Of the many activities I get to participate in with the American Red Cross, perhaps one of my favorite is going out to dinner with my fellow Disaster Action Team (DAT) members during our shift. The decision process on where to eat is usually quite involved, and then we have to make sure we are loaded with all requisite equipment – scanner, phone, clipboard, paper, pens and… oh yeah, the keys!  Dinner always gives us a chance to get to know our teammates better, maybe see a part of the city we are not familiar with and eat somewhere we may not have tried before. 

 

It also gives us the opportunity to be ambassadors for the Red Cross. A lot people in the community are not aware of all of the branches and services that the Red Cross provides. Just last Saturday when spring finally peeked through in St Louis, we decided that Ted Drewes was a must! Of course, we are all wearing our matching red shirts and someone asked us if we were going to be collecting blood. We explained that we respond to disasters every day – fires, floods, etc. and help families affected by those terrible events. There was a big smile on his face and he said how great it was that we did this and especially since we volunteer. It was nice to be recognized for doing what we love! 

 

I am never more proud then when I am wearing my Red Cross gear. It is such a tremendous organization for which to volunteer. The people we get to meet, the clients we get to help and the laughter we share with our team members is truly what I look forward to on every shift!  

 

Lori