By: Ana Gomez, American Red Cross

For many Colorado communities, safety education can mean the difference between life and death. Since 2013, Jackie Rodriguez Somand has dedicated herself to ensuring those life-saving lessons reach everyone who needs them—regardless of language barriers or cultural differences. 

Originally from Colombia, Jackie has been a Red Cross volunteer since 2013, serving in multiple capacities that showcase her versatility and commitment. Her roles include teaching active threat training, participating in the Home Fire Campaign, volunteering with public affairs, and serving as a spokesperson for the Hispanic community. 

"I started with restoring family links, organizing Lunch and Learns, and taking some cases," Jackie explains. Her journey with the Red Cross began with outreach to the Hispanic community, making connections with other local nonprofits.  

By 2015, Jackie had expanded her involvement to include disaster preparedness education, a field where she would make a profound impact in the years to come. Jackie's approach to education is refreshingly straightforward. "You have to know your audience," she says. "Keep it simple. If there's a fire, you have two minutes to leave your house. You have to get low, get out, and stay out." 

This no-nonsense approach has proven effective, particularly when teaching children. During Home Fire Campaign events, Jackie adds extra educational elements when children are present. She times them as they practice escaping their homes, teaches them to crawl until they find exits, and shows them how to check if a door is hot before opening it. 

"We practice how to evacuate and then make sure they draw their evacuation plan," Jackie explains. She ensures parents understand the importance of designating meeting places both outside their homes and in their neighborhoods. 

Her efforts have yielded tangible results. Jackie recounts interviewing a family whose lives were saved by smoke alarms installed during a Sound the Alarm event: "The daughter heard the smoke alarm that the Red Cross installed, and then she called her family and woke them up, because everybody was deep asleep. hen they all evacuated the house." 

Jackie's experience isn't limited to education. She has been deployed to several major disasters, including Hurricane Michael in Panama City in 2018 and the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017. As a native Spanish speaker, Jackie plays a crucial role in reaching the Hispanic community with vital safety information. She explains that in many other countries, the Red Cross offers different services than in the U.S., which can create confusion. 

"People think that we're a government organization, and we're not, we're a humanitarian organization," Jackie says. By communicating directly in Spanish, she helps clarify the Red Cross's role and services, building trust within the community. 

This cultural bridge-building is especially important during crisis situations. During the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Jackie was deployed to help with outreach within the Hispanic community. By making connections with local nonprofits and churches, she helped ensure families received needed resources. "We ended up making some contacts with local nonprofits and brought Red Cross volunteers that took cases directly," she recalls. "The community felt comfortable." 

Her response to the Quarry Fire in the summer of 2023 truly demonstrated her commitment to helping others. When her own community in Murphy Gulch was evacuated, Jackie didn't just seek shelter—she volunteered to help. 

"We put everything in our car and then left shelter," she recounts. "Once I saw the Red Cross volunteers, I offered my help. I was like, 'I live in this community, and I have my Red Cross vest with me.'" 

Despite being evacuated herself, Jackie spent the entire week supporting her neighbors. She set up Zoom calls for community members who couldn't attend in-person briefings, conducted media interviews, and encouraged reluctant neighbors to accept help. 

"A lot of my neighbors were very shy about asking for help," she explains. "I'm like, 'It's okay. This is probably the worst moment of your life. You're forced to leave your home. You're pretty much feeling homeless. We're here for you.” Jackie even helped connect evacuees with mental health support when needed, recognizing the emotional toll of displacement.  

Always ready to respond to the next emergency, Jackie keeps her Red Cross vest and supplies with her at all times. "I keep my Red Cross kit and my card at all times,” she says. “So, if I'm not home, I can respond at any time and I can be out of my house for at least two days." 

For Jackie, being recognized for her work is gratifying, but it's the impact that matters most. "I'm really proud to be a Red Crosser and to help people no matter what your beliefs are, where you're coming from," she says. ", we will be there to help you." 

As she continues her vital work, educating communities and responding to disasters, Jackie Rodriguez Somand exemplifies the true spirit of the American Red Cross—always ready, always there, and always focused on helping those in need. 
 

Did Jackie inspire you? Click here for more information on Red Cross volunteer opportunities in your community. 
  

The American Red Cross thanks The Anschutz Foundation, Haulistic, Civitas Resources Inc., and Tallgrass Energy for making this award possible and for supporting our mission in Colorado and Wyoming.