Usha and Dev: How Two High School Students are Making a Difference with the Red Cross

Written by: Stacy Ndlovu, volunteer

School might be out, but Usha and Dev are hard at work, kick-starting the School Without Walls’ Red Cross Club. Because of their passion for humanitarian work, these high school students decided to partner with the American Red Cross’ Executive Director Jessica Adams to launch a club at their high school with the goal of getting more young people involved in contributing to positive action in their communities.

“We felt it was important to educate and involve our peers because the more people who are aware of the Red Cross, the more people will be inspired to make a difference,” said Dev.

Although they are in the early stages of building, the duo has already gained valuable experience in leadership, project management and teamwork. “It has been an exciting and rewarding process, but it hasn’t all been easy,” recounts Usha.

The Red Cross Club within the School Without Walls officially opened in June after many long hours of hard work and determination, which involved writing a club constitution that mirrored the values and the mission of the Red Cross. Usha and Dev found it challenging to work with different students; finding a balance between different personalities and getting them all to work together towards a common goal. However, they clearly figured it out because in less than a month, the club already has 20 members!

The School Without Walls’ Red Cross Club has already successfully raised money through bake sales, a raffle, and donated to the National Capital Region. Usha and Dev are currently working on developing their club website, but in the meantime, you can follow their work on their Instagram page @SWWRedCross. 

Want to keep up with National Red Cross youth initiatives? Visit RedCrossYouth.org.