A Helping Hand
by Amber D. Browne
Growing up along the Gulf Coast in Corpus Christi, Larry Bushwar became familiar with the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes. His parents rode out a few of the storms when he was a child, and he saw first-hand the destruction caused by Mother Nature. "Disasters do not
discriminate between races, gender or economic status. I saw how people from all walks of life stood together to help their fellow neighbors in tough times," Larry explained. "Even though I was a child, those things stick in your mind forever."
As an adult living in Wichita Falls, Larry experienced another brush with a natural disaster. He had recently graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and was working for the Internal Revenue Service. A massive tornado touched down near his apartment complex during the spring of 1979.
"That was my first time to see a tornado up close. I actually saw the tornado. It was huge,” Larry explained.
As an IRS representative, Larry worked with residents who had been affected by the destruction of the tornado. “I guess this is where I really realized how helpful I could be in a disaster,” he said. “I saw how all these people and organizations all came together for the common good of our fellow neighbors.”
That instinct and determination to help others led Larry to the American Red Cross. He volunteers with the Red Cross as a government operations liaison and a disaster assessment coordinator. His primary focus is working with state and city officials during a disaster.
To read the complete article, visit the online issue and turn to page 24.
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