Suzanne Garrett’s connection with the Red Cross began early on in life. When she was a baby, her mother was diagnosed with cancer in Virginia while her father was in North Carolina serving in the Army Reserves.
“The Red Cross got my dad from the field and brought him to the hospital,” Suzanne said. “They really helped out our family. Even though my dad wasn't out of the country at that time, the Red Cross got him home where he was needed.”
In 2007, Suzanne became a founding member of the Tiffany Circle, a community of women leaders who advance the American Red Cross mission. Her experience as a teacher and in educating children about staying safe in emergencies drew her to disaster work. Suzanne completed Red Cross shelter training then deployed to Napa, Calif., in 2020 to support wildfire survivors. While distributing meals at a shelter, she met a mother of three children who always had a smile on her face.
“Her house hadn’t burned, and it was getting close to the time that she could go back home,” Suzanne said. “She gave me a big hug and said, ‘Thank you.’” Moments like this made a great impact on Suzanne. “This was a great lesson early on,” she recalled. “It makes you want to do it for more people, not to get the hugs, but knowing that you are having a positive effect on them.
“I see the need when people have been displaced by a disaster, whether it's a single home or a large wildfire or flood. I see firsthand how we're filling that need. That's fulfilling for me.”
Suzanne also deployed virtually to Kentucky twice in 2022 following floods and tornadoes. Focusing on recovery work, Suzanne supported people who called the Red Cross for information about home repairs, where to go next, and food and clothing referrals.
She spoke with one client every day about his home repair assistance until one day, he didn’t call. Concerned because he was living alone in his damaged home, she called him. “He was so thrilled that I remembered, and he promised to call every day after that.” For Suzanne, this experience was a good reminder that she could touch people’s lives even through virtual recovery work.
Reflecting on her engagement in the Tiffany Circle, both locally and now as a member of the Tiffany Circle National Council, Suzanne credits shared efforts for the growth of the Tiffany Circle program. “I love it,” she said. “I like what we do, and it’s allowed me to learn from and become friends with people from all over and with different backgrounds.” These members are all tremendous Red Cross supporters, and their enduring friendships are all rooted in the organization’s mission — what Suzanne calls “the unified cause that we're all striving for.”
They all support the Red Cross in different ways: some are active in their chapter, others sit on their local board, and others are active volunteers who travel to communities in a disaster’s wake. “[That variety] makes us stronger and more knowledgeable about the Red Cross as a whole,” Suzanne said. “And that’s important because then you talk to people and answer questions and keep building.”
Suzanne offers words of encouragement to people who are considering becoming a Red Cross volunteer. “Volunteering is extremely flexible,” she said, emphasizing the variety of time commitments and in-person and virtual activities. “There’s something for everyone.”
Suzanne mostly talks with potential volunteers about how they can make a difference in people’s lives, potentially in their worst possible moments.
In November, Suzanne deployed to Florida supporting hurricane relief operations, continuing her lifelong relationship with the American Red Cross. “You can find time to do something you're passionate about, and it will reward you many times over.”
