|
Living His Life with Kindness: One Volunteer’s Story
How a 45-Year Red Cross volunteer worked for and with Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and other Asian Pacific Islander communities in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Kim Loke, Special to RedCross.org
Wednesday, August 02, 2006 — When Hurricane Katrina whipped through the Gulf Coast last August, leaving an unprecedented trail of destroyed homes and cities in its wake, Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang was once again ready and willing to help, knowing that a much larger challenge awaited him this time.
The long-serving American Red Cross volunteer and board member of the Greater Los Angeles Chapter was asked by national headquarters to assist hurricane evacuees as a member of the pilot group of community and client advocates, a Red Cross initiative aimed at better serving diverse communities during a disaster. After training in Washington D.C., Joe was deployed to cities in Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, where he visited evacuees in shelters, community centers and churches.
Yang worked to ensure the Red Cross was providing assistance to the Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and other Asian Pacific Islander communities. He also recruited bilingual volunteers in Houston and Beaumont, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La., to become Red Cross family services caseworkers.
Staffs and volunteers, including Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang (far right), at the American Red Cross operations headquarters in Baton Rouge, La., made banners and signs that said: "We love assisting the Asian P.I. Community," Sept. 22, 2005. According to Yang, the signs gave evacuees hope.
(Photo Credit: American Red Cross)
|
“My responsibility was to build trust and strengthen relationships between the Asian Pacific Islander communities and the Red Cross,” said Yang, a member of the Red Cross National Diversity Council. “I needed to get the word out to these evacuees that the Red Cross was there to help them.”
Back in Los Angeles, Yang also rallied the Korean American community to raise more than $500,000 for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to support Hurricane Katrina operations.
It is no surprise where the outspoken community leader gains his passion for the work he does. Reflecting on how the Red Cross and its volunteers responded to the disaster, he says that he is happy to contribute to those in need.
“We must live our daily lives through simple gestures—by showing kindness to others,” he said.
In the seven cities across the three states in which Yang served, he recalls seeing lines of women, children and men waiting for hours under the scorching sun.
Wanting to do more, he found himself asking: “What can we do to expedite this line?”
Yang’s eager efforts led him to communicate and collaborate with other volunteers and staff on site to efficiently reduce the waiting time for those in line.
“In spending time with evacuees in the shelters and destroyed homes, I really got to empathize and agonize with the families,” he said emphasizing the importance of following up with affected families, after initial help is given.
After returning from the Gulf coast, Yang was recognized for being a vital link to the Asian community and an integral part of the Red Cross family. In April this year, this Red Cross Goodwill Ambassador was honored with a 45-year service pin, as he continues to serve in other capacities and assist the organization’s response and recovery operations within the Asian Pacific Islander communities.
Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang (left), along with Rosalind Osinubi (right) and Charletta Malone (center), participate in a role-playing exercise at the American Red Cross Community Relations Liaison training in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2006.
(Photo Credit: Leigh-Anne Dennison/American Red Cross)
|
Indeed, Yang just completed the newly-revised course conducted as a joint initiative between the organization’s Corporate Diversity and Response Departments at Red Cross national headquarters for Community Relations Liaisons, which evolved from the community and client advocates pilot program. Yang, and several other participants from the pilot program, shared their experiences with the other participants—some existing Red Crosser and some brand new recruits—to help them understand what they can and will face on the ground.
As the one-year mark of Hurricane Katrina approaches, many still struggle as reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts continue, turning a weary eye to what this hurricane season may bring. While glimpses of the destruction begin to fade, there are those who continue to believe and labor tirelessly to make hope and help a reality for someone else in need.
Rev. Joe Hyun-Seung Yang is one of them.
Kim Loke is a presidential intern with the America Red Cross national headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The American Red Cross helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Last year, almost a million volunteers and 35,000 employees helped victims of almost 75,000 disasters; taught lifesaving skills to millions; and helped U.S. service members separated from their families stay connected. Almost 4 million people gave blood through the Red Cross, the largest supplier of blood and blood products in the United States. The American Red Cross is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends is invested in humanitarian services and programs. The Red Cross is not a government agency; it relies on donations of time, money, and blood to do its work.
Related Content:
|
