By Sarai Logan, American Red Cross Public Affairs

Marielena Villamil has been familiar with the American Red Cross for as long as she can remember. As a young girl in the 1950s, she participated in Red Cross swim training and earned her American Red Cross Swimmer’s Card. The more she learned about the organization, the more inspired she became to get involved. Today, Marielena serves as a board member for the Greater Miami & The Keys Chapter and is a proud member of the Tiffany Circle. This year, she celebrates 25 years as a Red Cross volunteer.

Marielena’s journey with the Red Cross began when a friend, who was a board member at the time, encouraged her to join. She eventually became board chair and participated in several passion projects, such as fundraising for the massive earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and advocated for increased outreach to Latino and Haitian communities across South Florida.

The Red Cross mission is deeply personal to Marielena. She believes in the importance of helping those in need and has witnessed the organization’s impact firsthand. When her parents experienced a home fire, the Red Cross provided support to the family, “Luckily, the Red Cross was there, and this made me more aware of the needs of our community,” she shared.

As a longtime supporter, Marielena has seen the Red Cross evolve and expand its reach. Through her involvement with the Tiffany Circle,  an affinity group of women leaders, she has formed meaningful friendships and helped spotlight hardworking women making a difference in their communities.

Beyond her philanthropic work, Marielena is a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman. She is the president and CEO of The Washington Economics Group, Inc., a boutique economic consulting firm concentrating on comprehensive economic solutions for businesses. She founded the firm in 1993 with economist Dr. Tony Villamil. Marielena has vast connections in the corporate, public sector and educational communities of Florida, Washington, D.C., and Latin America, along with expertise in business consulting, higher education, governmental relations and civic leadership. She has also managed economic consulting services and participated in educating and training multicultural and multilingual workforces.

As a woman in leadership, Marielena values the ability to use her voice to advocate for change, “I think it is so important to be a role model for young girls. I grew up in a man’s world and it took courage for me to get out of my comfort zone and become more involved,” she said. Marielena hopes to continue reinforcing and modeling positive messages and actions through her philanthropic work.

Marielena’s advice to those who wish to get involved in volunteerism and philanthropy is simple: “Do it. Don’t be scared and don’t have second thoughts. No matter how little you volunteer or how little money you give in philanthropy, it is worth every minute and every penny.” Marielena believes it is impactful, rewarding, and a way to improve the community we live in.

The American Red Cross is always looking for compassionate and dedicated volunteers to help fulfill its mission of alleviating human suffering during emergencies. To learn more about opportunities to get involved, please visit redcross.org/SFLvolunteer.