By Carl Manning, American Red Cross

When a disaster strikes, chances are Red Cross volunteer John Mathews will be there bringing comfort, support and hope to those recovering from the devastation.

John has been with the Red Cross for 40 years and has scores of disaster deployments under his belt. He will travel halfway across the country to sleep on a cot in a staff shelter and endure extreme conditions because he wants to help people.

 “I don’t find excuses why I can’t do it, but I look for reasons why I can do it,” said John, who has lived in Mexico, Missouri since 1989.

A look at his background and upbringing helps explain his philosophy. Born in Oklahoma, his father was a Baptist minister and John followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as an associate pastor in several churches for four decades.

But his life isn’t just about churches. He retired a decade ago from the Arthur Center Community Health in his hometown where he counseled teens and adults. Over the years, he worked a variety of jobs from janitor, to school bus driver to working in retail.  

“If it was legal and decent, then I did it,” he said with a chuckle.

It’s that diversity that has given John the reputation of truly relating to people at all levels and understanding their concerns.

Whether it’s handing out cleanup supplies to flood victims on a hot summer day or putting a comforting arm on the shoulder of someone who lost everything in a tornado, John sees his role as helping those in need.

“The part that really excites me is the humanitarian effort,” he said. “That is something that God gave me that I developed as a minister and it has made me a humanitarian. That isn’t something that can be trained in you. It has to be there.”

That philosophy has been there for the entirety of his Red Cross service, whether at Ground Zero after 9-11, at California wildfires or showing up in the middle of night at a home fire in his hometown.

John doesn’t brag or boast about what he does, but his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

Recently, he took a day off from helping in the recent St. Louis area flood recovery to go back home to receive a statewide honor – the Lieutenant Governor’s Senior Service Award – awarded to seniors who go out of their way to help others.

“The impact you’ve had on people’s lives really impacted our hearts. What you’ve done for tens of thousands of people over the years is not measureable by a piece of paper in a wooden frame,” Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe said during the presentation.

The next day, John was at a multi-agency resource center, or MARC,  in Wentzville where he was doing disability integration to make sure everyone had equal access to all Red Cross services.

Within minutes after arriving at the MARC, John ran into Dustin and Heather Thiele, a couple he first met a week earlier when he was part of the damage assessment team checking flood damage in their neighborhood.  

At the time, he offered words of encouragement. Now he was able to help them again. They explained there was no record at the MARC of their property being damaged, which they needed to receive assistance.

As it turned out, John still had the assessment records on his smart phone and quickly figured out the address in the system was wrong. With the correction made, the couple now could get assistance.

“He cared enough to pay attention and help us out,” Heather said.

For John, it was just part of doing what a Red Cross volunteer does.

“I felt a responsibility to help them out,” he said. “I got to yes. That’s what matters.”

John is one of those of volunteers who wears whatever hat is needed at that moment. He also does community engagement partnerships working with those in communities to bring assistance to those in need. Other times, he might be driving an Emergency Response Vehicle or helping out with feeding and sheltering.  

“I don’t have a lane. I have a dozen lanes and my responsibility is to figure out what I need to do at each event,” he said.

For John, it’s about being the face of the Red Cross to those in need, a face with a smile and a kind word.

“I want to do all that I can to reach the one person who needs help,” he said. “I don’t do it for recognition. I’m compelled to do it.”