By Patrick DeLaney and Stephanie Grande/American Red Cross

The Volunteer Excellence Awards honor and recognize the accomplishments of extraordinary volunteers. Ten volunteers are awarded and selected by a committee of their peers for exemplary service, leadership and commitment in the prior calendar year.

As the founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton played a pivotal role in U.S. history. During the Civil War, Barton, a self-taught nurse, provided care and aid to wounded soldiers, reconnected missing soldiers with their families and supported women’s suffrage. She was also a teacher and established one of the first free public schools in New Jersey. Her commitment to service established a poignant legacy.

More than 140 years later, the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region honors Barton’s legacy and celebrates volunteers who embody her ethos with the Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership. This year’s award recipient, Jane Dean rises to the occasion.

Being an expert in one role is commendable, but being an expert in multiple roles is extraordinary. Jane Dean’s excellence transcends her singular impact by providing leadership and mentorship that enable others to become experts as well.

For nearly a decade, Dean's impact has been felt across several disciplines within the Red Cross mission. A registered nurse for more than three decades, Dean brings her professional experience and compassion to her multiple roles. From spearheading flu clinics to serving as an individual disaster care leader for the Long Beach and South Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross, her volunteer record demonstrates the profound impact an individual can make on their community. Moreover, she exemplifies the power of preparing others to make similar impacts. By overseeing the training and mentorship of all disaster health services, disaster mental health, and disaster spiritual care volunteers, she equips teams to meet the diverse challenges our community faces year-round in the aftermath of disasters.decades of professional experience as a registered nurse to her multiple roles. 

Dean’s strength in training and mentorship is not based solely on her experience and expertise, but on her ability to reach volunteers and identify their needs to maximize their impact. She understands that the brave and tireless volunteers the Red Cross deploys each year need a strong support system to continue their work. Through her training, mentorship and guidance, the disaster health services team's stability has remained one of its greatest strengths.

Dean’s mentorship is direct yet flexible, constructive yet understanding. She knows that Red Cross volunteers come from all walks and stages of life. Whether they are new volunteers looking to make a difference or long-term volunteers determined to continue making a positive impact, she consistently provides vision and guidance to ensure that each volunteer has the tools and training they need, and all with a positive and welcoming demeanor.

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.