Red Cross disaster volunteer Susan Reese of Northern California at the wheel of an Emergency Response Vehicle while bringing hot meals to those affected by the recent floods in Oregon.
by Marcia Antipa
Susan Reese is an American Red Cross volunteer from Fairfield in Northern California. She has responded to disasters close to home and across the country. Recently, Susan deployed to the Los Angeles wildfires in January, where she served in a new role as an ambassador. She was stationed at Los Angeles Airport, where her job was to greet the Red Crossers arriving from across the country to help those affected by the fires. Every night, she texted her photo to each incoming volunteer, letting them know she would meet them at baggage claim.
“They would get a kick out of seeing somebody’s photo and when they got off the plane, they would say ‘I recognize you from your picture!’ Plus, I and all my coworkers would be in our Red Cross gear.”
The wildfires prompted thousands of people from all over the Los Angeles area to reach out to the Red Cross, volunteering to help their neighbors. Many signed up to become “Event Based Volunteers,” or temporary Red Crossers. Some were assigned to Susan’s Ambassador team at the airport. After a quick orientation, Susan sent them off each day with words of advice.
“I would tell them that these volunteers are going to be getting off the plane and your mission is to fill them up with all of this love that the volunteers will then put out in your community.” Susan was thrilled to see the local volunteers welcoming the new arrivals warmly, often with a hug. “They would say, ‘Thank you for coming to Los Angeles. This is my hometown. If you have any questions about the area, ask me, and we’re grateful that you come all this way to help us.’”
The local volunteers then would help the arriving Red Crossers find their way – to a rental car desk, or to a shuttle to Red Cross headquarters. “They would actually walk the person from baggage claim, sometimes carrying their bags,” says Susan. “It was just so magical to see them doing that to help their neighbors.”
Susan began her own Red Cross journey almost 30 years ago. She owned a bed and breakfast when devastating floods hit Northern California. Her restaurant was the only one left standing in their small town. She located the Red Cross Headquarters and told the disaster responders, “I have a restaurant that’s in the affected town and maybe you could buy some meals from us. And the Red Cross actually saved my business from going under, by purchasing three meals a day for 120 people for six weeks.”
More than 20 years later, Susan retired and fulfilled a longtime desire to work with the Red Cross again. Just as those Los Angeles residents did during the fires in January, Susan became an event-based volunteer. She signed up to help during California’s deadly North Complex fires in 2020. This was during the pandemic, when the Red Cross housed fire evacuees in motels instead of large shelters. Susan and other volunteers would bring hot food directly to those in need.
“We met in Yuba City every morning, divided up the routes and then they would send us out to all the different towns, and we would deliver meals to all the clients. They were always very thankful and polite and grateful, happy to have a meal to eat. They were wonderful people.”
All these years later, Susan’s role with the Red Cross has come full circle. From being a temporary volunteer herself, to training event-based volunteers she then took the role one step further.
When there was down time between flight arrivals, Susan says she became an unofficial recruiter. She told the local volunteers about the many roles they could take on if they signed up to be permanent Red Crossers. For example, they could teach adults and school children how to prepare for disasters or demonstrate hands-only CPR.
And if that wasn’t enough work for this dedicated volunteer, just a few weeks after she returned from Los Angeles, Susan once again raised her hand to respond to a disaster. She flew to Kentucky to help with the Red Cross response to the floods and tornadoes that swept through four states. In the town of Boonville, she worked at a Disaster Recovery Center, handing out cleanup kits and lending a sympathetic ear to those who had survived the floods.
“They just wanted someone to listen. They just wanted someone from the Red Cross to hear their story.”
Red Cross volunteers Susan Reese (L) and Brenda Thomas (R) participate in a Sound the Alarm event in Marin County, where volunteers installed new smoke alarms in a mobile home park in April of 2024.
When we last checked with Susan, she had deployed not once, but twice since her service in Los Angeles. First, she flew to Mississippi as part of the Red Cross response to the tornadoes and thunderstorms that struck in March. Within a month, she was on the move again, helping to provide hot meals to those affected by the recent floods in Oregon.
Why does she keep answering the call?
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” says Susan. “Helping people is just the best feeling in the world.”
The Red Cross can use more volunteers like Susan. Whether it is responding to a disaster, or taking on a role closer to home, there is a place for you and your skills. Visit redcross.org/volunteer for more information.
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