Wanda Clark, Followup Casework Coordinator for the Southeast Tennessee chapter Disaster Assistance Team (DAT) Captain for Marion and Grundy counties, knows this better than almost anyone.
Since July 1, Clark has given an extraordinary 744 hours of volunteer service to the Red Cross. “We all want somebody to be there when it’s zero degrees outside and our house has burned to the ground,” she said. “No matter what time of day or night it is. I want to be there, always willing to give.”
Most of her time is spent on her iPhone, she said, advising, informing, referring or virtually hugging survivors and caseworkers across Southeast Tennessee’s 10-county region.
Clark is no stranger to disaster relief via portable device. She joined the Red Cross in 2008, when she was living with her family in Valdez, Alaska. “I am extremely adventurous,” she said. “And I love the snow!” In 2014, she and her family returned to her native Southeast Tennessee. She manages most of her duties using an iPhone 6, from her Grundy County home,
Modern technology, unfortunately, does not solve every problem. “I get calls every day from people who are down and out.” Clark said. “I want to say: ‘I can help you with this!’ But unfortunately, we don’t have programs for everything.”
Despite its challenges, Clark is devoted to helping people in need through her Red Cross service. “I want to make sure people have a place to go, and they know that someone cares; even if all I can give is a smile over the phone, to me that’s huge. I’m very passionate about it. I just get joy from helping others.”
No comments:
Post a Comment