Connecting Residents to Volunteer Opportunities—Top Priority in 2017

By Clarice Nassif Ransom, Volunteer

As 2017 unfolds, Denise G. Miller, Executive Director of the American Red Cross (ARC) in Fairfax, Virginia, wants to increase the volunteer connection between the humanitarian organization and the community. Her professional “New Year resolutions” are to recruit new, top-notch volunteers and to increase current volunteer retention and engagement.

“Volunteers are our most precious resource,” said Miller. “The Red Cross can’t wait until a disaster strikes to then ask for volunteers. Disasters happen every day and everywhere. Whether it is a house fire, someone who needs blood to survive a life-threatening situation, or a community recovering from a natural disaster, the American Red Cross is there, 24-7, 365 days a year. We welcome and need volunteers from every age group and walk of life.”

Miller recently initiated a project for high school students to help bring cheer to military troops worldwide who are on the frontlines and unable to be with their families. Thousands of cards and letters came pouring in at the end of 2016, as part of ARC’s Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. ARC in Fairfax hosted more than 30 students in December to assist with distribution. The task at hand was to sort and get the cards and letters ready for dissemination to the troops. Miller thought this would be a perfect way to engage youth. So, she invited local high school Red Cross clubs to come in for a few day-long-sorting events. She even offered free pizza to show appreciation. As a result, the team of youth volunteers were able to accomplish this task and the cards and letters were delivered over the holidays.

“The kids did a great job, had a lot fun working with their friends, and everyone walked away feeling good about what they did to help others,” said Miller.

Another activity that Miller is proud of is the ARC Home Fire campaigns. Fairfax volunteers, corporate partners, and Red Cross Youth Clubs came together a few times last year to install smoke alarms in “at-risk” communities. Miller said volunteers went door-to-door, installing smoke alarms and delivering fire safety information. Many of the volunteers stayed well past the hours they said they would donate to ensure that all the residents of the homes requesting the smoke detectors were able to be served. Miller noted that these volunteers are making a difference because working smoke detectors cut the risk of dying in home fires by half.

“Because of the generosity of our volunteers, we are able to help our fellow citizens,” said Miller, who says working for ARC the past four years is one of her best life experiences.
“I’ve never done anything like this before,” said Miller. “Our job is really cool and I am honored to work for such a wonderful organization that serves the public in extraordinary ways.”

There are many ways to volunteer with the American Red Cross. Get started today by logging onto: https://volunteerconnection.redcross.org/. As noted on the site, “Every single day, the American Red Cross helps people in emergencies. Whether it's one displaced family, thousands of disaster victims, or providing care and comfort to an ill or injured service member or veteran or support to a military family member, our vital work is made possible by people like you. It is through the time and care of ordinary people that we can do extraordinary things.”

#TBT | Holiday Happiness for our Troops

It's one of our core services - an unwavering commitment to members of the U.S. military, its veterans, and their families. And it continues to grow and develop more than a century after Clara Barton first recruited nurses to support the U.S. Army.

As the holidays quickly approach, we're reminded of this commitment as we prepare to spread the season's cheer. Not far from our thoughts are those military members, their families, and the country's countless veterans. 

On this Throwback Thursday, we've pulled a 1969 article from the Northern Virginia Sun about volunteers from the Arlington County chapter assembling 1,900 ditty bags for the troops through the Red Cross "Christmas - Vietnam" program. The bags included items like voice tapes, batteries, and nail clippers for the U.S. servicemen and women in Vietnam. 

Today, the Red Cross honors the men and women of the military during this time of year through Holiday Mail for Heroes. These cards and personal messages, sent by tens of thousands of Americans, provide a welcome "touch of home" for our troops during the holiday season - messages like this one written for this little boy's heroes, the Navy SEALs. 

Read more about Holiday Mail for Heroes in this recent blog post. 

Spreading Happiness to Heroes Through Holiday Mail

By Dana Ayers, Volunteer Contributor

Looking for a way to show appreciation to our service members this holiday season? The annual American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign allows you to send cards and personal messages of encouragement to our military heroes around the world. It's a way for us to bring a smile or just a touch of home to service members who cannot be with their families for the holidays.

I personally can attest to how much simple gestures mean to my friends who have served. I remember asking a friend deployed to Iraq if he needed anything and him insisting he was fine. A couple of friends and I created a card and sent it to him anyway - he immediately told me how much it meant to him. I honestly thought he wouldn't care either way, but his words back to me showed just how much he and his troops really did need to know people cared back home.

With the ending of the Iraq war, and the war in Afghanistan coming to a close, I've heard my friends who've served admit that they feel like America has forgotten them. They worry some people don't even realize we are still fighting and have already forgotten those who fought in years past. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program is an easy way to let them know they're wrong - that we have not forgotten their service.

There are several ways you can participate. You can send cards to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

P.O. Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Or, you can sign cards in person throughout November at the Red Cross and NetApp table in Tysons Corner Center. Located on level 2 outside of Bloomingdales and American Girl - schedule below:

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays: 2-6pm

Tuesdays, Thursdays: 10am-2pm

Saturdays, Sundays: 11am-5pm

Black Friday: 9am-3pm

This is a great way to engage your whole family in this program while you are shopping for holidays gifts! Additionally, you can use social media to participate. Simply tag photos or video messages with the #HolidayMail hashtag and the Red Cross will post on the national blog. Videos will be posted on a special Holiday Mail page so that any hospital, military installation, or veterans center can stream videos. (Also, the stream can be accessed at anytime, simply look up #HolidayMail on Twitter.)

Let our military heroes know they're still on our minds, especially during the holidays! Watch below to see what your mail could mean to a hero this holiday season!

What I think of when I think of Veterans Day

By Dana Ayers, Volunteer Contributor 

My first volunteer experience with the Red Cross was meeting service members at Walter Reed as they were taken off a bus after being evacuated out of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The bus was typically full of some service members who were being kept alive by machines, some who had lost limbs, some with trauma from IED blasts, some with gunshot wounds, and some with mental trauma. Their journey began when they were injured in the theater, where they were likely rushed into combat hospitals, then flown to Germany, then flown to Andrews Air Force Base, then eventually stuck on a jostling bus trekking through DC up to the old Army hospital on Georgia Avenue.

I couldn't imagine how tired and scared they must have been by the time they got to me, or what questions were going through their minds. Like - would they have to retire from the military now? What else would they do with their life? How could they sit in a hospital while the men and women they loved as family members were still fighting in Iraq without them? How hard would life be now with their injuries?

And with all the baggage this group was carrying - the exhaustion, the fear, even the embarrassment at being stuck in bed in such a vulnerable condition - they would always politely thank me. They easily could've said "who is this stranger shoving something in my face?" but they never did. They had manners and respect so deeply ingrained that they wouldn't brush me off, not even in their conditions.

In addition to the wounded themselves, I also remember the tireless service men and women who made up the hospital staff. I remember the families who were waiting, sometimes until 1am, for their injured loved one's bus. Sadly, not all the wounded had people waiting for them though. I remember them, too.

So, this Veterans Day, if you don't personally have someone to remember, you can borrow my memories instead. Take a moment and reflect on their sacrifices. And then thank the next service member you see, even if they're too humble to act like they deserve it.

Note: If you're looking for a way to honor a veteran, service member, or their families, check out the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. And if you live in the area, stop by Tysons Corner Center to sign a card in November during the month long Red Cross and NetApp Holiday Mail for Heroes table.