March Is Red Cross Month, we're showcasing, in a two-part series, five of our many amazing volunteers who go above and beyond to help others. Volunteers are the heart of the Canadian Red Cross. More than 20,000 Red Cross volunteers share their time and skills to help others every day.
Devon Marshall's principle; “My disability works for me, I don't work for it. I am the boss!” has
helped him rise above his physical disability and made him an invaluable volunteer at the Red Cross Medicine Hat office.
He was born with Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus a deformity in the spine causing paralysis in his legs and fluid in his brain but Devon makes his disability work for him rather than slow him down. It has been 17 rewarding years with the Red Cross. Right now, Devon is lending his talents with the
Health Equipment Loan Program, which loans out medical equipment. He is loved by everyone. He is motivated to give back because the world has given him so much and gets real satisfaction knowing he has played a part in making someone's day a little easier.
With 20 other highly-trained Red Cross International Aid workers, plus a mobile field hospital and operating theatre, nurse and Red Cross volunteer
Lynn Henderson flew into Nepal's capital, Kathmandu shortly after the first earthquake on April 25.
Within a few days, assisted by the hard work of the village youth club, an entire Basic Health Care facility with water purification system had taken shape near the remote village of Khokundole. At the end of the first day, the first baby was born in the clinic and named Leilyn in Lynn’s honour.
In the days to follow, mothers and newborns were assessed, and ailments were treated. Child health information was delivered through interpreters and Lynn settled into a satisfying, daily routine, despite the worry of continuous small aftershocks.
”The Red Cross is very careful about the safety of its delegates,” said Lynn, “Which is one reason why, as a mother, I choose to volunteer with them.”
In addition to her regular duties as an obstetric nurse, Lynn was able to teach local nurses and pass on best practices which they readily implemented. Two or three times a week, she would team up with a doctor and interpreter, and visit outlying communities to hold mobile Red Cross clinics.
Read more about Red Cross work following the Nepal Earthquake
Red Cross volunteer
Fabrice Vanhoutte loves putting a smile on children’s faces. So, he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve for the young people in a Saskatoon shelter last year. Saskatchewan families
affected by forest fires in the province’s northern region were away from home for weeks so keeping kids busy was an important task at the evacuation shelters.
Teams of Red Cross volunteers were dedicated to organizing recreation and activities for them.
“If I see a kid who is upset, I don’t necessarily go right up to them but I stay nearby and play my mouth organ or start showing a card trick,” said Fabrice, who is from Quebec. “It helps calm them and lets them come to me. I want to show them that I care to listen and get to know them. I’m not just there to provide items and services.”
At the Saskatoon shelter, volunteers organized outings to a nearby lake, the zoo or a carnival as well as mini-stick hockey and baseball games. Some children learned to play soccer from a local team.
“There is nothing better than making a kid smile,” said Fabrice.