Letter: Consider volunteering with American Red Cross to help community

Have you made a New Year’s resolution? Consider becoming a volunteer and making a difference in our community. The American Red Cross offers local training and opportunities for volunteers to contribute to a safer and more resilient community.

Helping a family recover from a devastating loss due to a disaster like a home fire, helping neighbors prepare for a disaster, installing free smoke alarms in homes where there are none, or helping at a lifesaving blood drive are a few of the ways volunteers make a difference every day.

I am the coordinator of the disaster action team that responds 24/7 when called by local fire departments requesting Red Cross assistance. I have volunteered for eight years and I am passionate about what I do, knowing I am making a difference in people’s lives.

What I get back is far greater! It is a wonderful feeling to wrap a blanket around the shoulders of a small child who was evacuated from a house fire in the middle of the night and to calm her momma’s fears.

Please consider joining our Red Cross team, your community needs you! Call 509-783-6195 or www.redcross.org/volunteer.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 12:53 AM with the headline "Letter: Consider volunteering with American Red Cross to help community."