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“I was able to go on fire disaster response locally, and it really felt good, to help somebody in their time of need, when they’re feeling so lost,” Calesso says.
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She’s since been volunteering as a Duty Officer and Manager On-Call for the Disaster Action Team, coordinating responses and training Red Cross recruits. In 2017, Calesso joined the Red Cross with an eye on helping with disaster relief during hurricane season. “You know, it’s the camaraderie that was in the Coast Guard too.”Ĭalesso was a member of the Coast Guard from 1979-1986, where she did search-and-rescue missions off the California coast and responded to chemical spills. “The minute I walked into the room and started talking to people, I felt like I was home,” says Diane about joining the Red Cross as a volunteer.
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“I found my calling.”įor Diane Calesso, a former marine science technician with the Coast Guard, the sense of fellowship she felt once becoming a Red Cross volunteer was immediately familiar.
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“I still remember them,” says Mauricio, who became a full-time Disaster Action Team responder three months later and has been on site at disasters, from hurricanes in Louisiana to wildfires in California. On his first shift, he helped four families caught in a three-alarm fire in Corona, Queens. He decided to volunteer on the Disaster Action Team and the rest, as they say, is history. Then, during the 2003 blackout in New York City, he saw Red Cross workers hustling to respond to the crisis. He then landed a job at the Red Cross in their facilities department. After his military service, he worked in a number of different jobs, from retail to youth development. “It was definitely like the military, where you had to stop, analyze the situation and create different ways of responding,” he says.įor Mauricio, learning, adapting and responding are part of what makes his work for the Red Cross so rewarding. From virtual volunteer assignments to gloved hand-offs of supplies and vouchers for people who lost their homes to fire, Mauricio kept the response wheels turning. Without missing a beat, Mauricio and his team found ways to reduce contact with people while still delivering the support they needed. “With coronavirus, we needed to stop and rethink our operations.” “The military taught me to adapt to any situation,” Mauricio says. Mauricio Serrato says that the lessons he learned as an active Marine from 1996 – 2000 have helped him perform as a Disaster Program Manager at the American Red Cross in Greater New York. And the Red Cross benefits from their dedication, skills, and commitment. Whether they feel a sense of duty or enjoy the sense of purpose that comes from offering help to people in a time of crisis, veteran volunteers and staff members say they feel fulfilled in their work for the Red Cross. In this role, men and women continue to serve people in the United States and around the world. The relationship is often reciprocal, with many veterans joining the Red Cross as volunteers and employees. From comforts and critical services on bases across the US and around the world, to support for military families during deployments, to continued service to veterans after their time in the military ends, the Red Cross is there. One of the core mandates at the American Red Cross is to serve military and veteran families. By Jennifer Friedlin, Volunteer, American Red Cross in Greater NY