In search of a work-life balance, Chris Chmura took on a volunteer role with American Red Cross to make the most of his downtime during COVID-19. An international salesman for Newport Brass and Ginger, he felt it was an ideal time to give back.
The 46-year-old Hudson resident, who is married with two teenage children, had been donating blood to Red Cross ever since he was eligible, and occasionally he rang the bell and collected donations during Christmas. In May 2020, he started a social media position with Red Cross, which has since morphed into a handful of roles, including blood transportation specialist, recognition leader and disaster group member.
“I’ve found gratification I didn’t even know I could have,” Chmura says. “My life is so business driven, and this provides me with an opportunity to give back.”
More than 90% of the Red Cross workforce is volunteers. It’s volunteers who help the nonprofit, tax-exempt, charitable institution fulfill its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
“Volunteers are the life blood of the American Red Cross,” says Mike Parks, CEO of the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region. “We could not fulfill our mission — to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies — without the time, talent and treasure our volunteers contribute every day.”
“The Red Cross is not a government agency; we rely on the generosity of the American public to do what we do,” says Jim McIntyre, regional communications director of the American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region.
The American Red Cross Northern Ohio Region consists of five community chapters headquartered in Akron, Cleveland, Canton, Findlay and Toledo. The chapters serve 31 counties and more than 5.3 million residents 24 hours per day, seven days a week.
There are countless community initiatives, including Sound the Alarm Day of Action, which takes place annually on May 8. The smoke alarm program (originally called Operation Save a Life) began in Cleveland in 1992 when businessman Sam Miller partnered with Red Cross and the Cleveland Fire Department to lower the number of fire fatalities each year.
In 2014, Red Cross made the initiative a national event. Since then, more than 2.1 million free smoke alarms have been installed, more than 1.6 million children have been educated with preparedness programs and nearly 900,000 households have received safety education. According to Red Cross, more than 800 lives have been saved.
Red Cross volunteer services include biomedical services, disaster relief, service to the armed forces and international relief.
Local in-demand volunteer positions include blood transportation specialists, blood donor ambassadors (people at the registration desk who welcome donors and take their temperatures to ensure safety) and disaster responders.
For information on volunteer opportunities, visit redcross.org/volunteer.