Tina Hardy/American Red Cross
On Thursday, Feb. 8, I visited a Red Cross shelter in Deland, Fla. for victims of the recent tornados. While there, I met Ricky Noble, a Red Cross disaster volunteer from Oakland, California. Ricky is one of the hundreds of volunteers who are in Florida helping people affected by the recent tornados. His training in Mass Care qualifies him to work in shelters and to feed large numbers of people during a disaster.
At 24 years old, he has a degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and plans to go to medical school. He worked his way through college as a prep cook and enjoyed it so much he open a catering business called “Everyday Gourmet”. Ricky and his business partner also own and operate a moving company.
He said his first experience with the Red Cross was when he gave blood in high school. When Hurricane Katrina hit, he wanted to do something to help, so he went down to his local Red Cross chapter and signed up as a volunteer. Since then, he has been deployed twice: Once during Hurricane Wilma and now for the Florida tornados.
When I asked him why he wanted to be a Red Cross volunteer, he said, “I wanted to do something to help in a direct, hands-on way”. He likes the fact that Red Cross is an organization that brings people from all walks of life, from all over the country, together in one place to help people whose lives have been dramatically altered by circumstances beyond their control. When the circumstances are at their worst, the American Red Cross spirit is at its best, Ricky stated.
I noticed a green stretch bandage on his right arm and knew immediately that at some point during the day, he had given blood. When I asked him about it, he said that he had passed a sign saying that there was a community blood drive that day and he knew he was eligible to give. When I asked him why he had taken time out of his already hectic day to give blood, he said, “it’s just another way I can help”.
As we continued to talk about the Red Cross disaster relief operation in progress, I was impressed with how accomplished he was at such a young age and how giving he was at such a young age.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousand of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the tornadoes in Central Florida, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
