Written by Guethshina Altena, American Red Cross Public Affairs

Lauren Kairalla, a live theatre professional and owner of LEK Entertainment, first got involved with the American Red Cross following a hurricane in 2022. She called to ask if there was something she could do to help, and the Red Cross welcomed her. She arrived at the Greater Miami and the Keys chapter to donate supplies and left as a Red Cross volunteer.

“Reaching out to an organization like the Red Cross helps you find the people who need help the most,” said Lauren. “Sometimes the hardest part of being in need is finding somebody to help when you don’t know who to turn to.”

“When a disaster strikes, it may be hard for someone to find me as an individual, but the Red Cross works hard at making sure people know they can always reach out to us [the Red Cross] and we’ll be there. I am happy to be a part of that,” she said.

Lauren joined the Red Cross as a member of the Disaster Action Team (DAT). DAT volunteers provide comfort, support and direct assistance to families who have been impacted by local disasters, such as home fires, as they begin rebuilding their lives.

Home fires account for most of the 65,000 disasters the Red Cross responds to annually. From candles to cooking accidents, home fires happen more often than people think. That’s when the Red Cross steps in to assist.

The first DAT call that Lauren ever went on was a fire where the roof of the house had collapsed, and the family members were in shock.

“Seeing the child and the parents in that state, and actually being able to do something to help, was a very impactful experience,” Lauren said.

Her next call was to a kitchen fire where a stove explosion damaged a cabinet, but most of the home remained intact. The client needed to be relocated until power to the home could be restored and the smoke cleared.

“I had the two extremes [home fire calls] back to back,” Lauren said. “I had the worst-case scenario of a home fire, and then a home fire where the guy and the majority of his stuff were okay. Now whenever I get a call, I hope for the latter.”

Since 2022, Lauren has responded to many home fires across South Florida and witnessed heartbreaking losses and small miracles. She encourages others not only to volunteer but also to take simple steps to stay safe, such as installing smoke alarms.

Lauren now leads the Home Fire Campaign for the South Florida Red Cross. In 2014, the Red Cross launched its Home Fire Campaign to help educate people about home fire safety and install free smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires. 

She helps organize smoke alarm installation events, educates youth, installs smoke alarms, and connects with the community on a large scale. She also hands out educational materials and delivers disaster preparedness presentations to adults and youth.

When asked where she feels she's had the most impact, Lauren replied, “doing the preparedness and educational stuff, especially with the children. You can see the kids will take this information home and share it.” Then she added, “When I ask someone the last time, they actually practiced a home fire drill, it's usually when a kid came home and made them do it.”

She emphasized, “Empowering the children and the people in my community with the information to be able to tell themselves, ‘I can help myself, I can help my family, and I can help my community’, I think that has more of an impact than the actual disaster calls that I go out on.”

Lauren said what keeps her motivated to do this work is the reliability and flexibility of the team she works with at the Red Cross.

“One of the number one reasons I enjoy volunteering for the Red Cross is how appreciated I feel. There is so much appreciation for what the volunteers do and so much appreciation for the value of volunteers and knowing they couldn’t do it without us.”

“My goal is to help my community, to let my community know that I am available when they need me. Sometimes that need in my community is the Red Cross,” Lauren said. “If somebody in my community says, ‘Can you help me?’ and I am able to help, I want to say yes.”

The need is constant to help families affected by home fires and other local disasters. You can become a DAT volunteer like Lauren and help families on their darkest days by signing up at redcross.org/SFLvolunteer today.

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