By Pat Kondas, American Public Affairs
She had been working with emergency preparedness with her own faith-based organization for about fifteen years and loved it. “I just really enjoy helping people make sure they’ve got their 72-hour kit all ready to go and they have a home fire plan and making sure everybody’s prepared for a disaster or whatever might happen in their own family.”
For the last few years she was a community volunteer officer for the Cheyenne Police Department, but she was looking for more community involvement and found the Red Cross. She said, like most people, she knew the Red Cross went to help back east or wherever there was a hurricane or other disaster, but “you don’t really realize what they’re doing right here in your own community.”
Andrea had been an independent graphic designer for the past ten years but said, “I decided to get my master’s degree in emergency preparedness and emergency management and switch careers.” She says she would like to stay with Red Cross and stay in things that will really make a difference in the community, especially having worked with some of the vulnerable populations we have. “There’s just such a need.”
Andrea has only been a volunteer since September, but she is already trained in Mass Care Sheltering and Feeding, Government Operations and Disaster Action Teams. And she just finished the classes for Dispatch Duty Officer. On Halloween, she responded to a house fire and assisted a lady and her two dogs. She said the woman was just sitting in her car in front of her burned house, with nowhere to go. They were able to help her and it felt good to “help somebody who needs that in their worst time.”
Among her other skills that have helped Red Cross, Andrea counts woodworking. When she went to the office to prepare for the Laramie County Emergency Management Safety Fair, she saw the dollhouse they use to demonstrate fire safety to kids. The house was leaning to one side and ready to fall over. She was told they were looking for someone to take it from three stories to two and shore it up. Andrea said, “I’m your person.” In her spare time, she has a woodworking shop, so she took the dollhouse home and revamped it so it’s a lot more stable. She said it’s really a good way for the kids who come to the safety fair to understand why we have smoke alarms in houses. They added some little smoke alarms and some furniture and pets so kids could understand why they had to get out of the house fast.
And as if that weren’t enough, Andrea is also fluent in Ukrainian. Three years ago, her daughter taught English in Ukraine. They visited her and her host family, and Andrea decided to learn the language. She said it became even more important when the war broke out and she wanted to be able to communicate with the family if they needed help. Now, she’s working on learning Spanish.
Above all, Andrea says, “I’m excited to be out there helping and making a difference for my community – just really excited to be part of all of it.”
Red Cross Month is a national tradition that began in March 1943 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the first Red Cross Month proclamation — and each U.S. president has followed ever since.
Join the Red Cross Month celebration by visiting redcross.org/volunteertoday to make a financial donation, become a volunteer or take a lifesaving skills course.