Volunteers Carry on Tradition of Knitting, Sewing and Crocheting for a Good Cause

by Heather Wedel, Communications Specialist, American Red Cross North Texas Region

Knitting, sewing and crocheting have been tools American Red Cross volunteers have been using since World War II to give back. For active soldiers, Red Cross volunteers would knit wool socks to help prevent trench foot and to give the soldiers a sense of comfort and love from home. 

The tradition has carried on now for more than 80 years and is still going strong in the Dallas Area Chapter. Every Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., volunteers come to the chapter and dedicate their time to produce over 40 individual items. The items made include: layettes for newborns and still-borns, baby caps and booties, blankets, slippers, wheel chair caddies, bibs, chemotherapy caps, cooling neck wraps for soldiers and more. 

Charlotte, a Red Cross volunteer for more than 30 years,
 with one of her specialty items, a "Textured Worm"
 used as a comfort item for children in the hospital

A "Special Layette" which will go to Parkland Hospitals
for still-born babies

Around 36 volunteers help with this initiative, with an average of five volunteers in the production room every Tuesday, and the rest working remotely from all around North Texas, from the Panhandle to the far east. The items made go to Parkland Hospital, Children's Medical Center, Veteran's Administration Medical Center, Ronald McDonald House, Camp Maxey Canteen, USO, Medical City Dallas and St. Vincent DePaul Society. 

The production room, now named "Albina's Production Room" is named after the team's previous volunteer leader, Albina Young. Albina and her husband Bob were passionate and dedicated volunteers to the Red Cross, volunteering for almost 50 years. Albina and her husband were over 90-years-old when they stopped volunteering due to injuries in a car accident. 

When Albina retired from team leader, Marcia Bauer took over the role. After Marcia moved back to the Dallas area, and her children were grown, she began looking for volunteer opportunities. She recalls her husband recommending the Red Cross and her reacting with "Well yeah, I know, I'm aware of the Red Cross...," but then her husband said, "But did you know you could sew at the Red Cross?" 

"Realizing I could actually use my talent to help the Red Cross is what got me to get involved," said Marcia. 

Marcia has been asked to speak at several volunteer recognition events to share her Red Cross experience. At one event, Marcia mentioned that she needed to learn how to knit, and the next Tuesday she walked into the production room to find a basket with knitting materials and instructional books from the Red Cross. 

When asking Marcia why she volunteers, she stated, "They need me, and I enjoy being here, I enjoy the people, and I get to do what I like, which is sewing and knitting." Another volunteer, Julie Muse, jokingly chimed in, "and talking." 

From left to right: Marcia Bauer, Charlotte Kleinfelder and Julie Muse

"The one thing I always point out is that we deal in comfort," said Marcia. "But the one time we deal in disaster is providing layettes for the still-born babies, because that is a gigantic disaster. But just thinking about all of the things we do, all of them provides some form of comfort."

Julie Muse, a Red Cross volunteer working with a handmade piece

The day we visited the production room three ladies were sewing, knitting and crocheting: Marcia who has been volunteering for more than 15 years, Charlotte who has been volunteering for more than 30 years and Julie who has been volunteering at the Red Cross for two years. 

The production room volunteers have been recognized at many events, and the American Red Cross Dallas Area Chapter is so glad to have them! If you'd like to volunteer in the production room or are interested in other Red Cross volunteer opportunities, visit RedCross.org. 

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5 Unique Ways You Might Not Know You Could Volunteer With the American Red Cross

by Amy Yen, Digital Communications Manager, American Red Cross North Texas Region

We <3 our volunteers!

Volunteers are the heart, soul and engine of the American Red Cross. Nationally, they make up more than 90% of our work force; here in North Texas, it’s closer to 95%. But while you might know that Red Cross volunteers help serve meals in shelters, drive blood units to hospitals and teach CPR in the community, you might not realize that there are more than 70 different roles available for volunteers to fill in North Texas alone. 

Some of these are the kind of opportunities you might expect—we need clerical help just like everyone else—but some are unique positions requiring specific backgrounds, interests and training. Because we look for people with specific skill sets for these roles, we’re always in need of people who might be a good fit. Who knows? You may have exactly the experience and interests that we need and not know it!

Here are five unique ways to volunteer with the Red Cross. If any of these sound like something you could do, please visit RedCross.org/DFW today and fill out an application. We need your help!  

1. International Services Caseworker: Got a little detective in you? Being an International Services caseworker might be for you. Caseworkers work on our Restoring Family Links program, which helps reconnect families separated by international armed conflict or disaster. To find someone whose loved one lost contact with them, a caseworker will use every resource available—from property records to Google searches—to help reunite a family. Social work is a common background for caseworkers, but anyone with good organization skills, compassion, tolerance and a love of detective work can succeed at it. Check out this blog post for more details about what it’s like to be an IS caseworker.


2. Disaster Action Team (DAT) Member: While massive disaster relief efforts after tornadoes and hurricanes get a lot more attention, the most common service provided by the Red Cross happens multiple times a day, every day, in every city and town in the nation: the single-family house or apartment fire. Our Disaster Action Teams (DAT) respond to these and other local emergencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing for the immediate food, shelter and clothing needs of the affected families, as well as first responders on the scene. If you have a passion for helping others and are willing to be on-call a few days a month, being a DAT member is sure to be fulfilling. Here’s a story about one of our Dallas team members.


3. Photographer/Videographer: Photography buff? Video whiz? You can help tell the Red Cross story, so we can show the public, the media and our donors what we’re doing to help. We rely on photographers and videographers with professional-level skills and equipment to capture the moments we want to share, from a group of community supporters putting together care packages for disaster victims to our emergency response vehicles going into debris fields. 


4. Disaster Mental Health Worker: Providing emotional support in the wake of an emergency remains one of the most important services we offer. Our disaster mental health counselors help children and adults cope with the emotional and environmental impact following a disaster by assessing their needs, helping them adjust and assisting in the recovery efforts. This is one of our most difficult volunteer positions to fill because disaster mental health workers must be licensed mental health professionals. If you have an active license in social work, psychiatry, counseling, psychiatric nursing, marriage and family therapy, psychology or other mental health discipline, you can truly make a difference during some of the most traumatic times in someone’s life. Here’s more from one of our counselors about what it’s like to volunteer in this role.


5. Digital Volunteer: Did you know you can volunteer in your pajamas? Our digital volunteers can do just that, working remotely to help tell the Red Cross story online via social media. Digital volunteers help run Red Cross social feeds, including Facebook and Twitter, posting severe weather information, preparedness tips and where people can get and give help. They also help monitor, respond and engage in the social space with people affected by disasters. Have a passion for social media and want to make a difference with your online presence? Being a digital volunteer may be for you.

To learn more about any of these roles or to see other volunteer opportunities with your local American Red Cross chapter, visit RedCross.org. If you have a specific role that you’re interested in, be sure to let us know during your application process.  

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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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