By Josh Egbert, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming, Public Affairs
Prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. That’s the mission of the American Red Cross. That’s also the reason Christine Stickrod became a volunteer.
“I had recently retired and joined to make a difference in people’s lives,” said Christine.
Since joining the Red Cross three years ago, Christine has helped countless people. She’s deployed to Florida for Hurricane Ian, helped provide shelter for those affected by the Marshall Fire and most recently spent time in Hawaii after devastating wildfires on the island of Maui.
“Shock and sadness for the tremendous loss and long-lasting effects on all impacted,” Christine said describing what she saw while on deployment.
While in Hawaii, Christine provided comfort and care to those affected by the fires. She helped with feeding, assisted those impacted with sheltering and used the Shelter Client Information App to collect information to find assistance for those who were staying in a shelter.
“The most rewarding part about volunteering is giving compassion to people in their darkest hour,” said Christine. “Advocating for survivors to get help where they need it most.”
Since the fires began on Maui in early August, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers have supported those in need. The Red Cross is making sure each family has nutritious meals three times a day, receives support from Red Cross health and mental health responders and is provided shelter so those impacted have a safe place to stay.
Christine continues to make a difference on the darkest day of people’s lives. Including helping a grieving father who needed housing with special accommodations.
“I was really touched by his humility. His son is autistic and he was really struggling from the impacts of the disaster and the continual moves his family encountered trying to find safe housing,” said Christine. “The family also had beloved pets, one of which was a support animal for the son. I believe I was able to advocate for the family in an effective way so they could be immediately housed and get some sense of normalcy in the chaos they were experiencing.”
Volunteers just like Christine help make a difference every day. If you want to help families impacted by fires, floods and other natural disasters, become a volunteer today!