A week or two before Sept. 11, 2001, an ad in my local Beach Reporter newspaper caught my eye — “Red Cross Needs Volunteers.” I had been retired a couple of years from the high-tech aerospace and defense industry; had not developed any interesting hobbies; found golf very boring and said to myself, “How hard can it be to provide disaster relief?” After all, most of my career was involved in flight testing or operational deployment of complex reconnaissance systems for the military and other government agencies both domestic and foreign.

Over the last six years, I’ve learned a lot about the Red Cross, some more about myself and most important, what we have in common. Actually we had more in common than I realized – once my misconceptions were corrected.

Mission: The mission of the Red Cross, is clear and the objectives defined. Decisions are easy if you keep them in perspective and focus. “…provide relief to victims of disasters…and help… prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies.”

Competition: Some say the Red Cross doesn’t need to be competitive because we’re the only organization that does what we do. They forget we need resources to do those things. Those resources (time and money) are the most competitive entity in the free market. There are probably hundreds of other places where I could choose to spend my time, but I chose to remain with the Red Cross because I see the good it does.

Non-Profit Organization: I was, and still am, skeptical of non-profits in general. My feeling is that most exist to promote a cause or special interest through placards, protests and the press. It didn’t take long to find this was not the case at the Red Cross. In fact, I found striking parallels with my experience working with the military. Simply put, we have to provide, on short notice, people, equipment and supplies in response to urgent needs. To accomplish all this promptly, professionally and usually in arduous conditions, requires training, discipline and strong leadership.

I became involved in many activities of Red Cross disaster assistance because I had the good fortune of a strong and dedicated volunteer leader to mentor me when I first started. And, as a result, found the work extremely satisfying. Finally, I would be remiss not to express my deep respect and admiration for all DAT members who carry out the Red Cross mission day-by-day, family-by-family.

This is the second article in an occasional series written by American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles volunteers. This article is by Art Rutherford, a District Duty Officer (DDO) and Disaster Action Team (DAT) leader for the South Bay District. A volunteer for six years, Art has managed local disaster shelters and larger ones such as the 2003 and 2007 San Bernardino wildfires. Art teaches several Red Cross classes for volunteers, including Shelter Operations and Mass Care. After Hurricane Katrina, he taught hundreds of Los Angeles” fast track” who wanted to help at the Gulf Coast..Art also supports the Red Cross in its preparedness efforts, working with the local communities and catastrophic disaster planning

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Photo: Art and Kathy Rutherford represent the American Red Cross at a community event.

Tags: art rutherford, disaster action team, mass care, shelters, volunteer

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