Volunteer Spotlight: Disaster Services Technology Lead John Hatch

In observation of National Volunteer Week, we are highlighting some of our extraordinary volunteers who serve our communities every day.

Today, communications volunteer Tim Snedden introduces us to Disaster Services Technology Lead John Hatch.

Picture a blood drive, and the equipment used to make it happen. Phlebotomists move around beds with confidence, carefully handling blood bags and needles. Packages of cookies crackle as they’re set down beside water bottles standing in neat formation. These days, American Red Cross volunteers screen donors with thermometers at the door, and masks make smiling with your eyes a necessity. All of these are crucial pieces of gear for any blood drive, but something’s missing from the list.

Any guesses?

How about computers? From completing your RapidPass on a tablet, to staff recording your questionnaire answers on a laptop, digital technology is critical for facilitating the mission of the Red Cross. Today we’re introducing you to John Hatch, Disaster Services Technology Lead. He’s the man behind the curtain, so to speak, managing the technological foundation of Western New York’s Red Cross activities.

John Hatch

Before joining the Red Cross, John worked for New York’s canal system. After retiring, he sought to give back to his community and began volunteering with his local Disaster Action Team (DAT). Suffice to say, he quickly became hooked, and entered into a Disaster Services Technology role soon after.

This new role came with a set of challenges that John met head-on. Maintaining existing equipment remains a constant necessity. At the same time, modernizing the Red Cross by replacing obsolete equipment is always important, although budget restrictions create a delicate balance that’s surely familiar to any IT professional.

It’s not all about the technology, either. John works with a batch of volunteers who help him with a variety of ongoing projects including a new phone system and device refreshes. “It’s important to keep volunteers involved by giving them meaningful tasks,” he says. It’s easy to tell that he’s very fond of his team.

Much like how a computer is an assembly of unique and important parts, John is proud of the collaborative efforts he’s been involved in with the Red Cross. In Buffalo this past January, a variety of volunteers came together for a joint blood drive and telethon. While part of the group hit the phones in one room, donors gave blood in the other. Communications volunteers wrangled a TV news spot and monetary donations and blood donation appointments flowed in. By all accounts it was a great collaborative success, facilitated by the technology that John and his team managed.

John’s focus has shifted since the COVID-19 outbreak, which has created an increased need for technology. In-person meetings are not recommended while we practice physical distancing, but face-to-face communication remains important. The solution? Ensuring DAT team members have the phones they need to video chat with their clients, ensuring vital support without physical contact. It can be hard to adjust, but given the right tools, volunteers are adapting to the new situation. If anything, the increased need for technology has helped to illustrate how important it is to almost every organization.

Unfortunately, the outbreak has kept John from his annual trip to the white sands of Myrtle

Beach. He shrugs it off, though: “It’s only delayed,” he told me, “and there’s always next year.”

Interested in helping the American Red Cross? Learn more about becoming a volunteer here or contact your local Red Cross chapter for more information.

Providing Customer Service as a Blood Services Volunteer

“I bring to my job, whatever I do, the customer service I learned at Wegmans,” says Red Cross volunteer, Sue Kirkland. “Treat customers the way I would hope they would treat me.”

Sue Kirkland and her canine companion Susie

After retiring from Wegmans in 2018, Kirkland immediately restarted an old habit that dated back to her high school days: donating blood every two months. While donating on February 6, she mentioned to one of the Red Cross team members that she’d be interested in becoming a volunteer as well.

“I came on board just in time for COVID!”, Kirkland said. She was scheduled to work in her initial role as a Blood Donor Ambassador at Kenmore West High School in Western New York the first day the Red Cross began requiring health screenings for staff and donors prior to entering a blood drive to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. She stepped in as Blood Drive Screener that day, asking health questions, taking temperatures and providing hand sanitizer for everyone as they entered the drive.

“Baptism by fire,” Kirkland says. “I just did it, then it became the norm.” Of course, there is very little normal about these uncertain times, and additional precautions have since been added to ensure the safety of everyone entering any Red Cross facility or community blood drive, including wearing face masks. Kirkland says everyone has been grateful for the safety measures the Red Cross has implemented, including herself.

“At one of the first drives, someone pointed out that I’m in a higher risk group being over 60, and asked if I felt comfortable,” she says. “I feel confident in what I’ve been doing to keep myself safe so that I can keep others safe.”

Kirkland also says she’s comfortable in knowing that the Red Cross staff, especially her supervisor, Aaron Wilson, will be there to support her if she ever does have a question or concern. She says the staff and her fellow volunteers have been phenomenal during this outbreak, and on the rare times during her 1-2 volunteer shifts a week when a team member or donor is having a bad day, her customer service background kicks in.

“We’re all feeling a little lost, isolated,” Kirkland says. “I keep in mind that people are coming out trying to help, so I’ll bend over backwards and try to meet them where they are.”

