ABSTRACT
As a Red Cross volunteer dating back to 1994, I saw unwavering action that had one principal concern: to alleviate human suffering. This part of the humanitarian machine begins in my youth and was grounded in both US domestic and international experience. This chapter walks the reader through the years that begin with being on call for local disaster relief operations during my teenage years, where I would be awoken before classes to drive with another Red Cross volunteer to provide humanitarian assistance to those that had no safety net, to the current context in which I am honored to serve as the head of Disaster and Crisis with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Americas and the Caribbean. A journey that touches each of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross Red Crescent movement is discussed as well as connections to the 14 million volunteers and staff in 192 countries around the globe.
