By David Damsgaard, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs
Kim Mailes has always been a natural communicator. From his time as a disc jockey to his career as a car salesman, connecting with people to voice their emotions and embody their stories has always been the foundation of his work.
“I grew up in a family auto dealership, and that’s where I spent my career. After selling the business, I had too much time on my hands and wanted to reinvent myself and do good for others. I read a newspaper article about volunteering for the American Red Cross and signed up,” Kim reminisces.
Since then, Kim has deployed to several major disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. During one of these early deployments, Kim discovered the opportunity to pursue his passion and support Red Cross public affairs.
“My first deployment was an eye-opener. Every new volunteer should work in a shelter for their first deployment because it provides a 30,000-foot view of the entire Red Cross disaster relief operation and how all the pieces fit together,” explains Kim.
While those in public affairs like Kim may not always directly serve food or setting up cots, their role is an essential piece of the Red Cross puzzle. By effectively communicating Red Cross activities and impacts, the organization can continuously generate support and interest from the public and the media, which can help raise awareness and funds for those in need.
“The work I do immediately before, during and following a disaster, whether it’s an article I write, or an interview with a television station, or a photo or video shoot I produce, is extremely important,” Kim suggests. “It lets those affected by disaster and the general public know that help is on the scene. But the continuing coverage I provide when the nation’s attention has largely moved on might be even more important. It provides assurance to those facing a long recovery that we’ll be there until the end, and it gives our development team the tools they need to let donors know we’re spending their gifts wisely and need their continuing support.”
Whether in blue skies or gray skies, Kim is always hard at work elevating and broadcasting the Red Cross’s message of relief. During blue skies, Kim works in several roles. Day-to-day he leads the writing team for the Colorado-Wyoming Region and the Missouri-Arkansas Region. By working closely alongside the regional communications directors to assign stories to volunteer writers, they ensure that content is received by tight deadlines and edit countless stories for publication keeping the Red Cross at the forefront of donors and potential volunteers. In addition, Kim assists the Missouri-Arkansas Region as a Leadership Development Specialist, working closely with Red Cross staff to identify motivated and talented volunteers, help them navigate training, and encourage them to prepare for leadership positions for potential gray sky events.
“The Red Cross public affairs team plays a vital role in disaster response,” Kim adds. “We tell the story to the public and let those affected by disaster know where to find help. Our work also inspires donors to provide the funds needed to carry out our good work. Disaster response is a big task, and it takes all of us. Serving the Red Cross brings me great satisfaction, I feel like I’m making a little difference in a deeply troubled world.”
If Kim’s story inspired you and you are interested in volunteering, visit Redcross.org.