Volunteer Spotlight – Chris & Mary Volkman

By Grace Bond, American Red Cross, Public Affairs Volunteer

Chris and Mary Volkman are a married couple who have been volunteering with the American Red Cross for a little over two years.

Initially, Chris saw an article in the paper highlighting the need for Red Cross volunteers. He browsed the Red Cross website for local opportunities and found there was a need for Disaster Action Team volunteers. He thought this position would be a good fit, so he spoke to Mary about it, and they began their journey as Red Cross volunteers.

Since then, the Volkmans have been trained for a variety of roles such as Mass Care Team Members who support feeding and distribution, and Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) drivers. They also install free smoke alarms to make homes safer in their region of Northeast Wisconsin.

“It just makes me feel good to be a part of the Red Cross,” Chris said. “For me it’s an important organization that serves the community and I didn’t know the depth of what they did until I joined.”

One story that resonated with the Volkmans was when they were called to Oshkosh with the Disaster Action Team. They assisted a woman and her children who had survived a house fire. Unfortunately, the woman’s father did not survive the incident.

“That was the only call we’ve had where somebody lost a life. It was a tough one,” Chris said.

In the wake of the disaster, the Volkmans met with the woman and were comforted by the amount of people in the Oshkosh community who were providing for her. “It was good to see other people come together and get involved,” Mary said.

The Volkmans reflected on what being a Red Cross volunteer means to them. “You reach so many different people, and they all have different stories. You really start to have a lot of empathy for what’s going on out there,” said Mary. “It’s just a great way to give back, and we also get a lot from it, especially from the people we meet.”

“It’s not just serving the people, but also getting to know other people from the Red Cross. It makes for good relationships and opportunities to help,” Chris said.

If you are interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer, learn more about the open opportunities near you by visiting www.redcross.org/local/wisconsin/volunteer.