By: Tushitna Sinha, Red Cross Youth Volunteer

My story begins in high school, where I started volunteering as a recruiter and absolutely loved it. Inspired by the impact of this organization, I wanted to bring a chapter of the Red Cross to my school. As such, I founded the Red Cross Club at Hillcrest High School and served as its president for a couple of years. When I moved on to University of Utah, I founded another chapter and am currently serving as its president as well.

As I became more involved, I was appointed the Youth Engagement Lead for the American Red Cross Utah/Nevada Region, where I had the opportunity to help numerous other presidents in the area start and run their clubs. It was incredibly rewarding and fascinating to see the different ways in which these other presidents ran their clubs.

Recently, I took on the role of being the official liaison between the American Red Cross and the University of Utah. As such, bridging the gap between the organization and the student community. Additionally, as a youth advocate, I was invited to speak at the Women Who Succeed conference, sharing my experiences and inspiring other young women to join our cause. One of my first and most memorable experiences was during a Juneteenth tabling event at Liberty Park when I saw the Red Cross disaster truck for the first time. It was so amazing to learn all about its many features and the way that disaster services use it to help in difficult times.

One of my favorite parts about being a volunteer with the Red Cross is tabling. To this day, I still feel the same thrill every time I table, which I've done nearly 100 times. Other than that, in my time with the Red Cross, I’ve organized numerous blood drives, collecting hundreds of units of blood and hosted a variety of activities such as CPR and disaster preparedness courses. One of my favorite memories is from the Sound the Alarm event. It turned out to be more fun than I ever anticipated, and I had an amazing time with my friends. Beyond this, our club has held several fundraisers for veterans, hosted MapSwipe events during the pandemic, and often write thank-you cards to blood donors, adding a personal touch to our gratitude. Needless to say, the Red Cross has become a second family to me. The experiences and people I have met along the way have become a crucial part of my life. I am committed to volunteering with the Red Cross for the rest of my life as joining this organization was sincerely one of the best decisions I have ever made