I Cross My Heart

Photo courtesy of American Red Cross

by Sydney Holt, volunteer contributor

“I Cross My Heart” – A promise, playground rhyme and a familiar country tune, the saying “I cross my heart” is one that we associate with the truth or a pledge. When it comes to taking the pledge to volunteer, I think many of us become overwhelmed and let our commitments fall by the wayside between school, work, parenting and all the other roles we take on as productive members of society. Well, listen up because do I have news for you… Volunteering can be what YOU make it!

Don’t believe me? 30 minutes, a few hours, part-time – take a look at a few ways you can volunteer with DFW Red Cross in 2014 – I “Cross My Heart” it’ll be quick!

30 – 45 minutes – Donate Blood. Contribute to your community's blood supply and change lives. Do it on your own schedule, volunteer as much as and as often as your schedule permits.

A few hours - Learn CPR or Become a Red Cross Instructor. Be ready to serve your community (and loved ones) at any time by learning the important skill of CPR. Then take it to the next level by attending additional courses to become a certified Red Cross Instructor. The Red Cross also offers other life-saving training classes, including Lifeguarding, Babysitting & Swimming/Water Safety.

More flexible – Admin work, accounting experience, writing experience – we welcome all of your talents! To search for opportunities in the DFW area (and beyond) click here.

No time? Don’t feel bad – be a financial participant by donating $10 – text ‘redcross’ to 90999.

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What do you call a full-time volunteer? Tom

by Catherine Carlton, volunteer contributor

Tom Elliot poses with his Bravo Zulu coin.

Tom Elliot is the kind of volunteer that he says “you kind of call full-time.”

After retiring from a career as a top cop, Tom played golf and went fishing. 

“I figured out I couldn’t do that every day,” he said. “I got bored.” 

He heard a Red Cross call for help on the radio after Hurricane Gustav hit and volunteers were needed. 

“I said I can do that,” Tom said.

They put him to work in the warehouse; soon he was delivering supplies to shelters.

And he has not stopped working, more specifically volunteering, since. 

“They told me if you really want to learn, pack your bags,” he said, before packing his bags and heading out to Galveston to help with Hurricane Ike relief for two weeks. 

He now is the logistics guy. He handles safety, asset protection and safety inspections, among many other duties. He is also in charge of all the Red Cross fleet, managing the 138 vehicles in the region. 

“He offers sound, practical advice, and I have come to rely on his wisdom in all areas of fleet management,” said Stacey Wood, American Red Cross Director of Business Operations. “The Red Cross is truly blessed to have such a dedicated volunteer.”

Tom continues to go out on one big disaster relief trip each year: Tennessee in 2010 for flooding, Mississippi in 2011 following tornadoes; New York following Sandy last year, and Colorado this year following the flooding. 

This all translates to about a 5 to 7-hour work day during the week, plus all the 12-hour days when working a disaster. 

“He never says no to anyone with a need,” said Barb Stevens, Disaster Workforce Engagement Manager, American Red Cross. “We just wouldn't make it without him.” 

Last month, Tom was honored for his work with a Bravo Zulu coin, presented to Red Crossers for exemplary service. It was a creation of North Texas Regional CEO, and retired Navy vet, T.D. Smyers.

When thanked for his work, volunteering and more, Tom says, “I’m not here for the thanks. I know that what I’m doing takes care of the people who need our help.” 

Which is what makes him exemplary.

Start your Red Cross story the way Tom did at RedCross.org/DFW.

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Like Mother, Like Son: Teaching and Learning in Service as a Red Cross Mom

by Rebecca Lawson, staff contributor 

Red Cross Dallas Chapter
Board Member Jodi Lash

Growing up, Jodi Lash remembers watching her parents pay their bills every few weeks – and how they always set aside a little for charity, even though they didn’t have much. Now, as a Bonnie McElveen Hunter Lifetime Tiffany Circle member, Legacy Society member and Chair of the Dallas Area Chapter Board, Jodi has not only continued her parents’ charitable example with her children, but continues to make a lasting impact within the Red Cross. 

