Volunteer Profile: Wes Jones

This week’s feature volunteer is Winnipeg’s Wes Jones, who has been with the Canadian Red Cross for more than two years.

Wes wears different hats with the Red Cross, as he is a member of the Emergency Response Team, helping evacuees who have been displaced from their homes, and he is also part of the team that goes into communities to support evacuations and the return home at the end of a response.

Besides the work he does in Manitoba, Wes has also volunteered to help with disasters in other parts of the country. In 2016, he went to Alberta to help people impacted by the Fort McMurray wildfires. During that response, he was awed by the incredible resilience of the people impacted by the fires.
Wes has worked with the Red Cross during a number of disasters and is proud of being a part of the organization.

“Every time I put on the Red Cross vest, I have felt pride in what I am part of, and the support I am able to bring to people in need,” he said.

While he is retired, Wes keeps busy in a number of ways. Besides volunteering for the Red Cross, he also enjoys physical activity, home maintenance and travel.

He believes that volunteering for the Red Cross is a positive experience for an individual, no matter their age.

“As a retiree, it can help fill a need to remain purposeful and to feel part of a team that can really make a difference when catastrophic events occur,” he said.

He noted that the training he has received from the Red Cross has prepared him for dealing with various challenges during a disaster.

“A huge bonus in all this, is that you are also afforded the opportunity to work with a team of like minded volunteers who come from diverse backgrounds and bring unique skill sets to the table. This factor adds a whole other level of learning and satisfaction to the Canadian Red Cross volunteer experience and helps make everything about it that much more rewarding.”

The Red Cross needs more local heroes like Wes who are ready to volunteer their time to help people impacted by disasters. If you are interested in being a part of the team, go to www.redcross.ca/HeroesWantedMB, email vrs@redcross.ca or call 204-982-7330 for more details.