Joan Cleary has always loved travel and learning about other parts of the world. So when she discovered the opportunity to volunteer with the Red Cross Restoring Family Links program and help reconnect families separated by international crises including war, famine and disaster she knew it was the right fit.

“When I was a kid, I used to send postcards from different countries — just made-up stuff based on highlights from a world encyclopedia,” she said. “Restoring Family Links is sort of like that, but the stories are real.”

Each year the Restoring Family Links program reconnects thousands of people with their families including helping them acquire essential documents for reunification. After requests come in, Red Cross partners with sister Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the world to locate missing loved ones including helping families living right here in Idaho and Montana deliver messages to families abroad.

Joan, who lives in Boise, interviewed to join the Red Cross in February, a few weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine, giving her an outlet of sorts to cope with the images she was seeing in the news.

“When that happened, I was confused and worried like everyone else, but I also had this tangible way to combat the chaos. Or so it felt,” she said. “RFL is not a panacea for what is happening there, or anywhere else. It is just a really basic program built around respect. Respect for roots. Respect for loss. Respect for that terrible feeling of not knowing. Respect for family.”

Joan has worked five cases since joining the Red Cross including helping Boise-area families with connections to the Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tracking down family members across the globe can be extremely difficult.

Despite these challenges, Joan has done an amazing job jumping in and learning the program, said Sara Cease, the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces and International Services director for Idaho and Montana. In fact, Joan has also helped the Cascades Region in Oregon with their RFL program after they experienced turnover.

 “She is a true leader who has taken the program to new heights,” Sara said. “If you think of the dream volunteer, that’s Joan.”

The Restoring Family Links program faces two big hurdles in Idaho and Montana – a lack of public awareness and language barriers – Joan said. Not enough communities and families know the Restoring Family Links program exists and that their local Red Cross can help them track down loved ones abroad, she said. Also, finding someone who can serve as an interpreter for any of a number of languages and dialects that might come through the door is tricky. 

But she’s hopeful that with more visibility that could change, and more families will be put on a path to finding their missing loved ones.

“The good news is that anyone can help chip away at both of these challenges,” she said. “Consider sharing the spiel about RFL on social media or encourage bilingual friends and neighbors to volunteer for ad-hoc interpreting.”

Joan, who works at the Idaho State Board of Education, encourages others to sign up to volunteer with the Red Cross program. Most of the work can be done from home after business hours, she said, and the reward you get by knowing you’re helping someone move one step closer to locating a missing mother or father, brother or sister is incredibly fulfilling.

“You can tell there’s that sense of relief that someone is paying attention and action is being taken,” she said.

“I appreciate how unwavering the Red Cross is in its neutrality. Restoring Family Links wouldn’t be possible without that complete absence of judgement or politics. This program, the International Committee of the Red Cross … this is what humans-looking-out-for-each-other is supposed to look like.”

JOIN THE TEAM

Are you interested in becoming a Restoring Family Links volunteer? Visit www.redcross.org/volunteer to complete your application or contact our team at IDMT.Recruiting@redcross.org to learn more.