National Volunteer Week: Heroes Who Support Red Cross Mission

National Volunteer Week begins April 20, honoring those who give their time and talent to help others. Volunteers are the true heart of the American Red Cross, representing 90% of our workforce. Last year, more than 300,000 individuals volunteered their time to the Red Cross, and we recognize and thank them for their support.

Here we highlight several whose work supports our mission:

Henry Ayala, San Juan, Puerto Rico, champions both his culture and Spanish language to serve members of the military, veterans and their families.

In times of emergency, the Red Cross helps military families communicate with their loved ones and helps facilitate their return home during a verified emergency through our Hero Care Network. Henry was once in need of Red Cross support himself. He received an emergency communication message when he was serving in the U.S. military. He later joined the Red Cross with his wife in Puerto Rico, first as a Disaster Action Team responder, and now with the Service to the Armed Forces team within the organization.

As a volunteer with the Red Cross Hero Care Network, one of Henry’s primary responsibilities is casework. “I ensure that my case workers conduct family follow-ups with the veteran’s family and provide them with information on how to send an emergency communication message to their loved ones in the military,” he explained.

“I love to help and serve other people like I was helped … I am of Hispanic origin and being bilingual helps me out a lot. The problem is we need more bilingual volunteers because not everyone speaks English here in Puerto Rico which makes it more difficult to find a translator to help,” he said.

Génesis López is a logistics volunteer for the Red Cross Puerto Rico Chapter (Cruz Roja Americana Capítulo de Puerto Rico) who helps ensure relief supplies reach people in need after disasters. She joined the organization after Hurricane Maria in 2017 — and now roughly eight years later, she says the Red Cross is like family to her.

Génesis encourages more people who are Latino and Hispanic to volunteer with the Red Cross to ensure families who speak Spanish have a path to assistance after disasters. “It must be extremely difficult to go through a disaster and not feel that your voice is heard,” she said. “It is important to be able to communicate your needs and that will not happen if there are no Spanish-speaking people. We need volunteers who know how to translate and connect with the people we are helping.”

Carmen Hernandez also became a Red Crosser after Hurricane Maria. “I felt like I had to do something to help Puerto Rico,” says Carmen, who was retired at the time. “There was an announcement that they needed volunteers. They said where they were recruiting. I went on Thursday and started on Friday.”

First helping disaster victims and now supporting Puerto Rico’s military community through the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces program, Carmen is a Red Cross Hero Care caseworker who helps families by relaying emergency communication messages through the 24/7, global Hero Care Network.

Volunteering has been an especially meaningful journey for Carmen, who was once helped by the Red Cross. “I was in the Army and my dad died in Puerto Rico,” Carmen shares. “I was in Germany and so was my mom. We returned to Puerto Rico through the Red Cross. All this experience has given me the opportunity to understand family members on calls and have the empathy to help others.”

Reflecting on why she continues to volunteer, Carmen says, “I have had many beautiful experiences. I've met a lot of people in the Red Cross, people who have been in the military. The way you see life when you help others fills you physically, mentally and spiritually. To all those who wish and have the time to be part of this great organization that is the Red Cross, do not think twice and offer your time as you can.”

Caleb Alarcon, a sophomore from Aiea High School in Hawaii, started his journey with the Red Cross when he was 7 years old, attending and helping at Red Cross events with his family. He then became an official volunteer when he was 13. He is now serving in his second year as president of the Hawaii Chapter Red Cross Youth Club after serving as the treasurer.

Caleb helps install free smoke alarms and educates residents about fire safety. He is also a FEMA Region IX Youth Council member, focused on helping to teach young people how to prepare for emergencies as a Prepare with Pedro assistant presenter anda Hands-Only CPR assistant trainer. He has also delivered Hands-Only CPR training to multiple schools and community organizations.

Caleb participated in Missing Maps, an international project led by the American Red Cross and partner organizations, working toward a common goal of creating accessible map data wherever humanitarian organizations work around the globe. He also took part in Be Red Cross Ready events and collected toiletries and canned goods for military members and veterans. Caleb also collected recyclable cans and bottles for over 7 months to donate a total of $176.04 to the American Red Cross of Hawaii.

Volunteering has taught Caleb valuable and memorable life lessons and allowed him to support causes he cares about. Caleb hopes to inspire his peers to volunteer and experience the joy of helping and making a positive difference in the lives of others.

JOIN US The Red Cross is responding nonstop with a new major disaster occurring as often as every 15 days. The need for volunteers has never been greater. Become a Red Cross volunteer. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to learn more about some of our most needed volunteer positions.