By Emil Joensson, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs
Welcome Heroes was the Wi-Fi name at one of the American Red Cross shelters during the Hurricane Ian disaster response operation in Fort Myers, Florida and it was undoubtedly titled appropriately! One of the heroes deployed to the Hurricane Ian response was Michelle Schreiber, a volunteer from the Red Cross of Wyoming. Michelle described her first national deployment experience as being “…heart-breaking and hard work physically and emotionally” but also being “… very rewarding,” and that she “will definitely help again when called.”
Michelle, from Laramie, Wyoming, has volunteered for the Red Cross of Wyoming since 2019. During her recent deployment to Fort Myers, her duties were to provide essential clean-up supplies to the communities impacted by the hurricane. She loaded trucks with clean-up kits, shovels, rakes, flashlights, batteries, gloves, tarps and trash bags. Next Michelle distributed these supplies directly to those in need.
“This work matters. Helping others is the only thing in life that truly matters.”
During Michelle’s ten days on the Red Cross operation in Fort Myers, she was moved by the generosity of those who were affected the most by the hurricane. Even in the middle of despair, she said, “those who need the help take only what they need and say to save the rest for others that need it worse, even though you both know how very badly they really need it.”
While on deployment with the Red Cross, you meet many new people. For Michelle, her volunteering experience led to newfound friendships. She notes that it feels like she has known some of her co-volunteers forever, even though this was the first time they met. One of them, Karen Moehring, a volunteer from Minnesota, was Michelle’s companion throughout her time in Florida. Together, they formed a special bond. “We laughed, we cried, used muscles I didn’t know existed and made a difference. When I dropped her at the airport to go home, I hugged her tight and shed a few tears for the amazing human I was privileged to share this experience with,” Michelle says.
Michelle and Karen were able to help about 200 families in ten days. The Red Cross disaster response team they were a part of served a total of 11,000 families. Michelle reveals that helping people in need is the reason she joined the Red Cross in the first place. She believes that “This work matters.” And that “helping others is the only thing in life that truly matters.”