Volunteer ─ Someone Needs Your Help on Their Darkest Day

The U.S. is heading into what may be very busy wildfire and hurricane seasons, which have already brought destruction with wildfires in New Mexico and the earliest major Atlantic hurricane in 58 years ─ Hurricane Beryl. American Red Cross volunteers are on the ground, responding and helping those communities recover.

Disasters are becoming more frequent and intense, which means that families are depending on Red Cross volunteers to provide comfort and support on a nearly continuous basis. Today, the organization is responding to twice as many major disasters as a decade ago. Our volunteers represent 90% of our workforce so to ensure we can be there for people in their darkest moments, we need more volunteers that are trained and ready to help.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Communities across the country are counting on the Red Cross to be ready when disasters occur. This summer, turn your compassion into action and volunteer with the Red Cross.

Our most-needed disaster positions include supporting shelters and providing health services. We are actively recruiting for these critical volunteer roles:  

• Shelter Service Associate ─ help at a shelter during a large disaster by welcoming residents, serving meals, setting up cots, distributing blankets and personal hygiene kits, as well as providing information and other assistance to people in need. Virtual training is self-paced and takes about 3.5 hours to complete.

• Disaster Health Services Service Associate ─ use your professional skills as a licensed health care provider to provide assistance and health care to people staying at shelters during a large disaster. It’s required to have a current, unencumbered license for at least one of these professions: RN, LPN, LVN, EMT, Paramedic, MD, DO, PA, NP and APRN. A combination of virtual and instructor-led training takes about 9 hours to complete.

• Disaster Mental Health Service Associate ─ provide disaster mental health support to individuals, families, communities and Red Cross workers who have been impacted by a disaster. You must hold at minimum a master’s degree and a current, unencumbered license from, or be registered with, any state or territory as a social worker, psychologist, professional counselor, marriage and family therapist, or psychiatrist. Also, school psychologists or counselors, psychiatric nurses and retired mental health professionals qualify for this role. Additional Red Cross training is required.

• Recovery Care Service Associate ─ help qualified people apply for and receive financial assistance and other community resources after disasters. These volunteers help to support disaster recovery by providing referrals, advocacy and financial assistance to individuals, households and communities through RC Care, our case management system. Virtual training takes about 9 hours.

• Disaster Action Team Member ─ while large scale disasters get the most news coverage, smaller disasters such as home fires are no less devastating to those affected. Join your local Disaster Action Team to help families in need in your community by providing food, lodging, comfort, recovery assistance and other support.

• Blood Services Volunteers ─ support blood collections to help fulfill the ongoing need for blood products and platelets. Blood donor ambassadors play an important role by greeting, registering, answering questions and providing information to blood donors throughout the donation process. Blood transportation specialists provide a critical link between blood donors and blood recipients by delivering blood to hospitals in our communities. 

The need to help has never been greater. Join us to provide relief and hope when it matters most. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to sign up for opportunities with your local chapter.