My Deployment Experience: Diane Sargent
Diane Sargent, a Red Cross volunteer for the past 17 years, was one of the WCNY Red Cross Volunteers who traveled to North Carolina to help with the Hurricane Florence relief. Diane has been a Red Cross volunteer since 2001 and became a volunteer after being inspired by seeing the Red Cross working in New York following 9/11.
Diane was assigned to work in disaster assessment, going into areas to determine the severity of the damage. Diane has recorded about 50 previous deployments. She views the work as very rewarding and would tell people considering volunteering to, “Jump in, you’ll love it and want to do it again.” While in North Carolina, Diane worked long hours and spoke to many people but one person that stood out to her was an elderly woman whose house had been flooded. The woman had some health issues and lived alone, so Diane spent a lot of time listening to her story and providing support.
Diane says that each assignment is a little different but one reoccurring observation is seeing regular people working together to alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. She values her work with the Red Cross and says it is very rewarding.
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