Rachel Kulasa
Working as an AmeriCorps member at the American Red Cross has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life to date. For many reasons, I have enjoyed coming to work every day and doing a job that I truly feel helps people in so many ways. I am thankful that I made the decision to become an AmeriCorps member—it has truly changed the way I think about my world and my purpose.
It’s difficult to pick only one event or day that changed my perspective on things because I feel that every day presented a new set of challenges that required problem solving and determination to get through. I learned a new skill each of these days and grew as a professional. My time working at the American Red Cross has taught me to be compassionate, patient, and most of all, passionate about the mission of the American Red Cross and the job that I perform. I now consider myself a true Red Crosser who believes in what we do and will stand up for our fundamental principles.
No two days at the Red Cross are ever the same. One day might be very calm and fairly easy, while the next day there may be a large disaster and many issues to address. I love the unpredictable nature of the job. Something new is learned everyday and there is never a chance to get bored because there is always something that needs to be worked on. Whether I am helping a client who had their home destroyed in a fire or working on a military case, there is always plenty to do and accomplish at the Red Cross.
This year I had the opportunity to reunite family members with their loved ones after they were separated by a devastating hurricane; teach school children about the importance of disaster preparedness; send emergency messages to members of the armed forces; reunited brothers separated by war and conflict; respond to house fires; participate in table top exercises at emergency operations centers; and help educated the community on pandemic flu preparedness along with other numerous activities and events.
It is from my experience as an AmeriCorps member that I have decided to stay on for another year as an AmeriCorps member at the American Red Cross. I feel as though I have accomplished so much this year, and yet, there are still many areas of disaster relief that I would like to explore and learn about in the upcoming year. Leaving AmeriCorps right now seemed too premature, as there are many projects that I started and would like to see finished.
Being an AmeriCorps member has taught me how to collaborate with people from all over the world and to be open to learning and experiencing new things. I have become a much more flexible person as a result of my experiences in disaster services. There has been many times over the course of this year when I was not sure how to do something or when I did not have the confidence in myself to perform a task. This experience taught me to have more faith in my abilities and to accept and deal with issues as they arise. I am grateful for my experience and look forward to another year as an AmeriCorps member serving the American Red Cross.
