Memories of Caring Strangers

How disaster recovery encouraged a Northeast Tennessee woman to volunteer with Red Cross  

By Mariwyn Evans, American Red Cross volunteer

When Katie Robinson moved to Johnson City, Tennessee in January 2020, she began volunteering with Northeast Tennessee Chapter of the Red Cross. This was her way of contributing to the community and meeting people in her new home.  

Encouraged by her friend and Red Cross chapter director Heather Carbajal, Katie soon moved onto the chapter’s board of directors. “I thought you had to be a mover and shaker to serve on a board,” says Robinson. “Now I realize that it’s just people who are passionate about helping people.”  

What drew her to the Red Cross went deeper than her move or her friendship; it went back to one life-changing memory in her life.  

Robinson was 12 years old when Hurricane Katrina hit her hometown of Pascagoula, Mississippi. “I’m not even sure I realized that the strangers in town helping with the recovery efforts were from the American Red Cross,” she said. “I just remembered kind people who would bring you a turkey sandwich and a bottle of water after working with us for hours in the August heat.”  

“At the time, I just associated the Red Cross with blood drives, where my Dad donated regularly. It wasn’t until years later that I understood who these strangers were and all they’d done.” 

Now as a board member she has a fuller understanding and appreciation of the broad scope of the Red Cross’s mission. Current Northeast Tennessee chapter initiatives include a sickle cell blood drive, smoke alarm installation, responding to disasters both near and far, and outreach programs for veterans.  

“So often people think of the Red Cross only about blood drives or a big national disaster like Katrina, but it’s the local response of finding a family a bed after a 2:00 a.m. fire or holding a veteran’s hand that has impact,” she says.   

The wide scope of services that the Red Cross provides also means that there is role for anyone who wants to volunteer. “Whether you want to serve in a leadership role or just hand out cookies at a blood drive, you just have to walk into your local Red Cross office, and they would be ecstatic to see you,” she added.   

If you would like to find out more about volunteering with the American Red Cross, go to RedCross.org/Volunteer or call 1-800-RED CROSS, or contact your local Red Cross Chapter.