World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day falls on May 8 annually, and the date serves as a special opportunity each year to recognize the kindness, bravery and selflessness of more than 16 million Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers worldwide.
Christine Medeiros and Hawley Rising, two American Red Cross Restoring Family Links volunteers, work day in and day out to address some of the most basic and important human needs: to be in contact with loved ones and to know where they are or what has become of them.
Countless people around the world every year lose contact with loved ones in situations of armed conflict, violence, natural disasters or migration. The unique global network of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has been working for more than a century to assist and support such families. Family reconnection messages transmitted through the RFL program can be brief, but the three short words -- “I am alive” -- can mean the world to a family in distress.
Christine, recently retired from the technology industry after 40 years in marketing and partnerships, serves as a Red Cross divisional lead for the RFL program, where she oversees casework and outreach for seven states in the continental US and the Pacific Islands. In addition to her leadership within the program, she is also an active caseworker and mentor specializing in outreach.
“I love what I do at the Red Cross,” said Christine. “The Red Cross is helping protect and keep families whole, and I’m glad to be a part of a service that has been around for over 100 years.”
When caseworkers like Christine and Hawley receive requests from people searching for family members or loved ones, they get right to work, making calls and working alongside the global network to trace family members, sometimes separated across years and thousands of miles. Once the Red Cross network finds the person they are looking for, caseworkers share contact information to facilitate communication. In some cases, the Red Cross may even assist with the in-person reunion of loved ones.
Hawley, a retired mathematician with a knack for research and algorithm development, is the longest running RFL caseworker in the Northern California Coastal Region of the American Red Cross. Hawley has a tremendous pool of knowledge having worked through many challenging RFL cases and helping hundreds of people since his start with the program in 2009. He also offers invaluable mentorship to fellow RFL caseworkers.
“I enjoy having helped someone, whether it is through getting their case to a successful conclusion or an unsuccessful one, or giving a reference,” he said.
To pay tribute to the outstanding service provided by RFL Caseworkers, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement awards a Movement Family Links Medal to five recipients globally every two years. This year, Christine and Hawley were both nominated as medal candidates for their commitment to families near and far, and for finding innovative and creative ways to overcome obstacles and offer services to those who need them.
All national societies with candidates can submit one finalist to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for consideration – Christine was this year’s American Red Cross final nominee. The five 2024 Movement Family Links Medals will be awarded during the Council of Delegates in Geneva, Switzerland in October.
For more information about American Red Cross’s work around the world, visit redcross.org/international. Learn more here about World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
