Chris Drews, American Red Cross of Wisconsin

By Brian Murnahan, Red Cross Public Affairs

The Ocean Center Shelter, run by the American Red Cross in Daytona Beach, just a block from the Atlantic Ocean, opened on Saturday, October 2, to residents who lost their homes due to Hurricane Ian. Chris Drews of Wisconsin, a member of the Red Cross spiritual care team, arrives daily to be a resource to the shelter's residents as they cope with all the life changes daily.

Drews arrived in Orlando on October 2, 2022, and has volunteered at the Ocean Center Shelter since it opened.

"My first disaster deployment was for Hurricane Harvey on the night shift at a Houston area Baptist Church," said Drews. "After I retired, I wanted to find a way that I could give back to my community and use my God-given skills and gifts."

Drews arrived on Saturday and has arrived daily at the Ocean Center Shelter to care for his residents. Over the time he has been a volunteer with the Red Cross, Drews has worked in Blood Services, as a disaster action team member, on the home fire campaign, caseworker and spiritual care team.

Drews went through a two-year intensive study program to become a lay minister. Thank you, Chris for living the Red Cross mission.

Jeanine Swick, Red Cross of Massachusetts

By Duhane Lindo, Red Cross Public Affairs

Assisting the recovery of the thousands of Florida residents impacted by Hurricane Ian requires a team effort. The Red Cross depends on its volunteers to help meet its mission of providing relief and comfort to those affected by Hurricane Ian and other disasters around the country.

Jeanine Swick has volunteered with the Red Cross for 28 years as a disaster responder.

Jeanine usually operates out of the Massachusetts region; however, given the scale of Ian’s destruction, she arrived in Florida to assist with local recovery efforts.

Jeanine has been tasked with distributing emergency supplies, which she said is interesting and enjoyable work.

"I deal with bulk supplies, pallets of water, clean-up kits, MREs, recovery bags, tarps for roofs, shovels, rakes and anything else people would need to recover," she said. "We hand them out in the impacted communities either by driving through or at a fixed location like a shopping center or large parking lot and then we load things into their vehicles."

She said she continues to volunteer after so many years, "You get to meet people, you get to help people out. It is an interesting process. It feels good to do this type of work and to help somebody out when they're in need. So it's always a good feeling."

She encourages others to volunteer as well. "If you're interested in helping others and giving them a hand-up, this is a good way to do it," she said. "There are many ways you can volunteer within the Red Cross. You don't have to go out into the disaster zones. You can become a blood donor. You can stay in your local community and help people recover."

If you are interested in volunteering for the Red Cross, please visit www.redcross.org

Paul Duclos, Red Cross Northern New England Region

 Stephanie Wesseling, Red Cross Public Affairs

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Red Cross Volunteers from all over the country have arrived in communities throughout southwest Florida to assist survivors of the powerful Category 4 storm.

Last week, Paul Duclos from Bethel, Maine, arrived in Florida from Kentucky, where he had been deployed for disaster relief in parts of the state facing historic flooding. In Fort Myers, Duclos is helping the logistics teams ensure much-needed supplies get to the hardest-hit communities after Hurricane Ian's landfall in southwest Florida.

Duclos and his wife became Red Cross volunteers after seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Duclos knew he needed to help somehow and decided to donate. A few days later, he received a call from the Red Cross thanking him for his gesture. By the end of the phone call, Paul and his wife had signed up as volunteers and scheduled their training. Four days later, he and his wife were trained and deployed to help with the disaster relief operation in Houston, Texas. Before the end of his deployment, he had become a shelter manager. Paul continues volunteering with the Red Cross because "kindness is his mantra."

Patricia Marroquin, American Red Cross of Central & South Texas

By Duhane Lindo, Red Cross Public Affairs

After witnessing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, Patricia Marroquin decided she needed to help those who future disasters would impact. She decided the best way would be to join the Red Cross.

Patricia is now a Red Cross volunteer in the Central and Texas region, doing mostly shelter work.

Yesterday, she arrived from San Antonio to assist Florida residents who were impacted by Ida.

Patricia is no stranger to assisting with hurricane recovery, having worked Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Harvey.

Patricia stated that today she and her team would be l be distributing warm food and drinks in the heavily affected area of Fort Myers. "We will be handing out brooms and buckets and clean-up supplies," said Patricia.

When asked why she continues to volunteer, Patricia stated, "This is not a choice for me - I prefer to do this and it's where I want to be. I enjoy what I do. It feels very humbling to go out and help people after these kinds of disasters. You appreciate what you have and then you offer the best assistance you can to those who are in need and that's what I'm there for."

"I haven't met anybody that hasn't been happy about us being there for them," said Patricia. "Everyone has always been appreciative for our help and glad that there's someone they can go to. So that's what we're there for."

Patricia encourages others to volunteer as well. "Get on the Red Cross website," she said. "Look for the contact person for your region. That's the easiest way to get started.

The families need our support. They need us there. Some of them have nowhere to turn. Just seeing us brings relief to them. They know that we're out there and that we care."