By Joe Gutierrez, American Red Cross volunteer

As one of the more active members of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) at the American Red Cross Riverside County Chapter, Janette Dearing serves in a number of positions as a volunteer.

Janette, a licensed vocational nurse who joined the Red Cross in 2021, welcomes and trains new nurses when they join DAT, offering them support, confidence and being prepared.

She regularly deploys to shelters and also works to create a welcoming and compassionate environment for both new and experienced DAT volunteers. She is also an active DAT responder. This past year, she completed an impressive 49 DAT calls, making her one of our highest-performing DAT members for the region.

For her efforts, Janette was named the Red Cross Volunteer of the Month for February 2026.

“Janette leads with empathy and a genuine commitment to ensuring others feel valued and cared for, both clients and teammates,” according to her nomination. “During challenging and emotionally demanding DAT responses, she brings a thoughtful balance of self-awareness and leadership, knowing when to recharge and when to step forward as a steady source of strength and support.”

Janette got involved with the Red Cross when her sister, fellow DAT volunteer Annette Brock, asked her to help during a disaster exercise.

“Annette told me there was going to be a disaster simulation. She asked me to be one of the participants,” Janette said. “I went into that and I met everybody there. They seemed pretty awesome, going out and helping people.”

She was also attracted to the non-profit “because it provided the opportunity to work directly with clients and the flexibility to volunteer around my work hours. The Red Cross is a well-respected organization. It makes me feel proud when I tell people I volunteer for the Red Cross.”

She said what stands in her mind as a Red Cross volunteer is “the amount of work that it takes to support people. There are different opportunities, but there are so many people that need help and not enough people to help them,” she said.

She also felt she would be a good fit to join because she is a nurse.

“I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. To make them feel better,” Janette said. “I would describe myself as being kind, compassionate and empathic. The Red Cross values those qualities.”

As a DAT volunteer, she serves as a Disaster Duty Officer, a Health Services lead and as a supervisor.

“DAT is definitely where my heart is,” she said.

She credits her fellow DAT volunteers as her motivation to stay involved.

“If I ever get tired or frustrated, or if there is a very difficult case, my teammates are always there to encourage and support me,” Janette said. “We often share stories about the clients we have helped and they remind me how we are making a difference in people’s lives.”

Janette knew she was with the right organization, but it was hard to pin down her exact “Red Cross moment” because she said she has had so many.

“Everyone has stories and memorable clients. I think a lot of my “Red Cross moments” involve the people that I work with,” she said. “The teamwork. Acts of kindness. The friendships, and the genuine care and support that you don’t usually see in other organizations.”

After a short pause, Janette said one moment that stands out was when she was responding to a fire in a rural part of Norco.

“In was in the middle of the night and a family’s house had burned down. The people were just distraught because they couldn't find their cats,” said Janette, who used her flashlight to help the family look for their pets, which were found.

She said the relief the family felt about finding their cats solidified being a Red Cross volunteer and is the best thing about the non-profit - the personal interaction with the clients.

“We get to see firsthand the difference we are making,” she said. “It gives me a sense of purpose.”

Her message to fellow Red Cross volunteers would be to thank them for their service.

“I would tell them how awesome they are for being willing to take time out of their busy schedules to help people that are going through a tragic event,” Janette said. “I would tell them how valued they are because the Red Cross couldn’t operate without volunteers.”

To potential Red Cross Volunteers, she would tell them “about the many volunteer opportunities. There is something for everyone. I would tell them how rewarding it is.”