By Jacelyn Shiring, American Red Cross Public Affairs

During National Volunteer Week, the American Red Cross is celebrating the selfless volunteers whose unwavering support make it possible for us to assist people in need every day. Volunteers constitute more than 90% of the Red Cross workforce and are the cornerstone of our lifesaving mission. Today, volunteers are more critical than ever as the Red Cross responds to a new major disaster about every two weeks. These massive events, like storms and wildfires, are on top of the home fires — which upend families multiple times every day across the country.

Trish Tangney, a resident of South Florida for the past 12 years, is a shining example of the impact each volunteer makes at the Red Cross. After growing up in the Boston area and completing her studies in Vermont, she was introduced to the Red Cross more than 30 years ago while serving on a volunteer fire department with her husband, Eugene Tangney, who is now the Chair of the Broward County Red Cross Board of Directors. As volunteer firefighters, they experienced firsthand how the Red Cross serves both first responders and the community. Following a career in the high-tech industry and time off raising her family, when a good friend asked Mrs. Tangney to become a Red Cross volunteer, she didn’t look back. She has been applying her first responder skills as a Red Cross volunteer since 2021, supporting South Florida’s  Disaster Services both as a Duty Officer for the Disaster Action Team (DAT) and as a CPR instructor.

In her role as a DAT Duty Officer, Mrs. Tangney fields incoming disaster response calls from first responders and impacted individuals, ensures timely dispatch of DAT volunteer teams to home fires and other local disasters, and monitors the teams’ responses. The direct interactions with people in their critical moments, she shared, really highlight how the Red Cross instills a sense of calm and a small measure of positivity by reacting quickly in times of distress. As a CPR instructor, Mrs. Tangney draws on her experience teaching first aid and basic CPR as an Emergency Medical Technician to share lifesaving skills with various communities. These include student groups and senior citizens, as well as corporate and other groups who would like to be trained to administer CPR in an emergency. Regarding her work with students, her face lit up as she shared, “People are ready to help, they just don’t always know how. Any tools or skills that I can give them to be CPR or first aid ready, I love giving them that confidence.”

For anyone who might want to volunteer, Mrs. Tangney stresses how gratifying it can be to see such a direct effect on our communities. By doing so much at the local level, the Red Cross is unique compared to other volunteer opportunities and the impact is visible immediately. In her view, perhaps the greatest benefit of volunteering at the Red Cross is the people you meet. From volunteers and staff who give so much of their hearts to their work, to serving individuals and families across our region, she characterized the opportunity to meet and learn from so many incredible people as a wonderful gift. She also noted that the Red Cross offers such a variety of roles and time commitments that each volunteer can have a rewarding experience that fits with their skillset and schedule.

Mrs. Tangney can also attest that when volunteers put on a Red Cross vest, they become part of a trusted group known for everyday acts of heroism. Not long after Hurricane Helene made landfall, she was approached by a woman who had noticed her Red Cross shirt and was concerned for a relative who had not been able to evacuate from a vulnerable location. With confidence that the Red Cross would be there in the immediate aftermath, the woman sought to share her relative’s information so the Red Cross could make sure they were safe. It is moments like these, Mrs. Tangney said, that the incredible reputation of the Red Cross really hits home. As she put it, how amazing that “people have so much faith that we will be there helping people that she would stop a stranger and ask for that.”

If you feel inspired to serve your community in a meaningful way, this Volunteer Week, the Red Cross invites you to put on a red vest and join our team. Our volunteers strive to ensure no one faces an emergency alone by responding to disasters of all sizes, assisting veterans and military families, and teaching essential lifesaving skills such as first aid and CPR. Visit redcross.org/SFLvolunteer to get started today or call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).

Help us celebrate them by honoring a volunteer and making a donation in their name, telling an inspiring story or starting your own fundraiser! Learn more here: https://rdcrss.org/429NC5B