United Way # 8019
CFC # 99248
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Winter 2010
Ann Kelly
 Ann Kelly has been a volunteer with the American Red Cross since the spring of 2002. After 9/11, Ann decided that time had come to give back to her community. “I wanted to get on a bus and go up to New York City to help, but I was told only trained disaster relief volunteers were wanted,” Ann said. This ignited her passion to pursue training and become involved with the Red Cross
Ann has been an extremely dedicated volunteer ever since, participating on a Disaster Action Team (DAT) and Mass Care and International Service Committees. She was involved in Mass Care preparations and response for the Presidential Inauguration in 2004 as a leader of the team and describes it as “one of the hardest jobs I ever had to do!”
As an active DSHR member, Ann says she “has been deployed several times doing client case work -- to wildfires in Arizona and to hurricanes and flooding in West Virginia, Ohio, and Florida. During Katrina, I served as a client case work supervisor at the D. C Armory shelter.” She is currently the Chair of the Mass Care Committee at the Arlington Chapter and a leader of the Mass Care for the National Capital Region. Ann collaborates with Red Cross staff and other community organizations to organize trainings and drill readiness opportunities. Additionally, Ann is also trained in International Social Services (ISS) as a tracing caseworker for Arlington and Alexandria.
When asked to share an interesting story, she vividly remembers the task she was assigned just after her disaster preparedness training and joining DSHR. “I wondered, given my newbie status, whether I was up to the challenge of the job”, Ann said, reflecting on her deployment to the Arizona wildfires. “Everything the training manuals told us was true—you are never alone!” Ann is thankful to her mentors for having given her the courage to take up the task. She is amazed to see “how volunteers from all over the country could come together to create an almost seamless operation.”
Ann’s volunteer work is highly appreciated by Red Cross staff. When asked about Ann’s volunteerism, Tom Oostdyk, of the Emergency and International Services (EIS) department, stated, “During the February 2010 Snow Emergency, Ann Kelly coordinated the operations of six Red Cross shelters across the National Capital Region. She leads with a quiet spirit and consistent determination. Her flexibility, initiative and sense of responsibility are an example to paid and volunteer staff alike.” Chris Luhring, also a paid staff member with EIS, added, “Ann is amazing and she exemplifies the Mission of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross depends on volunteers to respond and we are lucky to have such a dedicated leader to help provide relief to disaster victims.”
Check out our former Volunteer Spotlights Here
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