Guest post by Michael Obendoerfer, Red Cross blogger in Manitoba
After volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross for 25 years, Carole Campbell has seen the organization grow in Manitoba and says she has grown with it.
“I’ve learned a lot. I always believe it is important to keep your mind active and they have done that for me. They have taught me a lot. I have learned a lot of new skills.”
Campbell, pictured left, started volunteering with the Red Cross in 1988, working the phones while the organization was still accepting blood donations.
Campbell answered the call in times of need to help the Red Cross provide disaster relief in Manitoba. She helped the Red Cross provide accommodations for people who were evacuated because of forest fires in 1989, and assisted the Red Cross in collecting data during the Red River Flood in 1997.
In 2004, she retired from her job with the City of Winnipeg and committed two days a week to helping the Red Cross with administrative and finance work. In addition to this role, she helped with the Manitoba efforts to provide relief for numerous international disasters, including the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
During her time with the Red Cross, she has seen that the organization has always been improving.
“We (now have) a lot more staff. When all these things were happening we were so busy and there were fewer staff at that time. Now there is more staff and they are very well trained,” Campbell said. “It makes me feel good. I think the Red Cross is a very good organization and I’m proud to volunteer with them.”
Along with the opportunity to help people in need, Campbell appreciates how volunteering has allowed her to use her skills and develop new ones, such as working with new computer programs.
“I like it here. I like the staff and I like the work they give me to do. I don’t feel as if I am just doing stuff, I feel like I am actually doing a job and I like coming here,” Campbell said.
Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers in Winnipeg surprised Campbell with a plaque celebrating her twenty-five years of service.
“They are a great bunch of people, every one of them,” said Campbell. “It felt pretty good. It’s always nice to be recognized.”