Glenn Lockwood needed one more credit to graduate from the University of Minnesota when he signed up for what he figured would be a fun, easy course: First Aid and CPR certification. He didn’t expect the class to spark a decades-long career with the American Red Cross.

Lockwood has spent nearly 50 years working or volunteering for the Red Cross, responding to some of the country’s most devastating disasters. When he retired as an employee from the organization in 2014, he quickly signed up to volunteer near his home in eastern Washington state — where his experience proved vital during two wildfires last summer.

“People say to me, ‘I thought you retired, Glenn,’” Lockwood says with a laugh. “What that says to me is that I want to do this. The Red Cross allows me to be a leader as a volunteer and to make decisions. There are many, many non-profit programs in this country, but volunteers don’t have the freedom and sense of worth that Red Cross gives its volunteers.”

His lifetime of public service — especially his dedication and quick thinking during the deadly wildfires last year near his home — inspired Red Cross official Jenny Carkner to nominate Lockwood for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award, created by the White House in 2003, honors individuals whose volunteer service helps communities across the U.S. and inspires others to take action.

Carkner, who serves as Regional Disaster Officer in the Red Cross Northwest Region, said she has worked with Lockwood for two decades and considers him a mentor.

“The fact that this amazing human chooses to use all of his training and experience from his long career with the American Red Cross, as a volunteer, impresses me every single day,” Carkner said. “Glenn could have easily retired and given his time and talent to another organization,” she said. “I am grateful that he continues to choose us.”

The award ceremony will be held in April in Washington, D.C.

Responding to Disasters Far and Near

Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, Lockwood deployed to New York City with the Red Cross. He walked past the World Trade Center debris every day and worked alongside people whose loved ones were never found. He deployed for two months to help victims after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans in 2005, and again when Hurricane Sandy paralyzed parts of New England in 2012.

In between were typhoons, fires, and other disasters during his 39 years on staff with the Red Cross in Massachusetts and Oregon, where he took on roles like chapter executive, director of emergency services, field services manager, and divisional disaster specialist. Before he joined the staff, Lockwood also volunteered.

In retirement, his expertise was tapped on Aug. 18, 2023, when two deadly wildfires erupted within hours of each other near his home in Spokane County, along the Washington-Idaho border. Fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, the fires destroyed hundreds of homes, burned thousands of acres, and killed two people.

Lockwood could see flames from the back door of his house. He and his wife quickly packed up their family and left their rural property to stay with friends, and then Lockwood got to work.

“Having spent most of my life in disaster services, I knew what the local Red Cross would be doing,” Lockwood said. “I said to leadership, ‘Where do you want me?’”

One of the first people on scene for the Red Cross, Lockwood helped set up an emergency shelter for people being evacuated from their homes. He stayed in a hotel for a week in Spokane to be close to rescue operations.

Over the next month, he worked as a liaison between the community and local organizations, a vital role to keep his neighbors informed and to ensure shelters were operating smoothly. Initial relief operations included assessing damage to homes, meeting with affected families, and providing emergency financial assistance to people who lost their homes.

“It’s the hardest, responding in my own community,” Lockwood said. “You know all the people; you see them every day. You go out to eat, everyone knows you’re with the Red Cross, and the conversations around the room are always about the fire. You can’t get away from it. But I’m from the area, so it makes a lot of sense for me to be there.”

Recognizing a Lifetime of Service

Lockwood began working with the Red Cross in 1973, after he finished the CPR and First Aid training course at the University of Minnesota. Lockwood said he taught CPR on the side while still attending the university and working at a small Christian college nearby.

He later connected with the Red Cross to teach first aid. It wasn’t long before he took on a larger volunteer role.

“I taught CPR a whole lot, then a disaster happened. I stepped forward,” Lockwood said. “The Red Cross already knew me well, so I had a crash course in disaster response. Then I became a disaster volunteer.”

Throughout his tenure with the Red Cross, his focus has been on helping communities around the country — and inspiring others to do the same.

“Glenn has been an amazing mentor for so many people over the years,” said Carkner, the Red Cross official who nominated Lockwood for the presidential award.

She said Lockwood supported and encouraged her as she responded to large disasters and sought leadership roles within that work.

“He was able to help me have meaningful, good growth-experience deployments throughout the years and helped me connect with other disaster leadership,” Carkner said. “These opportunities were always a bit intimidating, but I went into them with an open mind and the knowledge that Glenn would not let me fail.”

Use your Expertise to Help the Red Cross

Volunteers are vital to the Red Cross: They make up 90% of the workforce. They often work independently, including to assess a family’s financial need immediately after house fires and other disasters. Volunteers also work alongside Red Cross employees responding to large disasters both close to home and oceans away.

“If you demonstrate your ability to be there and do the work, they let you go for it,” Lockwood said. “That’s rare. And if you don't do something right, the leadership just talks it through with you, and you’re back out doing the great work you came to do.”

Don’t let those responsibilities intimidate you, Lockwood added. If you’re curious about volunteering, he has some advice: Go for it.

“The Red Cross is a safe organization to test the water. Try it. Just try it. Everybody will understand if you can or cannot do it. But you have the option to try.”

Learn more about open volunteer opportunities with the American Red Cross.