Lisa Karpinski: Getting Help and Giving Back

Lisa Karpinski, third from left, with fellow responders.

By Alice Ding

When Superstorm Sandy hit the Rockaways, Lisa Karpinski, her husband, and their two children (who were 12- and 14-years old when Sandy hit), lost all their belongings as their house filled with more than five feet of water.

A friend directed Lisa to Beach 129th Street to receive help from the American Red Cross, which had an emergency response vehicle stationed there. “The Red Cross provided me with food and a home cleanup kit,” Lisa said.

Before receiving help from the Red Cross, Lisa knew nothing about the organization. Now, she is one of the Greater New York Region’s most enthusiastic volunteers.

“I saw two Red Crossers, one from California and one from Texas, constantly during Sandy as I kept going back for meals and became friends with them,” Lisa recalled. She said that later, when she was making career changes, one of them suggested she become a volunteer herself.

Lisa, who started volunteering in April 2013, says she wanted to give back to the Red Cross because it helped her during a difficult time. She usually works the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. response shift. During her shift, Lisa goes to disaster scenes — mostly fires — and provides assistance to those affected.

While on the way to a disaster, Lisa and her fellow volunteers discuss possible resources and the best way to respond to each individual situation. Lately, she’s been learning how to assess disasters more efficiently, as the Greater New York Red Cross shifts to a new computer program that will help responders.

Lisa shared that the best part of her Red Cross volunteer experience is meeting and supporting disaster survivors. “I really like talking to people affected by disasters and helping them. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that.”

Lisa has made great friends with others at the Red Cross. “People here are friendly. We go out and grab a bite when we have time,” she said. Although the Red Crosser volunteers who initially helped her during Sandy have returned to their chapters in other parts of the country, Lisa remains in contact with them through social media.

“People working here really care about those they are helping,” Lisa said. It is that culture of caring she saw during Sandy that drew Lisa to volunteer for the Red Cross — and one that she now helps spread to others in need. 

Volunteering Inspires Some to Become Employees

After Superstorm Sandy, the American Red Cross relied on its dedicated staff members and volunteers to provide aid to those affected by the storm. More than 10,000 volunteers from across the country poured into the Greater New York region to help the thousands of people in need.

For some of those volunteers, assisting with the long-term recovery efforts of the Red Cross became a mission they wanted to commit to full time. Patty Jones, Tymera Jackson and Kevin Rivero are three of those individuals.

Patty Jones has been volunteering with the Red Cross since she was fifteen. She began as a Candy Striper in Methodist Hospital of Brooklyn. Post-Sandy, Jones, who lives in Brooklyn, once again signed on to volunteer for the Red Cross.

In February 2013, she joined the Sandy Long-Term Recovery Document Management department. For the next four months, she volunteered Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., researching internal and external databases to learn about residents who had reached out for assistance. Later, she transferred to the Intake Department to conduct initial interviews of Sandy-affected residents. Eventually, Jones was hired as a Greater New York case manager for the Sandy Long Term Recovery.

Jones, who also regularly volunteers on a Disaster Action Team for the Greater New York Red Cross in New York City, says her experience working with Red Cross staff and volunteers has been nothing short of inspiring.

“I’ve met a lot of wonderful volunteers from different states,” she said. “As a New Yorker, I’ll always be grateful that they left their families behind, in some cases for months, just to help us out.”

Tymera Jackson of Westchester County began volunteering with the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina, back in 2005. At the former White Plains office, she started off doing administrative tasks in the Emergency Services department. In addition to her administrative role, Tymera helped screen potential volunteers, and joined a Disaster Action Team that responds to local emergencies, helping those affected. For three years, she gave 30 hours of her time a week as a volunteer at White Plains.

Inspired by the mission of the Red Cross, after Hurricane Sandy hit, Jackson applied to become a Sandy long term recovery case manager in the Greater New York Manhattan office. She was hired in March 2013. In this role, she visits Sandy-affected residents from Connecticut and New York City, assessing damage to their homes and helping them to access resources from Red Cross and/or other agencies.

“People have said things like, ‘You’re an angel, God must have sent you,’ she said. “They just want to know that someone cares and that someone is there to listen to their issues.”

When Superstorm Sandy hit, Kevin Rivero, from Washington, D.C., was fresh out of college. To help pay for his education, he worked for both a restaurant and an event planning company. In January 2013, after learning the Red Cross needed post-Sandy recovery volunteers, Kevin applied, was accepted, and moved to New York City. He volunteered for nearly five months providing assistance for people affected by Sandy. In June 2013, Kevin became a full-time staff member on the Long-Term Recovery team. 

