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Forty-Two Years of Volunteer Service Isn’t Enough
Becky Maguire, Special to Redcross.org
Tuesday, November 04, 2003 — “Who could ask for anything more,” responds Gwen T. Jackson when asked about her 42 years of service as an American Red Cross volunteer. “The Red Cross brings so much into my life—great learning, fulfilling experiences, wonderful friends, exciting opportunities, challenging workloads and lots and lots of fun.”
Gwen T. Jackson and Board of Governors member Kate Forbes |
Jackson began her Red Cross career in 1961, as a volunteer in the Service to Military Families Department of the Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the American Red Cross. By 1988 she had risen to one of the highest volunteer positions in the organization—National Chair of Volunteers. Her leadership accomplishments during her four years in this national-level position were nothing shy of extraordinary. While serving as the National Chair of Volunteers, Gwen coined the phrase, “Paid staff get a paycheck and volunteer staff get a payback.”
At both the community and the national level, Jackson has worked tirelessly on Red Cross projects. Her varied contributions include assistance with major natural disasters such as Hurricane Hugo and the Loma Prieta Earthquake; support for Persian Gulf War efforts; and serving as a member of the American Red Cross Board of Governors. She continues her leadership role today as Chairman Emeritus of the Greater Milwaukee Chapter and as a member of chapter’s Operations Team and Human Resources, Financial Development and Service Delivery Committees.
Ms. Jackson has been a leader through many Red Cross experiences and has proven herself to be nothing less than exceptional. This year her enthusiasm and dedication to the Red Cross mission earned her the prestigious Cynthia Wedel Award, an honor that is presented to a Red Cross volunteer whose outstanding efforts might otherwise go unrecognized.
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