The American Red Cross Disaster Workforce Team hosted a Deployment Appreciation event on May 28th in Philadelphia for local volunteers and staff who deployed outside of the Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Region over the past year. Honorees enjoyed dinner and received certificates acknowledging their deployments.

Seventy volunteers and staff – representing 22% of SEPA’s deployable workforce – served during 121 deployments to assist with Red Cross disaster relief operations between January 2024 and March 2025.

Regional CEO Jennifer Graham thanked Red Crossers in attendance for taking time out of their busy schedules to support communities impacted by disasters and provide them with a pathway to recovery.

“It takes a village, and this is an amazing village, an amazing family here in SEPA,” she said. “I’m so proud to be able to work alongside every single one of you and am thankful for all that you did over the past year.”

Among their deployments, an astounding 64 volunteers and staff assisted people impacted by Hurricane Helene across North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, and 14 spent time in California helping those affected by wildfires. Twenty-two Red Crossers deployed two or more times, and eight deployed four or more times.

Volunteer Joe Hughes was one of four local Red Crossers who deployed to flooded communities in Northeastern Iowa. It was his very first out-of-region deployment.

Sharing his experience as a member of the Mass Care Feeding Team, Joe stressed the importance of being flexible – like the cartoon character Gumby, he said – because deployment situations can change quickly and often. Despite the uncertainty, he enjoyed the service opportunity and said the most rewarding part was “staying in touch with the people.”

“Your training is your training, right? But the tools that you’ll use – your handshake, your hugs, your smiles and your reassuring tone of voice – that’s what connects more with these people,” he said. “I loved it. I’ll do it again. I encourage others to do the same.”

Before certificates were distributed, Director of Workforce Engagement Patrick Kobol surprised the group with a special video message from actor and comedian Richard Kind, who is a Bucks County native. Watch Richard’s video

Crucial need for disaster support

Volunteers are more critical now than ever as the Red Cross responds to a new major disaster about every two weeks. These massive events, like storms and wildfires, are on top of the home fires which occur multiple times every day across the country. To make sure no one faces an emergency alone, the Red Cross has a crucial need for disaster volunteers and is actively recruiting to be ready for disasters of all sizes. 

Just like the people served, the Red Cross is proud that its volunteers represent a wide array of cultures, backgrounds, ages, lifestyles and beliefs. Everyone is welcome at the Red Cross. While volunteers of all types are needed, there is a strong need for people to support disaster operations.

Visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more and get started.

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- Written by Alana Mauger