We're celebrating March is Red Cross Month by recognizing the work of our volunteeers and sharing their stories.
Yvonne Daubs’ work as a registered nurse has brought her to many different places and a few adventures over the years, from the local ER to working in the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic. These days, Yvonne generally stays a bit closer to home in Maitland, Nova Scotia, just outside of Bridgewater.
She started volunteering at the Canadian Red Cross in 2004, putting her health care background to good use by supporting the HELP program, which lends health equipment to those who need it.
It wasn’t long before she found her real passion within the Red Cross: volunteering with the local disaster response team. She was used to dealing with emergencies and caring for others in her job so it was only natural for her to comfort families affected by disasters. Yvonne’s compassion for those who have lost their home in a fire is also personal. It happened to her and her family, many years ago. It’s an experience she can draw upon when she’s helping someone going through the experience.
This past summer, keen to put her years of local disaster experience to good use, Yvonne jumped at the opportunity to volunteer for a month in Slave Lake, Alberta after wildfires tore through the town. “I was humbled by the extent of the devastation. In all the responses I’ve been a part of, people usually can turn to family or neighbours, but in Slave Lake everyone was affected by the disaster. They really did need our help.”
Yvonne was impressed at how seamless it was to volunteer all the way from one side of the country to the other. Volunteering has also given her the gift of new friendships. She still stays in touch with several volunteers she met last July in Slave Lake during her deployment.