As a volunteer in Disaster Cycle Services at the American Red Cross, Amy is quick to mention the throughline of service in her family. “My Dad was a volunteer fireman for 40 years, and my grandmother cooked meals for everyone in Beaver County, PA, where I am from…my brother was an EMT and is now a paramedic.”

In 2023, as Amy was completing graduate work in emergency management, she sought experience that would dovetail with her degree. She happened upon the Community Preparedness and Education program at the Red Cross and knew it would be a great fit. Since then she has participated in the Sound the Alarm campaign, installing and educating people on smoke alarms, and in community preparedness programs, where she connects with people of all age groups, educating them about disaster preparedness.

When asked what makes her effective in her role, Amy points to communication skills. With a background in social work, she is used to connecting with people from different backgrounds and navigating trainings and large service institutions. She adds that she felt an immediate kinship with other volunteers and loved the instant gratification of actions such as installing a smoke alarm in someone’s home.

Amy talks about the critical role of volunteers in society. She says, “I would love to see the Red Cross be expanded upon at the high school and college level. I think there are a lot of young people who want to volunteer…it would be nice for families to volunteer together.”

Amy never ceases to be amazed at the dedication and civic-mindedness of the Red Cross staff and volunteers. “It takes a lot to take on that amount of responsibility…people don’t realize all the ways we help in the community.”

Amy hopes to be able to devote more time to the Red Cross in the future, perhaps traveling to help at disaster sites as a first responder. In the meantime, she is proud to add that her family tradition of service continued; as teenagers, her son, David, joined the scouts and her daughter, Bella, the Red Cross summer Save a Life program. David is now a full-time paramedic.

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- Written by Jackie Faiman