Superstorm Sandy Case Workers: Living the Red Cross Mission

written by Ken Riel, staff contributor

Randolph Gray works in the offices of the Red Cross Greater New York Chapter on the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief team.

Three months after Super storm Sandy slammed into the Northeast United States, the American Red Cross is still on the scene responding to the needs of the affected communities.  Here is the story of one Red Cross volunteer who has a passion for bringing comfort and aid to the communities and individuals who suffered loses in the storm.

From two war-torn countries in Africa to hurricane Isaac along the Gulf Coast and Super Storm Sandy in the Northeast, Randolph Gray is a volunteer who has seen the need for Humanitarian aid and has put himself in the middle of the fray to live the Red Cross Mission.

Randolph first volunteered at the Iberia National Red Cross in 1998 to help bring humanitarian aid to his civil war-torn country. In 2008 he moved to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) where he was employed as a logistics officer in War-torn Darfur for a year in the Sudan, until he moved to Arlington with his family.

Having been in the United States for one day, he completed an application to become a volunteer with the American Red Cross at the Chisholm Trail chapter in Fort Worth in early August 2012. Immediately upon completing his orientation, he responded to the call for volunteers to help set up a shelter for Hurricane Isaac evacuees and also registered for the Shelter training class being conducted that same evening. He then made himself available as a shelter staff member the next day.

When Super Storm Sandy hit the northeastern U.S. he was one of the first at the Chisholm Trail chapter to volunteer in November and was promptly deployed to New Jersey as a shelter worker. Three weeks later he returned home and very shortly was back to New York volunteering on an ERV and delivering meals to the neighborhoods that had been impacted by the storm. On his third deployment to New York he volunteered as a Client Caseworker serving with our partner agencies FEMA and the Salvation Army collecting information to determine the assistance that could be extended to the families and individuals who had suffered losses in the storm. In every situation above Randolph was driven by the desire to provide Humanitarian Aid and do his part to alleviate human suffering.

There are thousands of stories of those who have served selflessly and it would take volumes to list them all. This is the story of one dedicated man who has filled and continues to live the Red Cross Mission. Thank you Randolph and thank you to all the volunteers who continue to serve and support the American Red Cross.

To begin your volunteer story with the Red Cross or make a life changing donation to our mission, visir redcross.org.

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