By Frank Jones, American Red Cross

Tom and his wife, Judy Shands, have operated an 80-acre horse farm near Jamestown, Missouri, for many years. The couple has raised, trained, and ridden Appaloosa horses together, but while Tom’s passion for horses runs deep, his greatest passion lies in volunteering with the American Red Cross.

Tom has dedicated more than 50 years to the Red Cross, though his instinct to care for others has always been part of who he is. A Vietnam veteran, Tom also served many years in the National Guard. His connection to the Red Cross began in 1975, when he volunteered to teach CPR for his company. A few months later, local Red Cross representatives recognized his skill and dedication and invited him to teach CPR to their volunteers.

Tom’s true calling, shelter operations, came in 1993 in Rhineland, Missouri. At the time, his National Guard unit was housed in the same building as a Red Cross shelter. Watching the Red Cross team care for people during a crisis made a lasting impression. When Tom retired from the National Guard in 2005, a mentor, Steve Stacey, encouraged him to follow that passion.

Tom is always ready to assist with whatever his local chapter needs, but shelter operations remain his favorite task. He prefers working the overnight shift, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., keeping a pot of coffee hot and an open ear for anyone who can’t sleep.

“You know they’re going through possibly the worst time in their lives,” Tom says. “One of our most important jobs is to listen. The more they talk about their losses, the less the trauma is pinned up inside them and the easier it is to recover. Taking care of people and helping them move on, realizing that there is a tomorrow, I enjoy that immensely.” Tom also finds great joy in mentoring new volunteers. “I really enjoy helping people learn the ropes,” he says. “I try to get them involved right away.”

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service to others.” Tom Shands embodies that truth through his decades of Red Cross service. At a recent volunteer appreciation event in Columbia, Missouri, Tom was honored with a custom-embroidered Red Cross vest, a small token of gratitude for an extraordinary milestone and a lifetime of service that continues to inspire us all.

Thank you, Tom, for living out the vision first cast by American Red Cross founder Clara Barton in 1882: “The Red Cross is a part of us, it has come to stay, and like the sturdy oak, its spreading branches shall yet encompass and shelter the relief of the nation.”

Inspired by Tom's dedication and wanting to volunteer? Check out redcross.org/volunteer.