recent storm in the Omaha area, Chambers was excited to take on her first deployment, working at a Red Cross shelter. She was partnered with a 25-year volunteer veteran.
“She had great stories. Everyone I’ve met are great people. I’m excited to get to know more people,” she says.
For Chambers, a natural caregiver, it filled a need she felt after her child moved out. “It’s so satisfying to provide for someone else. This is great opportunity to give back to the community.”
For Frantz, it feels natural to volunteer.
“I am nobody special. You don’t have to have superhuman abilities," he says. "Anyone who wants to help a neighbor can."
If you are interested in giving your time and talents to the Red Cross, don't wait for the next disaster. Learn more and get trained now, so you can provide support when the next disaster strikes.
Explore the Red Cross volunteer opportunities: redcross.org/volunteer.
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