By Emily Hache/American Red Cross

Jerome Thierry’s journey with the American Red Cross began almost 48 years ago, when he was in junior high school. His godmother recruited him and his friends to help with a volunteer project for their local Red Cross chapter. That first experience inspired him to volunteer all through high school and adulthood. In the early 1990s, Jerome took the next step in his Red Cross journey and began deploying to areas affected by disasters. He has now deployed in response to over 20 emergencies all over the United States. He recently traveled to Florida to set up a shelter in Clearwater after the devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

As the site manager for the Red Cross shelter at the Light of Christ church in Clearwater, Jerome coordinates everything involved in running the shelter, from volunteer staff to supplies to community outreach and resources. It’s a big job with unique challenges.

One of the greatest challenges is convincing people to accept help in the first place. Jerome describes the situation in Clearwater:

“There's an apartment complex not too far from the shelter that's been flooded and we're trying to encourage the residents to come to the shelter, because it's not safe for them to stay in the complex. The residents are under the impression that inside of a week or two they're going to clean it up and fix it and everything's going to be fine. That's not going to happen. They have over 800 people living in the complex and some have come out, but the majority of them will not.”  There are many reasons why people effected by disaster are reluctant to seek help. Some worry that they will have to pay for the help they receive. Others believe they are ineligible to receive aid because they are not US citizens, are undocumented, or do not live in the community where a shelter is located. 

In spite of these challenges, Jerome values every deployment. He loves the opportunity to help people, travel to unique places and work with other Red Cross volunteers from all over the US. His team members hail from Connecticut, Rhode Island, Indiana, Tennessee and of course, Los Angeles.

His advice to anyone who may be interested in deployment is to keep an open mind, stay flexible and, if possible, gain experience by responding to Red Cross calls in one’s home region. By responding to calls at home, new volunteers learn Red Cross policies and guidelines in a setting that is generally less stressful than a full deployment.

However, Jerome encourages prospective volunteers to not let the challenges of deployment hold them back:

“If I were recruiting, I would pull out an old poster we used to have that goes back to the 80s. It said, ‘You'll never work harder. You’ll never get dirtier. But it’s the best job you'll never get paid for.’ I live by that.”

Natural disasters have become more frequent and severe in recent years. Volunteers are needed now more than ever. For more information about our deployments or to sign up to volunteer, visit redcross.org/la. The Red Cross needs YOU!

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.