When I was a kid, there was never a question I hated more -except maybe “why don’t you eat your vegetables”- than the infamously posed “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For starters, I knew I wasn’t going to grow up and if I did, I didn’t want to be known as a certain occupation. I wanted to do. And for me, the only thing I wanted to do with my life was make a difference in someone else’s.
Now that I have grown up, arguably so, I find myself working for the American Red Cross and loving it. I have only been here for a few weeks, but I have already become completely enamored by the atmosphere, wanting to learn, know, and do more.
While researching our rich history, I recently came across a vintage recruitment advertisement for the Red Cross. In the poster, a woman proudly carries an American Flag which is draped around her cozily enough to resemble a warm blanket, but bold enough to look like she is carrying the world on her shoulders. She stares out dutifully and longingly, perhaps looking ahead at better days. The text reads “The Spirit of America. Join.”
And suddenly, something about the ad strikes me. Somewhere beneath the hustle and bustle of the jobs that we “are”, beneath the trials and tribulations of our personal lives, beneath the countless emails needing to be returned, hours spent waiting in lines, soccer practices, cell phone calls and mocha latte cappuccino coffees- somewhere beneath all of that, looking at this ad and reflecting on my surprisingly profound revelations for an 8 year old, I am reminded what the true spirit of America is. Similarly to the way I wanted to be viewed when I grew up, America is not defined by what it does for a living, but by what it is. And last time I checked, The United States is made up of a lot of different things, besides our jobs and pop culture. Just look at the people and places, ideas and movements; the Spirit of America lies within each and every individual.
Just as the woman carries America on her shoulders in the Red Cross poster, the Spirit of America lies on our individual shoulders today. Both the woman in the poster and I decided to make a difference and we found what we were looking for by working with the Red Cross. Because to me, when disaster hits (whether it be physically, economically, or emotionally), we do not define ourselves by victims of the disaster but by the small, yet powerful, deeds of caring individuals that rise above. How’s that for American spirit?
While one person’s willingness to make a difference may seem insignificant, it adds up. Take for example our St. Louis Area Chapter. Last year alone over 80,000 individuals were taught how to save lives through CPR and First Aid training, over 1,200 families received food, shelter and clothing after fires, and 1,500 volunteers serviced our community. And that’s just one chapter of one organization. Just imagine what we could do if every individual joined in someway or somehow.
So whatever it is, whether you choose to volunteer with the American Red Cross, recycle and conserve energy, perform random acts of kindness, or just smile at a stranger walking down the street, do something. Join in the effort- any effort- make change, and let’s remind everyone what our American Spirit is really made of.
Lindsey Weber is interning for the St. Louis Area Chapter.