If you’re looking for a way to help, and get out of the house during this coronavirus outbreak, consider joining Sue Kirkland as a Blood Drive or Facilities Screener, asking health questions and taking temperatures with an infrared thermometer as people enter Red Cross facilities or blood drives. There are shifts available across the Western New York region, click this link for more information. And thanks to the efforts of volunteers like Sue, you can also safely make a donation appointment for the weeks ahead to ensure a stable blood supply throughout this pandemic at redcrossblood.org

Story by: Jay Bonafede, Chief Communications Officer

American Red Cross, Western New York Region

Virtual Workshops to Help Military and Veteran Communities Cope During COVID-19

The American Red Cross is launching a new virtual workshop for active military members, Guard, Reservists, veterans, and their families that addresses unique stressors felt by this community during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is the first time the Red Cross will be utilizing a virtual platform for a Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) workshop. Michael Willis, a licensed mental health professional, is one of the facilitators for the virtual workshop. Dr. Willis notes sources of stress can vary from individual to individual, as well as the ways in which we each cope with stress.  He points out that, in addition to the uncertainty, stress and isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a lot of loss, and with that, a lot of grief. Dr. Willis notes the loss isn't just about the death of a loved one but can also include the loss of a job and connections to family, friends and co-workers, and it is important to know how to cope with the grief that accompanies it.  For military personnel and their families, these losses are compounded by additional stressors such as delayed reunions or altered deployment schedules.  In addition, veterans may have difficulty accessing community resources that provide medical and behavioral health services, training or social support, which can affect mental health during this time of sheltering-in-place.

Although the in-person and virtual workshops encourage attendee participation through discussion and sharing, such participation is voluntary.  People can also attend and only listen. All content shared by participants in the workshop is kept confidential. The 60-90-minute virtual workshop will cover topics such as the signs and symptoms of stress, effective communication to decrease stress, relaxation exercises, recommendations for better sleep, stress reduction techniques and establishing a relationship between what you think and how you feel. 

Dr. Michael Willis  

The SAF workshop facilitators, like Dr. Willis, are all licensed mental health professionals, and deeply committed to helping the Service members, veterans and their families.  Dr. Willis has been a SAF volunteer since 2014 and has led over 40 reconnection workshops of which 14 workshops focused specifically on stress management for the American Red Cross SAF division.    He also represented the Red Cross on an Honor Flight to Washington DC to provide mental health support to the participating veterans. When presenting the workshops, his favorite part is interacting with participants during the activity portions, and Dr. Willis believes the most beneficial aspect of the program is the "toolbox" of stress management techniques the participants take with them.

To learn more about the workshop, or to register, contact your local American Red Cross chapter, or contact them by visiting redcross.org and entering your zip code.

Story by: Karin Schneider, Communications Volunteer

American Red Cross, Western New York Region

National Volunteer Week: Disaster Action Team Volunteer Anna Underhill

In observation of National Volunteer Week, we are highlighting some of our extraordinary volunteers who serve our communities every day. 

Today, communications volunteer Karin Schneider introduces us to Disaster Action Team member Anna Underhill. 

Anna Underhill

Anna Underhill, a woman in her 20s, found her way to the Disaster Action Team (DAT) during a blood platelet donation.  While at the donation center, she saw a local news story about a DAT response to a home fire. Anna felt drawn to the services DAT teams provide to people who are impacted by home fires - funds for immediate need items, lodging, and most importantly, emotional support, so she contacted her local Red Cross chapter in Ontario County to sign-up. 

Initially, she felt intimidated by the amount of training being a DAT member requires. However, since most of it was online, she was able to work on it around her schedule.  Once her formal training was complete, she went on responses as a trainee, being guided by her mentor, until she graduated to member status.   About 15 people are on DAT teams in Ontario, and if they are called to five fires during a month, it is a busy one, but DAT also helps the community in other ways.  For example, Anna and other DAT members install smoke alarms in homes and man a table at the local farmer's market once a month to provide information about disaster preparedness.

What makes Anna rare as a DAT member is her age.  Most DAT members are decades older than her, and I was curious about Anna's thoughts as to why more young people don't join DAT.  She said her peers do want to volunteer, but usually for one-time events.  She thinks the idea of a long-term volunteer commitment scares off some, and others are intimidated by the idea of helping others during a crisis.  I then asked how Anna made it work for her.  She said although her initial thought of helping people in crisis was a daunting one, the training and mentoring she received made her feel very prepared for the role.  Although the training is extensive, it is absolutely possible to do it around one's schedule.  House fires are unpredictable, of course, so she cannot schedule around those, but options are to respond when available, or pick a shift to be on call when she can make responses a priority (i.e. an overnight shift since she works during the day).

Regardless of age, the DAT members are a very committed group of volunteers, and the residents they serve during time of need can attest to the invaluable help that is provided both during and after a crisis. Yet, since home fires and other emergencies can happen to anyone, regardless to age, race and economic status, it can only make DAT stronger when the members are as diverse as the communities they serve.  In addition, having members at different stages of life provides reinforcement. For example, retirees can cover day responses younger working people cannot. In return, younger people can cover responses at night that older members may be hesitant to, and during times like now, when Matilda’s Law is in effect.  Fortunately for all, DAT is currently able to handle most responses virtually to conform to social distancing rules and protect the volunteers and neighbors they serve.

To learn more about what it means to be a DAT member, please contact your local Red Cross chapter, or you read more about it here. 

-Story by: Karin Schneider, American Red Cross Communications Volunteer