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Chatting with Cheryl Wauthier reminded me of two terms that I learned from an Intro to Physics class: Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy. Essentially, potential energy is whatever energy a body has stored in itself when it is at rest. This energy is converted into kinetic energy when an outside force acts on the body and sets it into motion. When Cheryl joined the Red Cross, I like to think that all the potential energy she had in herself to do great things was released, became kinetic, and hasn’t stopped moving since.

March Is Red Cross Month, we’re showcasing, in a two-part series, five of our many amazing volunteers who go above and beyond to help others. Volunteers are the heart of the Canadian Red Cross. More than 20,000 Red Cross volunteers share their time and skills to help others every day.

Even though I volunteer for Red Cross in Alberta when I am there, some might call me a fair weather friend these days and I’m fine with that.  After all, there is no snow to shovel in Panama this time of year and I can escape the Great White North to experience a completely different way of life and do more volunteering from Panama’s jungles.  

A former Iranian solider and long-time volunteer, Mahmood Jafari, now calls the Canadian Red Cross his family.

After leaving friends and relatives behind in 1997 to migrate to Calgary, his lonely transition was made easier after he met two former Red Cross staffers, Peter Worsley and Vince Bodnar, who encouraged him to volunteer. Although Mahmood suffered a serious injury in Iraq that left him in a wheelchair, he agreed Red Cross would be a good way to help others.

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe that it’s already 2016. Many of us are starting off the year by making some resolutions to make 2016 great. Looking for ideas? 

For the past 26 years, Phyllis Wiscombe of Arnes, Manitoba, has given her time to help people affected by disasters, train future disaster responders and improve the Red Cross’s capacity to help people in need. For her outstanding contributions to the movement, Wiscombe recently received the Order of the Red Cross, the highest honour the Canadian Red Cross can give a volunteer.

Catherine Mitchell calls herself the bionic woman. She jokes, but it’s partly true...she does have a bionic leg at least. A bad fall left Catherine with a shattered femur that required two months in hospital and three months at a nursing home before being able to return home. Once she did, she realized she needed additional support in place to live independently.

Released today by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), this year’s World Disasters Report takes a look at the importance of local actors, individuals and local groups such as National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, taking action as first responders at the scene of a crisis.