Like many of us, Norm Phillips took advantage of the pandemic to consider the possibility of doing volunteer work.

“I gave myself pretty good marks as a husband, a father and in my professional career, but an F- as a volunteer thus far,” he shared. “I decided that I wanted to rectify this situation.”

Norm’s journey to the American Red Cross began in London, Canada, which is located between Toronto and Detroit. Even as a teenager, he showed a strong desire to move to the United States. After completing university, he signed on with Johnson & Johnson in the pharmaceutical division. It took 17 years, but Norm and his family were finally able to immigrate to the U.S.

With Norm working at Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters in in Raritan, New Jersey, the Phillips family was able to get their permanent green cards in 1993. Norm soon became inspired by the devotion to duty that many of his colleagues and their family members showed toward the military. So when he decided to up his volunteer game, the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) was an obvious choice.

He applied for the volunteer role of resilience coordinator, which helps the SAF leadership team manage free Red Cross resiliency programming for members of the military, veterans and their families. This includes workshops led by licensed behavioral health facilitators, career counseling and mentoring, among other services.

In addition to becoming a Red Cross volunteer, Norm took another big step this summer. With their adult children and grandchildren already being U.S. citizens, Norm and his wife decided to apply for citizenship and study for the required test that covers civics and American History. At last, on August 1, Norm and his wife attained their goal and became citizens.

A few fun facts about Norm – When he’s not volunteering with the Red Cross SAF team, he is a “super” Philly sports fan with season tickets for the Eagles, Phillies and Flyers! He is also a Gordon Lightfoot and Martin Guitar devotee. And, as a tribute to his Canadian heritage, a Gordon Lightfoot-autographed print of the Edmund Fitzgerald freighter hangs on Norm’s wall.

- Written by Maureen Zug, Submitted photo