By Mimi Teller, American Red Cross

Yiwei Chen has always been drawn to the quiet intuition of Mary Poppins. “Mary Poppins knows when you need her. She flies in and helps,” Yiwei said. “And when she gets you settled, she flies away to the next family in crisis.”

That idea—flying in to help and moving on to the next person in need—stayed with Yiwei, and eventually led her to volunteer with the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region.

Her path to service began early. In high school, she realized she had a knack for rallying people around a cause, raising $7,000 in a single weekend through bake sales and by helping fill audiences for game shows and TV tapings in Los Angeles. She assumed fundraising would always be her way of giving back.

When she first joined the Red Cross, that was her plan. Instead, she was encouraged to start in Disaster Cycle Services. She agreed, expecting to volunteer there briefly before shifting into philanthropy.

Sixteen years later, she laughs about that original plan. Since joining, Yiwei has dedicated herself to direct care—providing for families on their hardest days and helping ensure they have somewhere safe to land and the support they need once they’re in Red Cross care.

She has supported more than 30 disasters, including deployments to Guam and the January Los Angeles wildfires. During the LA fires, she worked closely with community partners to help residents in shelters transition into longer-term housing. And while many would consider beginning the year with a major disaster more than enough, Yiwei  chose to end the year on another deployment—this time as Mass Care chief for catastrophic flooding in Washington state, overseeing sheltering, feeding and the distribution of emergency supplies over the Christmas holiday.

“I started on the Los Angeles fires response a little later into the mission,” Yiwei said. “It wasn’t as action‑oriented as stepping in early on a response. I needed that. Besides, I’m single and available—might as well deploy.”

One night during the Washington deployment, as she watched water levels rise, her Mary Poppins instinct told her the people of Auburn would soon need a safe place to turn. Long before the sun was even up, she woke her team so the Red Cross could open a shelter that was ready to serve 85 people seeking refuge from the cold, wet winter darkness.

Yiwei ’s grounded leadership makes her critical to any disaster operation she supports. She brings deep experience to every response, but she also brings a reassuring presence—a Mary Poppins‑sort of warmth that reminds people they’re in capable hands.

And just like Mary Poppins, once people are settled and supported, Yiwei moves on to wherever she’s needed next.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.