American Red Cross

If you had asked me a year ago if I would be serving with the Red Cross, I would have asked, “Are you serious? Why would I be doing that, now?”

My name is Lindsay Pals, and I’m serving with the Together We Prepare program at the American Red Cross of Greater Grand Rapids. I am finishing my fifth month as the Disaster Relief Volunteer Coordinator, and anticipating the last five to go. It is still interesting to tell people that I serve at the Red Cross. The primary response is, “Oh really? So… you work with blood drives?” And I totally understand, since that was the extent of my Red Cross knowledge until I began training. But honestly, describing everything this entity does, locally and globally, would take a book- a really thick book.

In short, the American Red Cross’ fundamental principals and values center around dignity and respect for all human kind, no matter which background, faith, culture, political stance, race, or gender a human being possesses. “Preventing and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found” is the perfect umbrella phrase under which we find all the roles of the American Red Cross. The main services my chapter offers in my community, aside from blood drives, are family tracing for refugees, contacting deployed military personnel with significant familial news, driving senior citizens to and from doctor appointments, and providing emergency shelter, food, and clothing to those who just experienced a local disaster. Yet most importantly, we educate our community about fire safety, fire prevention, and the other various services provided, so that prevention and preparation is a priority, emphasizing the idea that if you know about us, we can better help you.

In my individual role as the Disaster Relief Volunteer Coordinator, I am a resource for the group of volunteers that respond to local disasters – primarily house fires. These specific volunteers comprise the Disaster Action Team. I make sure they have the supplies they need, the six volunteer leaders have all the correct and updated information, and the system is running smoothly. I communicate within the entire chapter because I rely on every other department for some aspect of fire response, and within the communities in the four county area we serve to know and best respond to those community’s disasters.

My biggest project is fixing the current system in which my volunteers function. I’m making sure the power distribution is the most logical and that I’m making my volunteers feel needed and valued – because they ARE needed and valued! It has been a blast getting to know the various communities we serve, as well as what everyone wants in the new system. This project is like one fun, huge puzzle.

I truly believe in what the American Red Cross and the International Committee of the Red Cross do. In just graduating from college, I have political issues, social issues, and arguments for every stance under the sun swimming in my head. My future is before me and there are so many options out there for anyone my age, I can get overwhelmed! But when we went over the principles and values during the first day of training, it was like a huge breath of fresh air. The Red Cross brought me back to what is most important and how it manifests within our community – people. Putting people first and taking care of their needs. No matter what. I know I will uphold my priorities to that standard.

If you’re interested in volunteering at your local Red Cross, or you would just like to know more about being involved, go to the website at www.redcross.org, and from there you can navigate to your Local Red Cross Chapter’s site.

If you would like to donate to the International Disaster Relief efforts in Haiti, please text ‘Haiti’ to 90999, or contact your local chapter if you’d like to donate.