Lisa Scott stood outside
of the American Red Cross shelter in Corpus Christi, Texas and watched the bus
unload. She saw faces of defeat, hopelessness, and desperation.
Those faces came from
Rockport, an area that took a direct hit from Hurricane Harvey. Lisa, a new
volunteer from the Upstate South Carolina Chapter of the Red Cross, knew everyone
walking into that shelter needed compassion.
While
working overnights, one of her jobs was cleaning the restrooms. It wasn’t
glorifying work, she said, but it was one thing she could to show that
compassion.
“I
just tried to do things that made life a little bit better and little more
normal for people,” she said.
Armed with cleaning supplies and a smile, Lisa is ready to clean the shelter restrooms. |
Lisa also
realized the simplest actions could have the deepest impact on everyone who
needed help.
“They
needed to talk, and they wanted to talk about what happened. I was just there
to listen.”
She spent several
nights doing just that. She remembers meeting older couples, young mothers, and
families with several children.
One of the people she
met was a six-year-old boy who was just about to turn seven. School was back in
session, but the boy and his family were still staying in the shelter. He
wanted to be able to take goodie bags to school to celebrate with his
classmates. Lisa left the shelter to buy bags, candy, and toys. The next
morning the boy wore the “Happy birthday” button Lisa also bought and was ready
to go. Goodie bags in tow.
But, Lisa wanted to do
one more thing. She rallied those who were around, and they all sang happy
birthday. The faces of defeat, helplessness, and desperation, she said, turned
into looks of joy, gratitude, and hope.
“It
would make you cry. It brought tears to my eyes. It was very simple,” Lisa
remembered.
But
then disaster struck closer to Lisa’s home just a few weeks later. A tornado tore through Spartanburg. Lisa got
the call that she would need to open a shelter within an hour. She dropped
everything.
“I
know the people who were at the shelter got an understanding of the compassion
we have, and the passion we have for helping,” she said.
Lisa spends time visiting with a furry shelter resident. |
In
all, the Palmetto SC Region provided more than 900 meals and snacks to people
in need. Weeks later, Lisa continues to work with families, helping them
through their recovery. She
is one of the thousands of volunteers who make up 90% of the Red Cross
workforce. She is one of the heroes who has paused their life to help others
through their worst days.
For her, it’s about
helping. It’s about alleviating human suffering.
“Tomorrow,
I would go wherever they needed me to go. I learned so much, and it just
enriches your life,” Lisa said.
If you would like to
learn more about becoming a volunteer, go to redcross.org/volunteer
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