It has been three weeks, nearly a month, since the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti. Since then, More than 500 Red Cross workers from around the globe (100 from the United States) have descended on the country, providing food, water, medical care and so much more.

Nearly all of the Red Cross workers are volunteers - people who put their own lives on hold for weeks at a time to help those in need. They don't get paid, the hours are incredibly long, and the conditions often difficult even in the best circumstances. Yet time and again, when there is a crisis, there is a humanitarian spirit that bonds us all to work together to help.

In my admiration of these selfless volunteers, I learned there is a way that those of us who couldn't travel to Haiti can thank them. The American Red Cross has set up a page on its website allowing you to email in a note of thanks. One Red Cross volunteer, Winnie Romeril, who spent two weeks in Haiti, says receiving these notes of support "really help[s] because they remind us that people care. The support keeps us strong, keeps us going and it helps us help others."

Placid Dimanche, 61, talks with American Red Cross worker Winnie Romeril before using the ICRC Family Linking Web site to let his sister in Miami know he is safe. Croix Deprez, Port-au-Prince. January 26, 2010. Photo: Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross.

So if you have a few minutes and you are proud (like me) of the amazing work of the Red Cross, send a "thank you" to those on the front lines.

Katie

Katie Nagus is the communication coordinator for the St. Louis Area Chapter.