Lysa Hieber has spent much of her life caring for the health of others. In the 1980’s she began volunteering with the American Red Cross in North Carolina. After careers with the U.S. Public Health Services and then the U.S. Air Force, she came home to the Red Cross once again when she retired from the military. “I had volunteered for the Red Cross when I was younger, and when I retired, I was deciding what to do next. I figured the Red Cross could use my help again,” Hieber explained.
Hieber contacted her local Chapter and began volunteering in Disaster Services. Currently she serves as Disaster Health Services Lead for her Chapter in San Antonio, Texas. She was deployed for Hurricanes Florence and Michael, and is currently serving her third national deployment helping tornado survivors in Opelika, AL.
Jim Brazell calls the Cincinnati, OH area home. He began volunteering for the Cincinnati/Dayton Area Chapter six years ago. Brazell cares for the well-being of survivors too, but his specialty is Spiritual Care. At home, he serves as the Spiritual Care Lead for his chapter, but he routinely answers the call to travel on deployment and go wherever he is needed. “A critical piece of our services to our clients is to offer them hope and encouragement,” Brazell said. “We help them plan their next steps within their spiritual traditions and with the resources available to them,” Brazell added.
Hieber and Brazell are currently working at a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) set up near the community of Beauregard, AL. A powerful EF-4 tornado swept through the area on March 3, destroying hundreds of homes and claiming 23 lives. The MARC allows survivors to come to one location and get assistance from numerous agencies including Red Cross, United Way, FEMA, Salvation Army, East Alabama Community Food Bank and many more. Nothing can ever replace what was lost in this community on March 3, but the work of volunteers like Lisa and Jim is critical to helping survivors heal and recover.
To get involved with the American Red Cross as a volunteer, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.