Kevin said his volunteer work prepared him for his current job. Both as a volunteer and in his current job, he helps Sandy-affected residents receive financial or emotional support from Red Cross programs and through partner organizations. Kevin, who works with residents across Long Island, speaks with residents by phone and visits their homes to assess their needs.

“My job is about being a partner to those I help and steer them through the recovery process,” Kevin said. “It’s rewarding to see them making progress.”

Kevin is also in the process of becoming a volunteer disaster responder.  “What the responders do is really cool,” Kevin said. “I would like to be part of that.”

Sumaiyia Chowdhury: Volunteer in Training

Sumaiyia Chowdhury and John McPartland

by Alice Ding

Earlier this spring, Sumaiyia Chowdhury, a junior majoring in biology at St. John’s University in Queens, began training to become an American Red Cross disaster responder. Her introduction to disaster response was to “ride along” to a house fire.

A ride-along, or a trip into the field with a seasoned responder, is a great opportunity, especially for new volunteers like Chowdhury, to get a taste of the work of the Red Cross.

Volunteer History

Chowdhury started volunteering in high school with Key Club International, raising money for UNICEF. At St. John’s, her passion for giving back to the community strengthened when she became involved with Habitat for Humanity during her sophomore year, helping build new houses for those in need.

Chowdhury’s involvement with St. John’s Habitat for Humanity Club piqued her interest in joining the Red Cross and starting a Red Cross Club at St. John’s. “I want to make sure I make good use of my time,” Chowdhury said. “Ever since I started volunteering regularly, my life has changed so much that now, if I don’t volunteer, I feel weird.” 

Volunteering Today

Before heading into the field on her ride-along, Chowdhury’s Red Cross mentor, John McPartland, acquainted her with a responder’s basic responsibilities. For example, Chowdhury learned that responders make sure their Red Cross van is stocked with food, drinks, comfort kits and other basic necessities before leaving for a disaster scene. 

She learned from McPartland that the key is to be warm, welcoming and compassionate to those affected by disaster. 

When describing her experience in the field, Chowdhury had only positive comments. “I feel honored to contribute to the Red Cross. It’s interesting to meet different people and know how to react to different situations,” Chowdhury said.

Volunteering Tomorrow

Chowdhury added that although St. John’s has many community service clubs, none covers disaster relief, and a Red Cross club on campus would be unique. With a strong community service atmosphere on campus, Chowdhury believes the club can be a huge success.

Over this summer, Chowdhury will continue her Red Cross training. She says this will help her better prepare to start a Red Cross Club at St. John’s in the fall.

“What the Red Cross does is just amazing,” Chowdhury said. “They help so many people around the world. I’m excited to be more involved this summer and next fall.” 

Red Cross Volunteers in New York City Honored

See more photos here.

The American Red Cross in New York City celebrated its tireless volunteers on March 15 at its annual Volunteer Recognition event, held in Lower Manhattan.

Nearly 200 people attended the event, which honors NYC’s Red Cross volunteers who help their neighbors by responding to disasters, teaching preparedness and lifesaving skills, connecting service members and their families and much more.

Special recognition was given to 12 volunteers, two Red Cross Clubs and one partner organization for their extraordinary commitment to carrying out the Red Cross mission of helping people down the street, across the country and around the world.

“Our volunteers are truly on the front lines, serving our fellow New Yorkers,” said Josh Lockwood, CEO of the Greater NY Red Cross, addressing the attendees. “In the past year we’ve responded to more than 2,000 emergencies and disasters here in New York City alone. And I know that many of you have been  working tirelessly to help those affected by this week's tragic explosion in East Harlem.”

Lockwood added, “It’s appropriate that this event is taking place at the start of March, which is National Red Cross Month. President Franklin Roosevelt declared March Red Cross Month in 1943, and, every year since, across the country, the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross is celebrated in March, along with our Everyday Heroes — our amazing volunteers and employees, who reach out to help our neighbors in their darkest hours.”

During the event, singer/songwriter and Red Cross supporter Kate Vargas performed two songs from her recently released debut album, “Down to My Soul.”

As the event was taking place, Red Cross responders at the NYC Resident Service Center on Park Avenue, near 113th Street, continued to assist families affected by the East Harlem explosion and to provide meals and hydration to first responders.

