For the Westermann family – Marty, his wife of 41 years Karen, and his sister Lisa – retirement has been about giving back and helping others. Fortunately, they chose to volunteer for the American Red Cross.

How it started

Lisa Westermann has been a blood donor for most of her life – a habit she started because her parents donated for as long as they were able.

“In my twenties, I saw them donate religiously,” she said.

As she neared retirement from her career as an insurance underwriter, volunteering with the Red Cross seemed like a great way to stay engaged. So in October 2020, Lisa became a blood donor ambassador – someone who helps ensure blood drives run smoothly to provide a positive experience for donors.

“I remember being at a blood drive and thinking, you know, when I retire, I could be one of those volunteers,” she said.

Her brother Marty credits Lisa with getting him involved.

“Lisa told me, ‘Okay, you’ve been retired for a couple of years. You don’t have COVID as an excuse anymore. Now it’s time to start volunteering,’” he recalled.

Lisa’s encouragement led Marty to explore volunteer roles with Disaster Cycle Services, which connected nicely with his decades of experience as a nuclear reactor operator and nuclear operations and security auditor. He’s also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air Force National Guard.

First, Marty joined the Disaster Action Team (DAT). He’s the DAT coordinator for Chester County, the volunteer partner for the Chester and Delaware County disaster program manager, and he’s active with the disaster workforce engagement, preparedness and logistics teams.

When Marty threw his hat into the mass care and disaster feeding arena, his wife Karen, recently retired from a career in hospitality, stepped up to the plate.

“Somehow, Marty got involved with feeding and sheltering, and I knew he had no real background in that. So I said yes, I can do this with you,” she recalled.

From there, Karen also started helping install smoke alarms with the Home Fire Campaign.

Like Lisa, Karen was no stranger to the Red Cross. She started donating blood in high school and was even a direct donor for her neighbor’s sister who was battling breast cancer.

Lisa took notice of all the new activities Karen and Marty were joining.

“I was doing blood drives, and these two guys were doing all this stuff, and Marty’s taking all these courses. So at a blood drive, if it’s slow, I’d start taking some disaster courses,” she said.

Soon, Lisa found herself joining Marty and Karen in disaster feeding and smoke alarm installations. Marty also “volunteered” her to help input disaster intake information in RC Care. And she enters all of the Home Fire Campaign paperwork into the national system after smoke alarm installs.

“Marty says I brought him in but then he really got me more involved with a lot of other stuff,” she said.

How it’s going

If there’s a Red Cross activity somewhere in Southeastern Pennsylvania, there’s probably a Westermann nearby. They balance their volunteer work with family time, especially with Karen and Marty’s children and young grandsons, ages 5 months and 5 years. But the Red Cross is a frequent family topic of discussion.

“They’re getting used to when they visit us every once in a while, that I have to disappear for a little bit. They get it,” Marty said.

Karen shared that once their son even asked “if dad was getting PTO for the holiday.” She reminded him, “No, I don’t think so. Remember we’re volunteers, honey.”

What keeps them motivated? For Marty, it’s his fellow volunteers.

“We work with some pretty amazing volunteers. As I get introduced to them, I’m amazed at the backgrounds they have and how they care about their neighbors. It kind of pulls you in. You get a common link,” he shared.

For Lisa, it’s meeting blood donors and hearing their stories and continuing the blood donation legacy started by her parents.

“They’re not only giving their blood, but they’re giving their time,” she said. “Some people come in as couples or families, and they talk about what they do, why they donate. People are pretty amazing.”

For Karen it’s providing comfort in tough times.

“Knowing that food to a lot of people is comfort, by just allowing them to have something in their stomachs, to have that comfort, it’s a good feeling,” she said.

If those aren’t enough reasons to volunteer, Marty has another.

“When I first started, I was so in awe that volunteers run the Red Cross! Like it wouldn’t exist otherwise! And that’s really cool and really neat and really heartwarming. And it restores your faith in humanity, at least for me,” he shared. “It’s good to get out with some good people. And you end up getting more than what you give.”

- Written by Alana Mauger, Submitted photo