By Noreen Walton, American Red Cross volunteer

Dr. Theresa Tsai, San Diego and Imperial Counties’ July 2022 Volunteer of the Month, brings an exceptional and important skillset to her volunteer work with the American Red Cross. Beginning in 1994, Dr. Tsai worked as a civilian dentist at the Military Treatment Facility, Naval Medical Center San Diego. In 2022, she changed careers, becoming an instructor in the Dental Hygiene Program at Southwestern College. It was at that time Theresa discovered that working with the Red Cross would allow her to continue to support the Navy as a volunteer dentist. “I believe in the Navy,” Theresa explains. “My 31-year-old daughter is active-duty Navy. I was looking for a volunteer program that supports the Navy. Red Cross was that program.”

Theresa’s commitment to the Red Cross and to the Navy has steadily increased over the years, resulting in her logging in more than 2,000 volunteer hours at Naval Medical Center San Diego Dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her colleagues describe the impact of Theresa’s dedication and her willingness to step up to serve others during these challenging times. “These hours enabled pressing issues to be treated without delay, alleviating pain and the suffering of military members who might otherwise not been seen, or their needs would, at least, have been significantly delayed were it not for her time.”

Skill, commitment, kindness and competence are just some of the components that make Theresa such an outstanding Red Cross volunteer. She believes that every volunteer -current or future – can do great work with the Red Cross. “The Red Cross is a good cause. It offers such a wide range of opportunities that you can choose from. Like me, you get to apply your own special skills.”

To learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, please visit redcross.org/volunteer.