Never too late to say "Thank You"

By Aabye-Gayle Favilla

The American Red Cross receives numerous calls from people who want to say “thank you” for the services they’ve received. One such recent call came from a man who wanted express his gratitude for assistance dating back 65 years.

During World War II, Lawrence Hoffman was recovering from injuries in Bournemouth, England. As a result of repeatedly being moved from hospital to hospital, he had not received his military salary for several months. Fortunately, someone put him in touch with a representative from the Red Cross. In addition to providing Lawrence with emergency financial assistance, the Red Cross also contacted his parents to let them know where he was and how he was doing.

Lawrence, now 85, lives in Great Neck, New York. “I hadn’t thought about it for many, many years,” he said. “Then I came across some notes I made years ago, and thought I should call the Red Cross to tell them how much I appreciated what they did for me.” Lawrence didn’t just call to say “thank you,” he also wanted to make a donation to the Red Cross in honor of the assistance he received more than six decades ago.

Through the American Red Cross’s Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, the services Lawrence received during World War II are still being made available to members of the United States military. Through SAF, the Red Cross provides military personnel and their families with emergency communication resources, financial assistance and community-based support.

Learn more about SAF.

Video: The Red Cross Responds to Bronx 4-Alarm Fire

Video Editor: Nicholas Martinez

On March 9, 2011, the Metro NY Red Cross responded to a 4-alarm fire in the Bronx and opened a reception center/shelter for the displaced residents. This video gives viewers a glance at how everyday disasters like fires affects the lives of many local residents and how the Red Cross provides help and hope to them.

AmeriCorps Week Volunteer Spotlight: Kim Walker

In honor of AmeriCorps Week 2011 we asked our own AmeriCorps members what their Red Cross experience has meant to them. 

"The Metro New York Red Cross is a fabulous place to be an AmeriCorps member—you are more than just a member of the AmeriCorps State program; you are also a valued part of the Red Cross team. AmeriCorps enables you to give your time to a great cause while living in NYC. My work has been very fulfilling, in part because I have a flexible schedule and the ability to choose the projects I work on.

As a member of the Staffing Team, I assist in staffing mass care (feeding and sheltering) volunteers in opening shelters and reception centers. The snowstorms just after Christmas were a particularly notable time in my AmeriCorps experience. It was chaotic and frustrating at times working remotely as a team with various technologies. However this gave us the opportunity to rework how we staff events, developing new protocols so the team could communicate more effectively and efficiently.

We spent the months after the storms researching technologies and developing a staffing handbook for current team and incoming volunteers. The end result is an improved “standing up” and “standing down” process for volunteers, a decrease in stress when staffing events and an increase in each team member’s being able to communicate readily, even when working remotely. Discovering kinks and developing solutions is the key to the AmeriCorps program. The program’s flexibility and freedom sets the foundation to 'get things done.'"

–Kim Walker, AmeriCorps State

AmeriCorps Week Volunteer Spotlight: Monica Camacho

In honor of AmeriCorps Week 2011 we asked our own AmeriCorps members what their Red Cross experience has meant to them. 

"My role at the American Red Cross is in the Mass Care department, where I identify new locations for shelters and new vendors for emergency feeding. My most memorable AmeriCorps experience so far has been running a family assistance center for the relatives of the victims of a tragic bus accident in the Bronx.

One Saturday morning in March I received a phone call from Staffing, asking me to report to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) and serve as the Mass Care Lead for the day. A bus had run off the highway and killed 15 passengers; now their relatives waited at OCME to learn the fate of their loved ones.

The Red Cross provided mental health counselors, interpreters, and food and beverages for the families and for the staff of the multiple city agencies. I was in charge of food, beverages and volunteers. I jumped head-first into the chaos of the day: I liaised with city officials, set up a canteen area with food and drinks, directed various groups of volunteers, coordinated with the rest of the Mass Care department, interacted with food vendors, and cleaned up at the end of the 12-hour shift.

More importantly, I witnessed people experiencing the worst day of their lives, but I also witnessed the compassion and professionalism with which counselors, volunteers and officials treated them. It was a terrible and beautiful thing to see. Had I stayed home and gone about my day normally, I would have likely wasted time on less meaningful activities, but I got to spend my day on something that mattered, and AmeriCorps made it happen."

–Monica Camacho, AmeriCorps State

AmeriCorps Week Volunteer Spotlight: Carmin Y. Sandoval

In honor of AmeriCorps Week 2011 we asked our own AmeriCorps members what their Red Cross experience has meant to them.

"I am the Red Cross Community Outreach Coordinator for the Bronx. This means I work directly with other nonprofits and government organizations to provide emergency preparedness events for adults, as well as Health & Safety programming for children. Since my position involves much direct connection with the community it is difficult to choose one experience. However, if I were to pinpoint one thing it would be the gratitude shown by the people I visit.

Many of the organizations I visit are not often offered or partake in preparedness programming because of their socio-economic status. On the flip-side, in this position I can extend the Red Cross’s programming reach and educate many people in preparedness, as well as increase community morale.

An example, I have presented the Ready New York preparedness program bilingually, in Spanish and English, in many communities. After many presentations I have had people thank me for presenting the information in their native tongue. In many of the evaluations I receive, the most frequent remark I see is thank you for “remembering us” or “concerning yourself with us.” It is the remarks of people who appreciate, if only for a short time, being showered with real attention and concern."

–Carmin Y. Sandoval, AmeriCorps State

AmeriCorps Week Volunteer Spotlight: Alphonse D. Ramsey II

In honor of AmeriCorps Week 2011 we asked our own AmeriCorps members what their Red Cross experience has meant to them. 

"A major part of the commitment to AmeriCorps is being prepared to get involved in any challenges presented and keeping in line with the AmeriCorps motto “Getting things done.” Sometimes this means getting familiar with concepts very quickly. Most of my experience prior to AmeriCorps was in training and risk management, but a portion of my service brought me into the arena of exercise development and delivery, one I was not familiar with. In order to be effective, I took every Red Cross class offered on exercise design and evaluation. In a short time, the exercise was completed and I accomplished many of the goals that were set. Sometimes getting things done means trying something unfamiliar and being willing to learn."

–Alphonse D. Ramsey II, Americorps State

AmeriCorps Week Volunteer Spotlight: Katherine Lorca

In honor of AmeriCorps Week 2011 we asked our own AmeriCorps members what their Red Cross experience has meant to them. 

My experience as an AmeriCorps VISTA member has been really great! I started at the Metro NY Red Cross in August, and I have already learned and accomplished so much. My main function at the Red Cross is recruitment. I review volunteer applications, interview volunteers, and train volunteers and employees at different workshops. Being part of the recruitment team allowed me the opportunity to help develop the new online on-boarding model. This was a great experience, because I helped build something from scratch that has turned out to be successful so far.

One experience I can truly say embodies being an AmeriCorps member is that I have managed 25 volunteers in the past 9 months and retained them in the organization. Through engagement and recognition I have also been able to increase the number of volunteers as well as retain them in the Red Cross. My main goal coming in to the Red Cross was to build a foundation of volunteers who are dedicated and qualified to do their jobs. I feel that with the new on-boarding model I have been able to accomplish that and so much more.

–Katherine Lorca, AmeriCorps VISTA