By Toni Parras

When Sue Tarlé wakes up in the morning, she has a coffee and checks her computer to see what she has to do that day. On Mondays, she does casework during the day and at night she is a duty officer, responding to calls from National Red Cross reporting fires, floods or other disasters, and then dispatches teams as needed. If there is a fire on O‘ahu, she will go out herself to assist, along with her husband - who is also a volunteer, and the local Disaster Action Team.

No stranger to volunteering, over the years Sue has worked with kindergartners, women in safe houses, and a police department community response team before working with the Red Cross.

“Before I retired, I wanted to make sure I had things to do,” says Sue.

A former biomedical researcher, Sue has been an American Red Cross volunteer for the past 16 years, working in Hawai‘i with both the Disaster Cycle Services (DCS) and Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) programs, and also remotely for Michigan.

Born and raised in California, she and her husband lived in Michigan and worked at the university there. In 1985, they visited the Ka‘anapali coast on Maui. Sue smelled fragrant flowers in the air and it just felt like home. They continued to visit throughout the years, and when their son was five years old, he asked “can we live here?” They’ve been in Hawai‘i ever since.

After the devastating 2023 wildfires on Maui, Sue helped families reconnect with loved ones across the islands, the continental U.S. and even abroad through the Red Cross Reunification program. That involved countless hours of online sleuthing, sending emails and making phone calls to locate missing friends and relatives, but the rewards were worth it.

“That was very heartwarming for me, knowing I made a difference in someone’s life,” recalls Sue.

Responding to floods and fires at all hours of the day and night is exhausting. When asked how she handles the emotional toll, she replies: “I have a dog and a husband that I come home to. I swim, and I practice self care - that’s important.” She says the Red Cross has mental health support if you need to talk, and there is also the support of her team. “That’s the only way to do this work - you need teams.”

To balance her work with DCS, Sue has put her computer skills to good use for SAF's Hero Care Network. This service, an emergency communication system available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, provides care and comfort to military members, veterans, and their families, where she manages calls, supports financial aid documentation and mentors caseworkers nationwide.

In this last year alone, Sue has volunteered over 3,000 hours - that’s equivalent to 145 days - and been a part of 12 disaster deployments!

It is no wonder that Sue was nominated for the American Red Cross Humanitarian Services Presidential Award. This award honors employees and volunteers who have demonstrated exemplary dedication, going beyond in delivering services, supporting our mission, and embodying our core values. Out of 99 nominees from across the country and 30 semi-finalists, Sue was selected as one of nine finalists. Watch parties were held at each office across the Region (HI, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands) to honor the finalists. Sue’s colleagues and everyone in the Pacific Islands Region are thrilled to honor her hard work and dedication. She has truly earned her place as a stand-out volunteer recognized nationwide.

“It's my honor to nominate Sue Tarle for this Presidential Award,” says Leka Kiner-Falefa, American Red Cross Disaster Workforce Engagement Manager - Pacific Islands Region, and Volunteer Engagement Manager. “Sue has generously given her time and talent to multiple lines of service since joining us, making her stand out among her peers. She is a leader who exemplifies compassion, the Aloha spirit, and the Red Cross mission.”

Sue and the watch parties celebrating her work were also featured on KHON.