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In honour of National Volunteer week, we’re taking a closer look at the fundamental principle of voluntary service. This principle is very basic, but it has a huge impact on the Red Cross and Red Crescent, because there is no way we could do the work that we do without our volunteers. 

The two interlacing hearts etched onto a medal awarded to four Canadian Red Cross volunteers are meant to evoke caring and generosity. And they are qualities that volunteers Robert Chochinov, Dixie Lea Fenwick, Paula Green and Robert Thomas Hamson have demonstrated time and again throughout their careers with the organization.

Manitoba families who have been evacuated from their homes due to flooding had a chance to get away from their hotels for a few hours and enjoy some activities on the Easter weekend, thanks to the Red Cross and the corporate support of BMO Bank of Montreal.

Even when fire ravaged her recently renovated home, Saskatchewan resident Brenda Lyons didn’t think she needed support, initially declining Red Cross assistance; however, she discovered support was just what she needed to get her and her family through the long journey of recovery.

Last June, Catherine Sonpon came home to find her Surrey apartment building surrounded by fire trucks. The rental suite she shared with her young family had been gutted by fire.
“I remember feeling sadness and pain,” said Sonpon. “My family was safe, and material losses are not as important, but I was still sad to lose all our stuff. You never know when you may need help.”

It was early on a Sunday morning in January last winter when the message began to sound over the loudspeakers of a 17-storey apartment building on Rebecca Street in Hamilton, Ontario. Due to flooding, tenants were being asked to evacuate.

Mary Teresa Shalala, or Teri to her friends, has been a Walmart associate in Vaudreuil-Dorion for eight years. While the mother of four works evenings and nights taking inventory, her 33-year-old son Élie Langevin is often busy helping people affected by disasters. Despite their differing realities, they share something beyond a family bond: a passion for helping disaster victims. Teri does so through her employer, which has supported the Canadian Red Cross for 14 years, and Élie volunteers for the organization in Quebec.

To celebrate this Valentine’s Day, we’re sharing a few of our favourite Red Cross stories that highlight love, partnership and even romance.