My Red Cross Volunteer Story: Jerry McGraw

Interviewed by Denise Miller, Executive Director of Fairfax County, on their drive to provide disaster relief  following Hurricane Harvey.

Name: Jerry McGraw
Hometown: Oceana, WV; moved to Northern VA in 1965
Volunteer Since: June 2014
Volunteer Role: Logistics Supervisor
Profession: Computer Programmer (Retired)



What inspired you to volunteer for the American Red Cross? Why is it important to volunteer?
When Jerry was 12 years old, he was with his family out for a drive when they came upon a disaster scene on a highway. Many cars were pulled over alongside the road, as was a Red Cross emergency vehicle. A boy had fallen into a creek at flood level, and the Red Cross was there to help. Jerry's father jumped into the water to help rescue the boy. This memory stuck with Jerry his whole life and left him with a very fond impression of the Red Cross. 

Jerry now volunteers to help people, but he also finds it personally gratifying. As tears fill up in Jerry’s eyes, he shares the story of a memorial service he attended as a Red Cross volunteer, supporting the grieving community of Silver Spring, MD following the explosion last summer. The majority of the service was spoken in Spanish, and an elderly woman approached him to ensure that he knew that the Red Cross was thanked numerous times throughout the service, in case he did not speak Spanish. 

I asked Jerry about his tears and wanted him to describe his emotions. 

"It comes from a place of sadness - knowing people lost their lives in the Silver Spring fire, but also a sense of pride knowing that I contributed to support the recovery efforts after this terrible tragedy," he says.

What are your special skills that you use to support the Red Cross?
- Driving
- Supervisory skills
- Quick to learn
- Project management
- Organized
- Attention to detail

What is it like volunteering?  
"Very rewarding," Jerry says.

Jerry has had many Red Cross moments that fill him up with pride. 

"In logistics, usually you are behind the scenes, but it’s "on-site" that gives me the best experiences," he says. 

He described his volunteer time at last year’s Marine Corps Marathon. 

"Side by side with first responders, watching wounded veterans begin the race and cheers and patriotism from the crowd, was a great memory. Being a part of a team, not only with the Red Cross, but all the different organizations we partner with that each play an important role was eye opening and fulfilling."

What are you most proud of regarding your volunteer work?
"Getting to know the other great volunteers and life-long relationships that have formed. This is very different than the business world, everyone is so friendly and willing to do anything. We are all here for the same reason - to help people," Jerry says.

Message from Denise:
Throughout this entire interview, Jerry held back his tears as he talked about the work of the Red Cross and the people we help, but most importantly, the people we do it with. I am honored to be side-by-side with this wonderful man and volunteer as we drive across country to carry out the mission of the Red Cross to provide relief after Hurricane Harvey. I can only imagine the things we will see, the people we will help and the teams we will work with that will give us the memories of a lifetime - stories that both of us will not be able to tell without shedding a tear. 

One Year Later - Red Cross Response in Silver Spring

Written by: Keegan Wieland, volunteer

Last year on August 11, 2016, an apartment complex in Silver Spring, Maryland exploded due to a gas leak. The explosion and subsequent fire caused a number of fatalities and displaced more than 150 individuals, leaving them with no home. The Red Cross and local government partners quickly responded and supplied the Long Branch Community Center with sleeping cots, blankets and other materials for the displaced families while they recovered. This shelter remained open for nearly two weeks. 
 
Over 9,000 meals were served to the over 200 individuals who stayed at the shelter. The Red Cross continued its support after the center was closed, housing some individuals who were still in need of a place to stay for nine days. Along with food and shelter, the Red Cross checked up on the status of the individuals and provided them with the proper information to seek a full recovery. This included a community outreach program in the neighborhood where volunteers went door-to-door providing recovery information and emotional support. A fund was also set up by local government officials and other non-profits in the community and the Red Cross assisted in the distribution process. In a generous show of support, both McDonald’s and Giant Food also provided families with food and water.
  
None of this would have been possible without the tireless work and selflessness of our Red Cross volunteers. Disasters can occur anywhere at any time, and it’s their support that makes responses like the one in Silver Spring possible. Thank you to our volunteers for everything they do for your American Red Cross and our community.

Powering up Communications for Displaced Silver Spring Residents

Written by: Brigitte Yuille, volunteer

Mike Goodwin is use to getting a variety of unique requests for his business that require a great deal of decision-making. As General Manager of Shepard Exposition Services, he works with associations, companies and private individuals in need of general contractors. His team decorates convention centers and the halls of hotels with items like registration tables and poster boards for trade shows and other special events.

However, one day he checked his phone messages and received a rare request. One of the company’s clients reached out asking for a mobile device charging station, but it was not intended for another trade show or special event. Instead, the charging station would power up mobile devices for around 100 people recently displaced from their homes in Silver Spring, MD.

Just before midnight on August 11, a powerful explosion and fire ripped through the Flower Branch Apartment Complex. Some residents fled their homes while others were rescued by neighbors, firefighters and police. Some 31 people had to be rushed to hospitals. Besides physical injuries, many more residents were emotionally devastated. The sudden loss left people stunned. They were desperately seeking ways to put their lives back together and to find a sense of normalcy.

Goodwin had heard about the apartment fire from the local news. “I thought it was an extremely scary situation,” he said. “My thoughts and heart immediately went out to the families that were directly affected by the event. Something of that magnitude that would happen without any prior notification would be scary. For anybody, and for myself having children and a family of my own, it would be devastating for an explosion like that to happen and then to lose everything.”

