Philadelphia Summer Events

A large group of about fifteen smiling American Red Cross volunteers and staff pose together indoors for a group photo. Most are wearing bright red Red Cross T-shirts, while a few wear polo shirts or casual attire. They are gathered in a brightly lit hallway or atrium decorated with festive red, white, and blue balloon arches and hanging international flags in the background.

Summer event series volunteers and staff pause for a group photo before one of their shifts. Photo by Alana Mauger / American Red Cross

June 26, 2026

Hundreds of American Red Cross volunteers from Southeastern Pennsylvania are stepping up this summer as Philadelphia welcomes visitors from around the world for a season of major events, matches and celebrations. From June 14 to July 14, 2026, up to 60 volunteers will be on the ground each day to support 13 large-scale events across the city.

“Our goal is to strengthen community safety and resilience while making sure the Red Cross is ready to respond if large-scale support is needed,” said Jennifer Graham, CEO, American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania. “We’re working closely with our partners to anticipate and prepare for whatever needs emerge.”

To do that, Red Cross volunteer teams are strategically positioned throughout the city on key event days, ready to jump into action if needed.

Positioned for Rapid Response

During soccer matches, volunteers are staffing family resource centers at South Philadelphia High School and Parkway Central Library alongside the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and other city agencies. These volunteer teams bring expertise in sheltering and client care. An amateur radio (ham) operator is also embedded with each team to support emergency communications.

Four smiling Red Cross volunteers sit behind a long white folding table indoors. From left to right, a man in a red Red Cross T-shirt sits next to a cooler, a man in a black Red Cross T-shirt wearing a baseball cap sits with his hands clasped, a woman in a red Red Cross T-shirt rests her hands on the table, and a woman in a red Red Cross T-shirt sits on the far right. Closed lockers and double doors are visible in the background.

Family resource center volunteers on standby at South Philly High School on June 14. Pictured (from left) Sheltering Supervisor Hal Cohen, Amateur Radio Operator Alex Haddad, Disaster Spiritual Care Service Associate Sharon White and Sheltering Service Associate Valarie Kania. Submitted photo

With teams and resources already in place before they’re needed, the centers can open in mere moments and serve as places of refuge for people evacuating.

“If something were to happen, our teams are prepositioned to receive people, begin gathering their contact info and take inventory of their immediate needs,” explained volunteer Debbie Tevlin, who is heading up the Red Cross operations team for the event series.

And because government operations volunteers maintain a presence in the city’s Emergency Operations Center on key days, the Red Cross can quickly spring into action. These volunteers are part of the external relations team and serve as liaisons between Red Cross and city leadership.

Government Operations volunteers Bruce Swift and Sandy Capoferri at the Philadelphia Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on June 19. Submitted photo

In addition to the resource centers and city EOC, volunteer teams are stationed inside a mobile EOC near fan events at Lemon Hill to help law enforcement with family reunification on match days. They’re also serving in that capacity during several large Wawa Welcome America events around the city.

Disaster Action Team responder LeRoy Whitehead was part of the first Red Cross team to staff the mobile EOC at Lemon Hill on June 14th. He was impressed by what he saw.

“We were in a massive trailer with multiple rooms, and there were 15 gigantic screens showing feeds from cameras everywhere. Every part of the part of the fan fest grounds was covered,” he shared.

LeRoy and his teammate Aurora Reardanz were given space directly behind officers from the Philadelphia Police Department so they could readily assist with family reunification.

“We were called into action for a brief moment,” he said, but thankfully police officers quickly located the missing child’s family. “It was nice to be ready, to be there right in the mix. It made me proud to be part of the Red Cross.”

LeRoy said he was most impressed by the way representatives from the different regional and national agencies worked collaboratively together, especially when they had to shut down the festivities early because of impending storms.

“People put their egos aside to protect and serve the community,” he said.

Disaster Action Team Responder LeRoy Whitehead stands smiling inside a long, narrow mobile emergency operations center (EOC) trailer. He wears a red American Red Cross polo shirt, a black baseball cap, khaki pants, and a volunteer badge around his neck. A bright red "RED CROSS" sign is mounted on the wall to his left, and further down the hallway, yellow and blue signs mark "FAA" and "FBI" stations above long rows of desks and equipment.

Disaster Action Team Responder LeRoy Whitehead inside the mobile emergency operations center (EOC) at Lemon Hill on June 14. Photo by Aurora Reardanz / American Red Cross

Behind the Scenes Support

The Spring Garden Campus serves as the home base for Red Cross summer event operations. From here, a dedicated group of volunteers and staff coordinate logistics, transportation, technology, meals, emergency communications and other key support functions.

