BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Alabama chapter of the American Red Cross organization has issued an “urgent” call for volunteers to help respond to emergencies here at home as well as across state lines.
Annette Rowland with the Red Cross of Alabama says that during a historic hurricane season across the southeast, many volunteer workers were deployed from Florida all the way up the eastern seaboard to the Carolinas.
“They were here setting up shelters when we didn’t know where that storm was going to land necessarily.”
90 percent of the Red Cross workforce comes from volunteers. Right now, there is a need for shelter and blood volunteers. Disaster Action Team volunteers, such as shelter volunteers, are trained to work directly with residents to make sure their needs are met after a storm.
While they manage emergency shelters, they are needed year round, even when the weather is not rocky.
“It’s not just big disasters when people think like hurricanes and tornadoes. It can be if you have an apartment fire and people don’t have somewhere to stay and we need to open a shelter,” Rowland said.
The Red Cross also needs two types of blood services volunteers. The first position is as blood donor ambassadors, who greet and register blood donors, as well as assist them through the recovery process at the refreshments table.
There is also an urgent need for blood transportation specialists – life-saving workers who pick up blood donations and deliver them to area hospitals.
“We see a lot of people who maybe can’t donate blood,” Rowland added. “They want to do this because they feel like they’re still giving back.”
To join the Red Cross team, contact Tammy Burks, Senior Volunteer Recruitment Specialist, at (256) 763-1237 or send an email to [email protected].
