By: Gordon Williams, Northwest Region Volunteer

For Kristin Mather, working as regional program manager for the Red Cross Northwest Region Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) isn’t just a job, it’s a way to give back to her community in a positive way.

“As a veteran, the military community is exactly that: a community,” she said. “No matter where you go, you can relate to fellow service members and veterans in some capacity, so you are never quite alone.”

Mather took on her present role at the start of 2022, bringing with her four years of service with the U.S. Army and plenty of hands-on experience with the Red Cross.

She joined the Army fresh out of high school. Her specialty in the military was preventative medicine. That involved everything from inspecting food service and childcare facilities to conducting training in water safety. She had no medical background when she signed up, but a recruiter sold her on the role. “I was still in high school, so I didn't give much thought to what I was signing up for,” she said. 

After leaving the Army in 2016, she enrolled in college – eventually joining a work-study program that put her in contact with the Red Cross. The program provides students with actual working experience while they study, “You get Veterans Benefits and a modest salary,” she says. Her choice of workplace was the Red Cross. 

With the Red Cross, she taught classes in resilience training to help service members and their families adapt to the rigors of military life. She did casework in emergency cases involving service members. She taught classes in arts and crafts and ran a summer program that found volunteer opportunities for youngsters under 18 that had access to JBLM. Now, she supports Red Cross volunteers to serve military families across the Northwest Region.

“Meeting the many volunteers who dedicate their time to giving back to SAF, hearing how long they have been volunteering and, not only the impact they have had on SAF, but how volunteering has impacted their life is really an amazing thing to be a part of,” Mather said. “Many of the volunteers we have in SAF are connected to the military in some way, either a spouse of a veteran or a veteran themselves. Some are retirees that are looking to give back even after 20+ years in the service. It really is a unique community of people you will not find anywhere else and one of the many reasons I chose to work within this organization.”

Learn more about how the Northwest Region SAF
team supports our military community by clicking here.