“I really, really wanted to say thank you. I don’t think I conveyed how grateful I was.” Maggie Ireland fought back tears as she thanked two Red Cross volunteers for their assistance after she and her niece, Jamie, were involved in a car accident in downtown Edmonton.

In 2009, the Red Cross was there for Jillian Mullowney. Now a disaster management volunteer, Jillian shares her inspiration for working with the Red Cross, her experience helping support those impacted by the Alberta fires, and the day everything came full circle. 

The last few weeks have been busy ones for Cindy Baillargeon, a Red Cross volunteer from the Lanaudière region of Quebec: she spent them in Alberta, helping out Fort McMurray evacuees. When she saw images of the wildfires on the news, she knew that the Red Cross was bound to be involved. It wasn’t long before the call for volunteers came through, and she accepted without a second thought.

So, why did I volunteer with the Red Cross? The Red Cross presented an opportunity for me to volunteer my skills as a semi-professional communications person and write about the indispensable people of the Red Cross and tell their stories. 

Last week, across the country, the Canadian Red Cross has been thanking its many generous volunteers for National Volunteer Week (April 10-16). We have been sharing messages of gratitude from the Canadian Red Cross and encouraged others to do the same. Check out some of the great photos shared with #ThankAVolunteer throughout the week.

For Ted Itani, volunteering has been a “marvelous opportunity to give back to society what society has given me over my lifetime...”  Ted was recently appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of his dedication to humanitarian and peacekeeping work around the world. 

Here at the Red Cross, we can’t do what we do without volunteers! We get a lot of questions from people wondering how they can volunteer with the Red Cross as an international aid worker. Here's what we look for in an international aid worker. 

This week (April 10-16) is National Volunteer Week, so we’re honouring our incredible volunteers by sharing a few of their stories as well as heartfelt gratitude. At the Canadian Red Cross, we have around 20,000 volunteers who give their time and skills in helping others.