During National Hispanic Heritage Month, from September 15 to October 15, the American Red Cross celebrates and honors the many Hispanic and Latino volunteers, donors and employees who make our lifesaving mission possible. Whether it's responding to a home fire in the middle of the night, saving someone's life with vital skills like first aid and CPR, or providing comfort after a disaster, members of diverse Hispanic and Latino communities offer help and hope every day.

At the South Florida Red Cross Region, Antonio Camejo, a Senior Recruitment Representative from the Volunteer Services team, is part of a significant initiative to increase the diversity of the volunteer workforce. Antonio's role is unique to the Red Cross and has been implemented in communities with large bilingual populations. In this role, Antonio will focus on volunteer recruitment in Hispanic and Latino communities while promoting awareness of Red Cross services.

Antonio migrated from Venezuela to Miami at the age of nine and speaks Spanish fluently. Recognizing that language can sometimes serve as a barrier to entry, the Red Cross is offering more resources and training courses in Spanish in an effort to attract and better engage bilingual volunteers. Antonio hopes this accommodation encourages more Spanish-speaking volunteers to feel comfortable taking on new roles within the organization.

Recently, an in-person training session called "Shelter in a Day" was offered in Spanish. During the training, bilingual volunteers learned about the roles and responsibilities of operating a Red Cross shelter. They were able to experience first-hand the successes and challenges involved with opening and running a shelter for disaster-displaced individuals. This exercise helped volunteers become comfortable with the day-to-day operational duties and was tailored to a volunteer segment who may have not previously participated in the training. Having a diverse workforce of volunteers in a shelter helps shelter residents better communicate their needs and it allows the Red Cross to expand its relief and recovery efforts to a population that may have been previously underserved.  

In his position, Antonio plans to engage and recruit Hispanic and Latino volunteers across Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and the Florida Keys. As he draws attention to these counties, he hopes that Spanish-speaking volunteers feel welcomed and cared for as they play an integral part in fulfilling the Red Cross mission of alleviating suffering in the face of emergencies. Antonio shared that it was important to have bilingual volunteers who are able to help communities not only prepare for disasters but for the Red Cross to be a trusted partner after a disaster happens. Spanish-speaking volunteers will be able to provide much-needed relief and recovery services and share crucial information on feeding and emergency supply distribution locations after a disaster occurs. Antonio said, "The fact that we have Spanish-speaking volunteers deploying to these areas will definitely come in handy because you're going to be able to speak to the community. There may be people out there who don't speak English but they’lll be able to get all the help they need because the Red Cross is there."

Do you speak Spanish and want to give back to your community? Consider becoming a Red Cross volunteer by visiting redcross.org/SFLvolunteer.

Written by Milka Michael, American Red Cross Public Affairs