Marco doing mobile communications for the British Red Cross
Not every British Red Crosser can say they met the queen of England, but Marco Couch is one of the lucky ones!
Marco joined the British Red Cross in the UK after graduating high school to keep himself busy during the summer. Little did he know it would set him on a path of volunteerism for 17 years that would eventually lead to his current job at the American Red Cross in California.
In England, Marco volunteered at large festivals and concerts all over the country doing operational radio communications in control rooms, coordinating the Red Cross first aid response. When people at the events got sick or injured, he would dispatch emergency responders to the scene.
“I loved it because it was very busy! You have to be on top of things. You have to juggle a lot of balls at once,” says Marco.
One particularly memorable event was a Buckingham Palace Garden Party, where Queen Elizabeth II was hosting a gathering to recognize people for their public service. Marco was on site with the Red Cross to provide first aid at the event and was told Her Majesty had asked to meet all the volunteers. They lined up along a pathway in the garden and she walked past, greeting the volunteers and thanking them for their service.
“We were honored to have been in the presence of the Queen, and that she came out to meet those of us who were volunteering,” says Marco.
Besides being a fond memory, his story of meeting the queen has come in handy during games of “Two truths and a lie” – the popular ice breaker where the audience must guess which of three statements about a person is made up.
Another truth about Marco is he used to be a high school chemistry teacher and an assistant principal in England. When he moved to America in 2024, he continued his commitment to the Red Cross as a disaster duty officer in Boston, Mass., dispatching volunteers to the site of local fires and volunteering himself at blood drives.
Upon moving to the Bay Area this past summer, he joined the local Silicon Valley Chapter of the Red Cross and helped recruit and train new blood drive volunteers.
Queen Elizabeth II in Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform in front of a Red Cross ambulance, April 1945
Marco helps serve lunch at a shelter in San José
This past autumn he helped his fellow volunteers run a shelter in San José to house people displaced by an apartment fire.
“This was my first-ever experience of volunteering in a shelter and it was an incredible experience all around. I got to meet loads of amazing volunteers and see first-hand what it’s like to set up and operate a shelter. It was great to see how the Red Cross and its partners moved so quickly and efficiently to get everything set up,” says Marco.
Marco and his team opened the shelter within hours of the fire and stayed overnight to welcome the residents as they arrived. After volunteering at the shelter for one week, Marco took a job with the Red Cross as a disaster workforce engagement specialist, where he will be recruiting, training, deploying and supervising volunteers during disasters.
“His long-standing commitment to the mission is matched only by his enthusiasm for supporting volunteers and strengthening our workforce,” said Kristin Yenko, Marco’s manager. “His leadership experience, combined with his technical skills and deep passion for volunteerism, make him a fantastic fit for the Workforce Engagement team.”
Not only is Marco a fantastic fit for the Red Cross team, he loves dogs and cats, has rubbed shoulders with royalty and plays a great game of “Two truths and a lie.” Welcome to the team, Marco!
Marco and Ludo, his good dog
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