By Joey McNunn, American Red Cross
Do you ever wonder who is behind those Missouri-Arkansas American Red Cross social media posts during disaster relief operations? Often, it’s Jennifer McGrath, a member of the regional social media team. For her efforts to communicate to the public the important work of the Red Cross, Jennifer was awarded the Support Services Volunteer Impact Award in 2021.
Jennifer and the team hold a virtual meeting each week to coordinate the social media campaign. The team comes up with ideas and brainstorms ways to most effectively tell the Red Cross story. Assignments for creating content are made, and the resulting information is scheduled for upload on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
During the Hurricane Ida and California wildfires disaster relief operations in 2021, Jennifer served as a virtual public affairs officer. Working from her home in St. Louis, she received photos and stories from Red Cross public affairs volunteers on the ground at disaster sites. Then, she edited and uploaded the information to the social media sites of the chapters affected by the disaster and fed the material to the national Red Cross office for possible use.
People in the affected areas were able to quickly access information about shelters and recovery services from the posts Jennifer kept up to date with the latest information.
She began her Red Cross volunteer career in 2014 and has since worked with other volunteers from across America. Trained across multiple lines of service, Jennifer is able to step into many roles, as needed, making her an invaluable part of the disaster relief operation team.
“My favorite Red Cross memory is from my first deployment. I was sent to the convention center in Houston, Texas, where a shelter had been established after Hurricane Harvey,” she explained. “It took three days to get into Houston because of the extensive flooding, and we finally arrived to discover over 10,000 residents. I believe it was the largest shelter in Red Cross history. Working in that shelter was quite a first deployment!”
A true humanitarian, she also volunteers with other organizations. She regularly visits local hospitals with her therapy dog, actively coordinates a ministry in Nicaragua through her church and volunteers at the Saint Louis Zoo.
She considers herself a “professional volunteer,” but when she does get some free time, she likes to visit her two grandchildren in New York City. Her kindness, positivity and leadership make her an incredible asset to all the organizations with which she is involved.
For her extensive commitment to the American Red Cross, Jennifer McGrath has been awarded the 2021 Support Services Volunteer Award for going above and beyond to help others.