Award Recipients:

Clara Barton – Arturo Guzman

Leadership – Oonagh Turitto

Emerging Leader – Paul Allwright

Disaster Services – Ronulfo (Ronnie) Rigos and Richard Sanford

Service to the Armed Forces – Jim Shevlin

International Services – Kezia Carpenter

Corporate Partner Award – Brooks Brothers Group Inc. Golden Fleece Foundation

Support Services – Brandon Bryant

Blood Services – Maureen Miller  

Preparedness Health & Safety – Arleen Asti

Outstanding High School Red Cross Club – Hunter College High School Club

Outstanding High School Red Cross Club Leader – Sharita Beckles

Outstanding Red Cross Campus Club – Columbia University

Outstanding Red Cross Campus Club Leader – Suchitra Nair

Red Cross Volunteers in Action: Norman and Sandra Naval

When Sandra Naval retired from her job as an art therapist at a New York City hospital, she looked around for something worthwhile to fill her time. That something turned out to be the Red Cross.

She found a good fit at the Greater New York Red Cross. Every Tuesday, Sandra volunteers in the casework area, the place where individuals who have been affected by a fire or other emergency confer with Red Cross caseworkers. Sandra sits at the department’s front desk, greets people and helps to process their paperwork.

“I really enjoy making people comfortable and offering them a snack when they arrive,” she said. “I feel I offer them some compassion for what they’re going through.”

Sandra enjoys the work so much that in addition to deciding to train to become a caseworker herself, when her husband, Norman, retired from his job as a radio engineer, she suggested he volunteer with the Red Cross as well.

Norman now spends one day a week at the Greater New York region’s Emergency Communications Center, taking calls from residents displaced by emergencies and disasters, monitoring TV news networks and getting communications from New York City’s Office of Emergency Management and fire dispatchers.

“It’s an area where anything and everything is thrown at you, he said. “You don’t know what the next phone call will be about.”

One morning, Norman took a call from an individual displaced by a fire. He took her information and sent it on to the caseworkers. Later that afternoon, when the woman came in for one-on-one casework help, Sandra welcomed her.

The couple, who live in Manhattan and have been married for 27 years, both volunteer on Tuesdays, and go to lunch together as often as they are able. They are happy to be helping people at the Red Cross.

“It’s a great organization,” Norman said. “They provide great service to people in their time of crises.”

“The whole idea of the Red Cross is compassionate service,” said Sandra. “I feel that I’m doing something really good here.”

I was so proud to wear the Red Cross logo.

Red Cross volunteer Elise Wallace and daughter Lucy.

See Team Red Cross Marathon photos here.

Five-year Red Cross volunteer Elise Wallace was thrilled to work as a spotter at this year’s 2013 ING NYC Marathon, supporting the New York Road Runners medical professionals post-finish line. Spotters helped locate and support runners who might require medical attention/evaluations by event medical staff. Additionally, spotters cheered the runners as they finished the grueling 26.2 mile race.

Elise reflected on how it felt to volunteer for the Red Cross at the marathon:

It's hard to put my feelings about yesterday into a short quote but I would say that it was honestly one of the best days of my life. I was so proud to wear the Red Cross logo as I greeted and helped the runners. Whether it was just a big high five or a situation of approaching someone with a real medical need, I found that everyone was comforted by the presence of a volunteer from the Red Cross. 

I approached some runners and others approached me and every time I felt that I had made a difference in their Marathon experience. It is so rare to be a part of a huge human effort that is so positive and good. I was really grateful to be there! 

Needless to say, Elise was also intensely proud of Lucy for completing the race for the Alzheimer's Association in Elise's father's name. 

Long Island Red Cross Volunteer Fall Social

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Fifty American Red Cross volunteers from Long Island came out to Phelps Lane Park in North Babylon, N.Y. , Sept. 29 to enjoy great weather and great company at the Long Island volunteer picnic.

On an unusually warm and sunny Sunday, new volunteers had the opportunity to meet with experienced volunteers over a meal, and everyone was able to speak with John Miller, Long Island CEO, and Josh Lockwood, Greater New York regional CEO.

Meanwhile, volunteers’ children played in the park, had their hands and faces painted, and blew bubbles as well as munching down on their favorite foods. 

Miller, Lockwood and Liz Barker, Long Island emergency services director, thanked all the volunteers for their dedication and continued support of their communities and the Red Cross.