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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