Disaster Action Team specialist Terri Whiteford worked the first summer events ambassador shift on June 14th. As an ambassador, she delivered a warm welcome, distributed swag – including a T-shirt, sunglasses and a personal care kit with sunscreen, bug spray and hand sanitizer – provided directions and made sure everyone knew their assignments.

“We’ve got a lot of guests in Philadelphia right now, and I’m really pleased the city reached out to the Red Cross because we’re really good at this,” she said.

Indoors at a white round table, Ambassador Terri Whiteford, wearing a purple shirt, smiles as she hands a clear plastic swag bag filled with items to shuttle driver John Timalonis. John stands smiling on the left, wearing a red American Red Cross volunteer vest over a white t-shirt, a baseball cap, and glasses. A sign-in sheet and a pen sit on the table between them.

Ambassador Terri Whiteford (right) gives shuttle driver John Timalonis (left) a swag bag before his shift on June 14 at the Spring Garden Campus. Photo by Alana Mauger / American Red Cross

As a huge soccer fan, Disaster Action Team responder Bonnie Baker couldn’t wait for her first of many shifts as ambassador lead on June 25th. She played soccer in college, coached her daughter’s club team and is even a certified referee! Bonnie said she was compelled to get involved with the summer events in some way, and the ambassador lead role seemed like a good fit.

“I really love the opportunity to meet other volunteers at the Red Cross, and everyone has been so welcoming,” she said.

Field teams start and end their shifts at the Spring Garden Campus without the hassle of parking thanks to volunteer drivers who shuttle the teams to and from their assigned locations across the city.

But before they leave, mass care volunteers provide meals and pack coolers with food and drinks for the day and evening shifts ahead. Feeding team member Mike Kucenic said it’s their job to “bring smiles.”

Three smiling mass care feeding team volunteers stand behind a long table covered in a red tablecloth indoors. On the right, Karen Westermann wears a blue Red Cross polo shirt, a khaki visor, and blue medical gloves as she carefully slices a decorated sheet cake. To her left, Mike Kucenic wears a red Red Cross "America 250" t-shirt and a red baseball cap, while Kevin Savage stands smiling in the background. Packages of black paper plates, napkins, and other food service items are laid out on the table.

Mass care feeding team volunteers (from left) Mike Kucenic, Kevin Savage and Karen Westermann prepare to feed field volunteers before their shift. Photo by Alana Mauger / American Red Cross

Roles like shuttle driver and ambassador open opportunities to volunteers who don’t typically work in disaster services. For example, several blood transportation specialists have picked up shuttle shifts, and volunteers across the organization are welcoming and onboarding field workers as ambassadors.

That’s what led Kim Majczan to sign up for an ambassador shift on June 25th. She usually volunteers as an ambassador of a different kind – one that helps ensure blood donors have a positive experience at mobile blood drives.

“I wanted to meet volunteers from other areas. I also wanted to see this building,” she said, referring to the Spring Garden Campus.

Inside a modern office space, five Red Cross volunteers gather around a small white table for a briefing. On the left, Assistant Director of Operations Debbie Tevlin stands wearing a red shirt and black pants, gesturing with her hand as she speaks. Seated around the table are regional mass care manager Heather Gale, deputy job director Marty Westermann, and ambassadors Kim Majczan and Bonnie Baker. In the background, a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall displays a commemorative "20 Years of Service" graphic.

Assistant director of operations Debbie Tevlin briefs ambassadors Kim Majczan (left) and Bonnie Baker (right) at the start of their shifts onJune 25. Regional mass care manager Healther Gale and deputy job director Marty Westermann are also pictured. Photos by Alana Mauger / American Red Cross

In addition to serving as the base of operation, the Spring Garden Campus is a backup Red Cross shelter location in the event that disaster workers need to be brought in from outside the Philadelphia area. Local volunteers and staff are covering on-call shelter shifts through July 22nd to ensure everything is ready if needed.

Volunteers Power the Mission

Volunteers are the backbone of the American Red Cross and make up 90% of the organization’s humanitarian workforce. They carry out direct service roles, like responding to disasters, helping at blood drives, providing services to military families and teaching community preparedness. They also support the Red Cross internally in functional areas like operations, communications and financial development.

Together, this wide range of volunteer contributions enables the Red Cross to reach more people and provide timely, compassionate care when it matters most. Visit our website to learn about the many volunteer opportunities in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

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- Written by Alana Mauger