Photo courtesy of Renee Grossman
Volunteer Spotlight on Renee Grossman by Kat Slusser – American Red Cross
Imagine leaving your comfortable, predictable life to offer your time as a Red Cross volunteer halfway around the world. That’s exactly what California resident and Services to the Armed Forces Red Cross volunteer, Renee Grossman, did when her spouse, an active-duty service member, was deployed to Japan.
Renee spent two and a half years on Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, Japan. She was looking for a way to give back and make friends in the community, so she volunteered with the American Red Cross through an office located in the air base. She met local Japanese residents who also volunteered and was afforded the opportunity to learn from others in the community.
During her time with the Red Cross in Japan, Renee had the opportunity to work with several new and seasoned volunteers, including longtime volunteers Hideo and Jean (Baker), who brought Renee onto the team. Renee’s main duties were to participate in, prepare for and present a variety of Red Cross training programs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Renee and several volunteers from the Red Cross community formed a tight connection with the local United Service Organization (USO) team. Towards the end of her stay in Japan, Renee, Jean and other Red Crossers collaborated with the USO to provide joint efforts in donating goods and services around the air base. Because of her selfless work and dedication, she received a “Volunteer of the Month” award.
Renee’s favorite experience while in Japan was training to be a Pillowcase Project presenter. The Pillowcase Project is a preparedness education program for grades 3-5 that teaches students about personal and family preparedness, safety skills, and basic coping skills. She had a lot of fun and learned a great deal from it. She also became a certified Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) instructor, which was a wonderful experience for her to become credentialed in this invaluable, lifesaving skill.
Renee loved learning about Japanese culture and found that their sense of community was a cornerstone of Japanese life. She sat in on many cooking lessons from Hideo, who taught her how to properly cook Japanese soba and the best dumplings. Renee notes that cooking is a great way to build community, and she thought this was a wonderful activity that allowed for bonding and sharing in the culture. Renee also learned that the Japanese culture emphasizes giving back, taking care of others and putting others’ needs before oneself. She reflects that it is a very selfless and beautiful way of life and was honored to be a part of it.
There were times when Renee felt homesick and missed friends and family in the States, but her motivation to give back kept pulling her to humanitarian work. She understands the importance of building community, especially when far from home. Renee says that the Red Cross is a great organization and wants to continue to serve and help while being an active-duty spouse and moving base to base.
Since returning to the U.S., Renee is eager to continue to be a part of the Red Cross community as it thrives across the country and around the world.
Hats off to this generous, devoted Red Cross volunteer who is an exemplary role model for those who want to give back to their community, and to the world. Bravo, Renee!
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