Red Cross volunteer John Mathews.
By Kim Mailes, American Red Cross
American Red Cross volunteer John Mathews from Mexico, Missouri, is passionate about Disaster Disability Integration (DDI), a pledge that every person who has been affected by disaster receives appropriate support and accommodations, regardless of any special needs.
“I feel that DDI is everyone’s responsibility,” John said. “All those we serve should be treated equally and equitably: this should be our standard as the Red Cross.”
John is involved in DDI efforts during both disaster and non-disaster activities. He continually networks with various disability groups and engages in training to stay current with Americans with Disabilities standards, enhancing his ability to support people with disabilities. He also serves as the Red Cross divisional co-lead, keeping him abreast of changes and updates to the national Red Cross DDI program.
A longtime Red Cross volunteer, John first deployed to a disaster relief operation close to home in the Missouri-Arkansas Region in 1986, and then responded to his first national operation in 1992. Since then, he has worked almost every major natural disaster in the U.S., including floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes. Over the years, he has served the Red Cross in many ways, such as driving emergency response vehicles, deploying to home fires with Disaster Action Teams, and serving on executive committees. He has been recognized as volunteer of the year twice for his dedicated service.
“I volunteer because I can,” John said, noting that his activity increased after he retired. “Many folks say they want to volunteer, but never raise their hand when they get the chance. I trained when I had the time so that when I had more time I could deploy usefully.”
John first became involved with Disaster Disability Integration in 2017 after working with a volunteer who was blind and needed an escort during a flood disaster relief operation. She turned out to be a “spy” to see how he would do, and he was soon asked to become the regional DDI Lead. Since that time, he has provided outstanding leadership on the regional level, and is also a trusted resource for divisional and national Red Cross headquarters staff.
On a typical deployment to a Red Cross disaster relief operation, John inspects shelters to make sure the residents are treated equitably, and advises the disaster relief operation leadership team to ensure that Red Cross strategies meet standards. He advocates on behalf of Red Cross volunteers as well, ensuring they are being treated fairly and have proper accommodations.
“When my recommendations are implemented, I feel like I’m making a difference,” he said, noting that it’s not uncommon to work fourteen-hour days during disasters to accomplish these goals.
The Red Cross has made great strides addressing disability in recent years, and John anticipates continued improvement. DDI has begun collaborating with the Red Cross Client Care Team, which includes spiritual care, disaster mental health and disaster casework, coordinating DDI efforts across all lines of service.
“I hope to someday look back on my time in the Red Cross and see that I made a difference,” he said. “I hope that I am serving humanity through my work with DDI, and I hope that I have trained others to be better prepared to lead this program into the future.
“But most importantly, I hope to be remembered as one who treated everyone fairly and with dignity, especially those who are least able to care for themselves.”
If you’d like to know more about Red Cross Disaster Disability Integration and become a humanitarian volunteer, go to redcross.org/volunteer.
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