The best thing about volunteering for the American Red Cross for David and Barbara Delker is that they get to do it together.

The West Wichita couple – they like to be called “Dave and Barb” – retired about 10 years ago. Dave, 77, had been working in the insurance industry for 40 years and Barb, 75, had been doing clerical work for a hospital. As life-long blood donors, they were familiar with the Red Cross. When a friend returned from disaster deployment following Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and suggested they volunteer, the Delkers jumped right in.

“It only made common sense that once you retire, I wasn’t going to sit down at a rocking chair and do nothing,” Dave Delker said. “The Red Cross provides a prime opportunity to be of service to other people.

“We just thought it was the right thing to do,” he said.

Dave’s and Barb’s volunteering takes many forms. Their primary GAP is disaster assessment. He also drives ERVs and is drives a truck for Blood Services weekly. The fact that the Red Cross offers a wide variety of volunteering opportunities appeals to him.

“The Red Cross is somewhat unique in that it has such a broad range of activites,” he said. “You can pick a job that you like and do that job or pick several jobs and move back and forth between them.”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Red Cross, making up more than 90 percent of its workforce. As a part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the Red Cross provides relief and hope around the world. Most of the disaster responses are local, such as home fires. Red Cross volunteers work in four service areas: Disaster response, blood services, Service to the Armed Forces and training education. There is an urgent need for Disaster Action Team (DAT) members and volunteers to assist in the collection and transport of blood and plasma products.

“There are so many incredible rewards to volunteering your time to support the mission of the American Red Cross,” said Jennifer Young, Red Cross regional volunteer services officer. “To be able to help someone in their deepest time of need is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding opportunities a person can experience.

“Whether it is wrapping a warm blanket around a child at a home fire, supporting a veteran in finding the resources they so desperately need or delivering blood to hospitals, the personal satisfaction of making a true difference is the number one reason why our volunteers say they volunteer.”

 What makes volunteering even better for the Delkers is that they get to do it together.  As Dave Delker notes, if you are going to spend a lot of time riding in an ERV, doing damage assessments or sheltering on deployment, it is always best when you get to do it with someone you like.

              “You and your partner are cooped up in a car much of the day, so you have to like each other,” he said. “When we are fortunate enough to get a hotel room instead of being in a staff shelter, I know who my roommate is going to be.”

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information about volunteering or contributing to the Red Cross’s mission, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on Twitter at @RedCross.