Ed Venere is a volunteer with the Red Cross of South Carolina Disaster Action Team. He responds to disasters in the Charleston area and provides comfort and resources to families impacted by disasters, like home fires.
Story told by Cheary Shelim, Red Cross Volunteer
Edward “Ed” Venere was watching TV when he saw the news about Hurricane Ida approaching Florida. It didn’t take him long to pick up the phone and call the American Red Cross to sign up to volunteer. “Within two weeks, I was deployed to New Jersey because of the flooding left by Hurricane Ida,” he recalls.
Ed joined the Lowcountry Chapter Disaster Action Team (DAT), trained volunteers who provide emotional support, emergency financial assistance, and information to help families recover from disasters. Since then, Ed has deployed to local disasters and across the country about 20 times, including Florida, California, and Texas.
“There’s nothing better than saying, ‘I feel useful.’ Because once you retire, man, you can only play so much golf,” he chuckles. “You really want to contribute. You want to help. You want to give back. And the Red Cross has allowed me to do that.”
Ed goes out at least once a week on a DAT call. “I’m on schedule overnight, so a lot of times the phone will ring at 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and you’ll go and help somebody out,” he shares.
Volunteering with the Red Cross can give you a chance to be a source of refuge and comfort for your community when it matters the most. Ed remembers when he assisted a young woman and her 10-year-old daughter. “They were displaced from their apartment. She was under a lot of stress and strain,” he shared.
After giving her resources to take care of her immediate financial situation, he brought her to speak with one of the Disaster Mental Health volunteers. He was glad to see her receive the help she needed.
Ed is grateful that volunteering has given him the gift of a community and a renewed sense of purpose. “I found such a wonderful group of like-minded, good-hearted people. I’ve always found people that I just enjoy their company, wherever I go. If what you want to do is feel like you’re contributing and helping your fellow human beings, there is no easier way to do it. I get so much out of volunteering. I feel better about myself.”
This Volunteer Week, the Red Cross invites you to put on a red vest and join our team. You can join Edward in helping others in need: redcross.org/volunteertoday
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