Story told by Mandy McMahon 

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month and the American Red Cross is celebrating by recognizing the many Hispanic employees, volunteers, and donors who give their talent, time, and treasure to the Red Cross humanitarian mission.  

Sueann Torres is a Red Cross volunteer in Myrtle Beach. Originally from Puerto Rico, Sueann has been volunteering with the Red Cross of South Carolina since 2017. She supports multiple lines of service including Disaster Cycle of Services and Service to the Armed Forces. Bilingual volunteers like Sueann are integral to equitable service delivery to ensure anyone who needs help in an emergency knows how to access Red Cross services. 

“For me, it’s everything because when they need help, if we cannot communicate with them in their language, they don't know what they need to do to get help,” Sueann emphasizes why speaking in Spanish is essential to serving Hispanic people impacted by disaster.  

Sueann serves members of her community during disasters as a part of the Disaster Spiritual Care team – a group of trained volunteers who provide emotional support and connections to local resources. She has deployed to national disasters three times and always finds that her bilingual skills are much needed.  

“In Hurricane Ian, we had families that were sleeping in their vehicles with their kids or in the street for days because they didn’t know that we had a shelter open,” Sueann describes the needs she witnessed while on the ground in Florida. “I explained to them about the shelter where we can provide everything they need. In the Hispanic community, they are scared because they don't know if we are going to call an organization to deport them. When they talk to someone in their language it’s easier because they trust me when I speak to them in Spanish.” 

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The Red Cross witnesses these contributions every day in communities across the country, as Hispanics provide comfort to disaster victims, teach lifesaving classes, support military members and their families, and donate blood to someone in need. 

“Hispanic Heritage Month is important to me; I celebrate with my friends from Colombia, Honduras, Venezuela, Dominican Republic—we join together and cook foods from all different places and learn about each other’s different cultures,” Sueann mentions the vast diversity within the Hispanic community. “That’s important to me because when we go into the community, we need to be careful in the way that we speak with them. Maybe the way I say something in my dialect could be disrespectful. It’s important to learn about other cultures within the Hispanic community. We need to respect other cultures and try to work in a way that best serves them.”   

The Red Cross is proud to be a part of the rich Spanish heritage and tradition in the United States and even more proud of the extraordinary people who mirror the diverse community we proudly serve. Join us: redcross.org/volunteer or learn more about our work at CruzRojaAmericana.org.