By Rebecca Marshall, Red Cross Communications Director

Volunteers are the heart and soul of the American Red Cross. Ninety percent of the organization’s workforce is made up of volunteers, and they show up every day to fulfill our mission and commitment in communities across the country.  From shelter workers and home fire responders to blood ambassadors, blood transporters, smoke alarm installers, and the list goes on. For some, it’s been a lifetime of service with decades of work under their belts. One such volunteer is Carrie Sammons who lives in Bend, Oregon. Her first deployment was to Tropical Storm Allison in Texas, but soon after, she would deploy to Ground Zero in New York in response to the terror attacks on 9-11-2001.

“I went as soon as planes could get there; I believe it was about September 15th.  I was there until mid-October.  I was assigned to the External Relations group in Public Affairs; however, we all did whatever was needed.  I was assigned first to a Respite Center at Ground Zero and then spent time at the Family Assistance Center.  I also spoke to specific groups about what the Red Cross was doing and where they could go for assistance,” says Carrie about her deployment to New York City in 2001.

The memories of when she first arrived are vivid, “The smell was something that stuck with me for about 5 years whenever someone mentioned 9-11 or the Twin Towers; my first thought was the smell of burning plastic/electronics”, says Carrie.  “The enormity of the devastation, the rubble pile, and the first responders scouring the area was amazing. Whenever they came out with a body, everyone stopped, and there was a respectful silence, truly impactful.”

She says she was struck by the selflessness of the people who were there to help.  Everybody was hurting, survivors and responders alike, as they came together in their disbelief, grief, and confusion about what had occurred.

“After I left NYC in mid-October, I couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed by the trickle-down effect of the disaster.  For sure, the magnitude of lives lost, but also the huge number of people who were affected: hotel staff, limousine drivers, the movie industry – all the people whose livelihoods depended on jobs that were not available as Manhattan was shut down.”

Today, Carrie has 25 years of volunteerism with the Red Cross under her belt. She can often be seen leading our disaster operations from wildfires here in Oregon and SW Washington, to floods in Alaska, hurricanes on the east coast and tornadoes in the Midwest. There is little she hasn’t done while donning the familiar Red Cross disaster vest.

Most recently, she managed our response to the wildfires in SW Oregon overseeing sheltering, feeding, distribution of supplies, staff, relationships with federal, tribal, state and local agencies, and partnerships with other nonprofits. 

That role took her to the shelter in Chiloquin where she checked in on volunteers, evacuees, and even a veterinarian who was caring for evacuated animals.  She took a couple of calls and drove back to headquarters in Bend. All in a day’s work.

After spending decades with the Red Cross, the mission and fundamental principles remain her North Star. “When I am deployed, I am there to ‘prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies,’” she says, “We are there when help can’t wait.”  She approaches every response with the same focus and commitment, but the response to Ground Zero, all those years ago, really set her course as a disaster responder and showed her the amazing work the Red Cross did then and continues to do today.

To learn more about volunteering at the Red Cross, go to RedCross.org/volunteer