By Catie Ballenger, American Red Cross

When a powerful storm threatened Guam, American Red Cross volunteers were already preparing to respond. Among them was Pam Roesler, a first-time deployer, who did not hesitate when the call came.

Just days earlier, she was on the phone with her son, Benton, a Community Disaster Program Manager for the Red Cross of Northern Colorado, talking about her training as a shelter volunteer and her hope to one day put those skills into action.

Mid-conversation, everything changed.

“She stopped and said, ‘Hold on, I’m getting a call,’” Benton recalled. “When she called me back, the first thing she said was, ‘I’m going to Guam.’ By the next day, she was on a flight.”

For Pam, the decision was simple.

“What an honor to be a part of the Red Cross in Guam,” she said. “People stop you and thank you wherever we go while wearing our Red Cross attire.”

As an early arriver ahead of the storm, Pam joined a team preparing for what was to come. Her role focused on sheltering, helping ensure that people forced from their homes would have a safe place to go and the support they would need.

“Everyone here, volunteers and Red Cross employees, are here to help those in need who may be displaced by the storm,” she said. “We are ready for when the storm breaks to be on the ground, doing what needs to be done.”

Even as conditions required teams to remain inside on a temporary ground stop, the work did not pause. Training continued, teams coordinated and preparations moved forward.

“We are continuing to train with our designated groups to ensure we can be there for those who need us,” she said.

For Benton, the moment was not surprising. It was who she has always been.

“She hears a need and she does everything in her power to meet that need,” he said. “She’s a humanitarian, through and through. Thanks to the Red Cross, she now has even more tools and skills to help people in meaningful ways, both locally and across the country.”

From a phone call to a flight across the Pacific, her journey reflects a simple truth: when help is needed, Red Cross volunteers show up, ready to care for people, wherever they are.

If you are inspired to help like Pam, consider signing up to volunteer with the Red Cross. You can begin training now so you are ready to step in and support your community when the next disaster strikes.