Story told by: Nick Gibson

Randy Dymond has been volunteering with the American Red Cross of South Carolina since 2015.

He has volunteered in both Disaster Cycle Services, and our Service to the Armed Forces.

“I ended up meeting a retired Army Colonel named Bob Hawkins,” said Randy. “He was also a Red Cross volunteer for the Services to the Armed Forces, and he was the local coordinator here in the Eastern Chapter.”

The Red Cross has supported military members and families for over a century. Today, we continue to care for the humanitarian needs of the U.S. military community from the time a service member takes the oath when they navigate life as a veteran.

Randy supports military members as a Wellness and Resiliency facilitator with our SAF team, a role that he takes very seriously.

“That is basically doing workshops for active-duty folks, their families, for veterans,” said Randy. “The workshops had things like dealing with deployment issues, dealing with anger management problems, and communication.”

Volunteers are the lifeblood of the Red Cross. Some 90% of our workforce is volunteers.

For disasters big and small, our volunteers provide comfort during what can be the worst days of people’s lives.

Randy encourages anyone interested in making a difference in their community to volunteer with our organization and experience the rewarding impact of helping others.

“You can make a difference in this world. That’s what I would tell a volunteer,” said Randy. “You have so much you have to offer to people that may be in need. The Red Cross is all about fulfilling people’s needs. You could be that one person to help someone get back on track.”

Recently, Randy was honored with the Quilt of Valor. A Quilt of Valor is a handmade quilt presented to service members and veterans who have been touched by war as a symbol of gratitude, comfort, and healing. The program is administered by the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

Randy says so many veterans like himself receive these handmade quilts.

“These people are nominated for the quilts by someone who’s aware of their service, and they give details about their service,” said Randy. “The tradition is, they take the quilt and two people drape it over your shoulders.”

Put on a red vest and join us. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to find out how you can support your community.