[MIAMI, FL, MAY 9, 2024] — The American Red Cross provides support to our U.S. military community at every step of their career — from the time a service member takes their oath to navigating life as a veteran and each event in between. You can find Red Cross support of military communities across the globe at military hospitals, on installations locally and overseas and through local chapter offices in every state.

This month, the Red Cross is inviting people around the country to turn your appreciation into action. For those with a military background or just a heart for military and veteran communities, opportunities to volunteer and support are available in South Florida.

“The Red Cross serves our nation’s military personnel and their families, including active duty, National Guard and Reserve, as well as our veterans,” said Ivan Sterpin, International Services and Services to the Armed Forces director. “Red Cross volunteers are at the heart of all this work. Thousands of volunteers help deliver services at Red Cross offices across the country and in more than one hundred military installations around the world.”

ANSWER EMERGENCY CALLS WITH THE HERO CARE NETWORK. The Red Cross Hero Care Network is a free 24/7 support system for military and veteran families when they are facing life-changing events like the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, a medical emergency or even a financial crisis. The Red Cross is the only organization to provide this emergency messaging service to separated and active-duty military families.

• Volunteers help serve members each day by answering calls, delivering messages and opening cases to support connections to additional resources.
• Over the last year, the Red Cross is proud to have assisted over 87,000 families with emergency situations, and nearly 136,000 families received critical community services.
• Here in South Florida, the Red Cross has provided emergency services to over 1,300 military families.

HELP BUILD STRONG FAMILIES AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES. The Red Cross welcomes volunteers in all of our service areas. However, at this time, there are a few roles that need to be filled most urgently:

• Hero Care Caseworker: If you are someone with strong listening skills and the ability to work with culturally diverse populations, you can help provide a critical link for families during emergency situations by becoming a Hero Care Network volunteer.
• VA Volunteer Services Local Volunteer: Contribute to the quality of life provided by the VA Health Care System through volunteer jobs provided at the local VA Health Care Facility. These jobs may include greeter, patient escort, refreshment cart support, lab runner, clinical administrative volunteer, recreation therapy assistant, information desk worker, patient visitor and many other unique positions.
• Resiliency Program Volunteer Facilitator: The Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces offers virtual resiliency workshops to help guide members of the military and veteran communities on various topics centered around coping and communication skills.
• Service to the Armed Forces Community Relations and Outreach Lead: Lead the Red Cross team in engaging with community partners to champion support to the military community.

VOLUNTEER TODAY. Turn your appreciation into action by volunteering with the Red Cross today. To learn more, visit redcross.org/SFLvolunteer or contact your local Red Cross chapter to learn about open positions.

Visit www.redcross.org/saf for full information about programs that support military communities.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/SouthFlorida or visit us on Facebook or X at @SFLRedCross