By Volunteer Lina Estrada

Harald Snik is a volunteer who has seen more than his empathetic smile lets on. The recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Volunteer Award from the American Red Cross of Northern New Jersey, Harald began his work with the Red Cross volunteering with Blood Services as a Blood Donor Ambassador.

“The pandemic is where it all got started for me,” says Snik. “I assumed the Red Cross was looking for volunteers who could help at blood drives, those that were healthy and not as concerned about getting COVID,” Snik says. “I had been a blood donor in the past,” he says and with that, implies that this was the best place to begin assisting the nation during a crisis. 

One of the most remarkable things that Harald discovered was the joy of introducing others to the gift of giving lifesaving blood. “My favorite experience working with the Red Cross is attending and assisting in the high school blood drives. It’s a high-energy atmosphere with plenty of donors, most of which are first time donors,” Snik says adding, “It’s the opportunity to explain the importance of giving blood to young people, hoping they’ll become donors for life.”

Snik also volunteers to help with the Red Cross fleet of approximately 60 vehicles throughout New Jersey. In addition to helping with transportation of donated blood, he helps with maintenance and moving vehicles to locations throughout the state where they are needed.

But there were more Red Cross volunteer opportunities of interest to Harald. “I also signed up to work shifts on the Disaster Action Team and I find this work very satisfying as well. If I’m on shift, our team might get a call in the middle of the night to respond to incidents like home fires to help affected families. I am proud to help these families in their time of need,” Snik explains.

Outgoing and curious, Harald had studied for a career that was related to customer service. He became a Business Major at Boston University at the Questrom School of Management and planned to study International Finance. He spent one semester in Paris at American University in Boston University’s affiliate program and began a career in retailing. But there was so much more that had stayed with him from his youth that influenced his decision to be a volunteer. Humbly he says, “I received a lot of support throughout my life from my community. I lost my mother at age 10 and the amount of support I received from my community was overwhelming and has stayed with me my entire life.” 

If you or anyone you know would like to sign up to become a volunteer, please visit redcross.org/VolunteerNJ.