Goodwin had a charging station that wasn’t going to be used for the next couple of weeks. He realized he could lend the station to the Long Branch Community Center, where the residents were staying. Lending the item wouldn’t add too much stress to the business, and it would help fulfill the Center’s need. It was an easy decision to make, he quickly concluded.

“It made perfect sense,” Goodwin said, “there can only be so many [electrical] outlets.” He thought about the living arrangements in the community center, and he understood that they would need to contact the outside world.

Shepard Exposition Services is a nationwide company, but staff members within a branch often try to help local communities, Goodwin explained. “When the need arises, and there is an opportunity to show that we are in the community and we care, we will lend our support,” he said.

Goodwin instructed his crew to load up the truck and deliver the charging station within 24 hours.

Thank you so much to Mike Goodwin, Shepard Exposition Services and all of our community partners for providing comfort and hope to those who stayed at the Silver Spring shelter. For more ways to help visit redcross.org/support.

Corporate Giving in Your Nation's Capital: An Inside Look at the American Red Cross Ready 365 Giving Program

Written by: Reed Mszar, volunteer

The American Red Cross Ready 365 Giving Program is targeted to local corporations seeking to provide financial support to the Red Cross in the $25,000 - $75,000 (mid-level) giving range. Ready 365, not only standardizes the rights and benefits for corporate donors of the Red Cross, but it also highlights two valuable principles. The first is that in order to make a significant difference in the community, a certain level of give-and-take is necessary. The giving program helps bring in financial support from local businesses for the Red Cross to use when responding to local disasters like floods and home fires and also provides the same corporations and foundations an opportunity to gain a valued relationship with the Red Cross brand and thus, enhance their reputation in the community. Depending on the company’s giving level, ranging from Bronze all the way to Platinum, they will also be recognized in front of other Red Cross supporters.

The second ideal that Ready 365 embodies is that no matter who you are or where you live, you can help your community and those in need. Prior to Ready 365, there was no consistent framework for annual corporate giving at the mid-level giving range specified above. This inevitably led to a great deal of variation in mid-level giving programs among different Red Cross chapters across the country. It is expected that not all businesses who wish to support the efforts of the American Red Cross can give to the same degree as others. Ready 365 takes this fact into consideration as the benefits of joining the program are flexible based on the market size of the region in which the company is located and the capacity at which they can give. Regardless of how big or small a corporation is, there are now clear guidelines on how they can best maximize their gifts to their local American Red Cross.

The most recent company to join Ready 365 in the National Capital Region is Host Hotels and Resorts in Bethesda, Maryland. Without companies like Host Hotels and Resorts, we at the Red Cross would not have been able to respond to over 477 local disasters and teach 54,728 people lifesaving skills in an array of classes in the past year. Ready 365 provides the American Red Cross the flexibility to apply the gifts where the need is greatest.

Companies and foundations who choose to join Ready 365 and develop a valuable relationship with the Red Cross will have the opportunity to enhance their existing reputation, deepen relationships within their community, generate donations to give back to vital markets, and have their gifts highlighted through high-traffic communication channels. A variety of specific benefits are also outlined in the local benefits matrix depending on a company’s particular giving level.

Ready 365 certainly has the potential to build stable and lasting relationships between the American Red Cross and regional business looking to make a difference in the lives of many every day.

World Refugee Day - Community Outreach on a Global Scale

Written by: Reed Mszar, volunteer

On June 9 in Silver Spring, MD and on June 13 in Arlington, VA a group of American Red Cross volunteers from the National Capital Region partnered with regional organizations, including the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the Lutheran Social Services (LSS). Together, they took part in recognizing World Refugee Day, internationally recognized on June 20. In honor of the thousands of immigrants who have made the United States their home, a third event will be held on June 26 in Washington D.C.

It is safe to say that the World Refugee Day events were an emotional and rewarding experience, not only for the refugees in attendance, but also for the volunteers who helped facilitate the activities. One of the special opportunities provided at the Washington Suburban Resettlement Center in Silver Spring included free Skype phone calls. This allowed refugees to contact family members in their home countries. Red Cross volunteers also distributed useful information and giveaways during the events, including first aid kits. Further material was provided about the Restoring Family Links program, a Red Cross mission aimed toward helping thousands of refugees around the world locate loved ones separated by disaster or war. Contact information was collected for those who demonstrated need for or expressed interest in the program to allow a caseworker to follow up with them. Several brave refugees took advantage of an open mic opportunity that was provided to candidly speak about their past experiences including reasons for coming to America.

It is events like these that are extremely powerful in the way they bring the entire community together to help others. Rebecca Callahan, a Public Affairs Liaison for the Red Cross in the National Capital Region, touched on this issue after speaking with several of the refugees. Ms. Callahan said, “Two refugees I spoke with, one from Haiti and another from Honduras, have been here for nearly 3 years and are both finally beginning to feel like first generation Americans.” Some obstacles refugees often face include learning to call 9-1-1 in an emergency, how to pay for food and transportation and how to operate a computer – skills many Americans often take for granted.

It was remarkable to experience the range of emotions in the room, from pain to determination and hope. Ms. Callahan described her experiences at these events by saying, “It is extremely humbling speaking with people who have been in refugee camps bordering on chaos and in constant hunger, danger and excruciating pain.” Callahan, who has an extensive history helping those in need and easing the transition to citizenship for many refugees, notes that the opportunity she has had volunteering with the Red Cross has given clarity to her life. With the help of the volunteers at the American Red Cross in the National Capital Region and other relief organizations, we can ease the pain for those seeking a new and safer life.