When Jodi first began supporting the Red Cross, like many, she associated it with disaster relief, blood and the lifesaving classes she had taken as a child. But once she got more involved, she discovered the full scope of its mission and was inspired by the spirit of volunteerism and seeing “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” She felt compelled to do something on a bigger scale. 

Upon moving to Dallas in 2006, Jodi recalls touring the Dallas warehouse along with her son, Jonathan, who she and her husband were teaching about charitable giving: “I remember welling up with tears as they explained how the warehouse mobilizes and what it’s used for…I was thinking, I have to be part of this.” Her son was equally impressed, and as a result made his first charitable gift, purchasing much needed blankets with his Bar Mitzvah money for the Red Cross. 

As it turns out, that warehouse tour was only the beginning of the Red Cross journey for both mother and son. Jonathan began volunteering at the Dallas Area Chapter, at first working in the warehouse and then gradually in each of the other departments, as part of the Volunteer Public Service component of the Congressional Award. At age 16, he also became a certified CPR instructor, teaching others how to save lives. Jodi recalls how Jonathan wanted so badly to go with the disaster teams out on calls: “He would say to me, ‘I don’t feel like I’m doing enough.’ But I explained to him, you really are – because someone you train may go out and save a life.” 

Jodi was equally taken with the Dallas Tiffany Circle when she attended one of their luncheons shortly after moving to Dallas. “They had such a passion for the mission, and such big generous hearts, and they welcomed me with a huge Texas welcome” Jodi joined the Dallas Tiffany Circle in 2008 and became a Bonnie McElveen Hunter Lifetime member in 2011. “The women who are part of this special group are so incredible,” says Jodi. “They span all age groups and backgrounds and professions and geographic locations, but they all come together in this tightly bonded group of women who rally around the mission of the Red Cross.” 

Jodi and Jonathan’s Red Cross experiences came together at a Dallas Tiffany Circle event last year, where Jonathan was the speaker and gave a hands-on CPR demonstration. 

Overall, Jodi says, “The different ways everyone helps really makes up the heart of the Red Cross. And it has such broad implications as it spreads out into the community.” Jodi has certainly lived that message – both through her own work as board chair and with Tiffany Circle, and by passing that legacy of philanthropy to her children, as it was passed to her. 

To begin your Red Cross story, visit us at redcross.org/dfw.

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Spring Into Action, Volunteer and Change Lives

by Catherine Carlton, volunteer contributor 

It’s the first day of Spring. The seasons change. The animals start to have their babies, and we celebrate the beginning of longer days. 

What better way to spend those longer days than by volunteering and giving back to your community?

Volunteers helping at a shelter
during Hurricane Issac

The Red Cross makes it easy to volunteer in a variety of ways. 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood supply; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.

The next number is what makes all of that work truly remarkable: The Red Cross is made up of a group of people who want to dedicate their time and talents to bringing good to the world, more than 90% of whom are volunteers. 

Want to truly put a spring in your step this season? Here are some ways you can bring life to others as we watch the world bloom around us

• Volunteer in the community. From serving on our disaster response team to helping with clerical work in our offices, we need folks from every background whether you can help an hour or month or 40. 
• Give blood. The American Red Cross provides about 40 percent of the nation’s blood. You can help literally save lives by donating your blood. 
• Be a digital advocate. Help us to support the Red Cross cause using social media. Read and share stories with the thousands of people whose lives have intersected with the Red Cross. 

Thanks to our new site especially for volunteers, Volunteer Connection, finding and managing your volunteer path with the Red Cross is easier than ever. "We believe Volunteer Connection will improve our response to community needs and deliver services of the Red Cross mission by better engaging one of our greatest assets — the talents, time and dedication of our volunteers," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the Red Cross. Check out this video for more:


And perhaps the best part of volunteering for the American Red Cross, is what YOU get out of it. Volunteers that joined us at this time last year had no idea in just a few weeks they would be helping us with the DFW tornado outbreak, and there is no way we could have served the people affected by those storms without their help! 

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to become a Red Cross volunteer, it’s right now. Check out this infographic for more on how you can help and visit redcross.org to begin your story today! 

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