Heart of Tennessee Volunteer Spotlight: Reina Teems - December 2017

Reina Teems is in the Volunteer Spotlight this month.  Reina knows first hand how important Red Cross presence and services are to those who have lost everything.  She and her family are survivors of Hurricane Katrina. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs.  The Red Cross was the only agency to give them clothes, food, and help finding a place to live.  Along the road to recovery, Reina and her family (including two-month-old twins and a son) left everything behind, and 12 years ago moved to the Murfreesboro area.  She stayed home to raise her children and four years ago, she was looking for something more.

It was time for her to give back to the Red Cross.  Reina first became involved with volunteer services and then became a disaster responder. For a time, she did both until she devoted all her energy to disaster response, first for the Heart of Tennessee Chapter and then moved to a regional disaster position.  In this position, she helps the entire state of Tennessee but her first love is the Heart of Tennessee Chapter.

Reina describes herself as a jack of all trades.  She has taken training in all areas of disaster response.  She feels this is the best way for her to know exactly what the volunteers are being called upon to do.  For instance, if someone will be doing shelter service, she knows exactly what that entails.

In her position, Reina helps people to be able to get out and do what they need to do better.  She makes sure they have the correct training, and any necessary paperwork for deployment is completed.  Reina is available to those deployed if they need her.  Often it means just a phone call from someone deployed in a disaster area, just needing to talk when they become overwhelmed.  She facilitates the travel arrangements for both staff and volunteers when disaster strikes.

Reina helps people do their best.