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ENGL 104 #1401
4/1/24
A Call to Action: Volunteer with the American Red Cross to Create a Better World
Thesis:
The United States’ American Red Cross organization is looking for fresh blood from new volunteers to sustain its most important humanitarian activities. Naturally, the ever-changing climate has pressed the Red Cross to cope with an increasing number and intensity of disasters, relying on volunteers with limited resources. With our contribution to the American Red Cross, we are able to carry out actions that lead to improving the lives of the people we live with and those who are in need around the world.
I. Attention
A. More than 60,000 disasters occur annually that the Red Cross responds to in the U.S.
B. Story of how Red Cross volunteers provided emergency shelter to a family after a home fire.
C. Statistics on the percentage of the Red Cross workforce that is volunteer-based (90%).
D.Emphasize how volunteers are the lifeblood that allows the Red Cross to carry out its mission.
II. Need
A. Evidence from a journal article on increases in natural disaster impacts and costs due to climate change.
Specific data points show the rise in billion-dollar disaster events.
Projections for a continued upward trend necessitate more resources.
B. The Red Cross is facing escalating operating costs and resource constraints.
1. Challenges in meeting elevated service demands with current volunteer numbers.
C. Emphasize the critical need for volunteerism in all Red Cross program areas.
Lists of different ways volunteers assist (disaster relief, blood drives, etc.)
D. With paid staff limited, volunteers perform most of the vital work.
III. Satisfaction
A. Overview of Red Cross mission and core principles from their bylaws.
1. Specific ways the mission is enacted through different volunteer programs.
2. Variety of skills and interests, different volunteer roles can match.
B. Flexibility and the training provided allow anyone to get involved.
1. Examples of online, in-person, and on-the-job training opportunities.
2. Commitment levels for different roles (regular, periodic, on-call, etc.)
C. Volunteering with the Red Cross is considered a prestigious and noble endeavor.
1. Awards and recognitions highlight their volunteer program.
D. Quote from leader praising the volunteers as “invaluable force multipliers.”
IV. Visualization
A. This is a powerful story from an interview with volunteers who provided aid after a tornado.
1. Describe specific ways they helped a family recover and rebuild.
2. Quote about the fulfillment of making a tangible difference.
B. Perspective from a blood recipient whose life was saved by volunteer blood donors.
1. How the simple act of giving blood is literally giving life.
2. Deep gratitude expressed for the volunteer donors.
C. Data on lives improves annually through Red Cross volunteer efforts.
1. Meals served, shelter provided, blood collected, etc.
D. With more volunteers, the humanitarian impact grows exponentially.
V. Action
A direct call for the audience to sign up to volunteer at redcross.org/volunteer
1. An overview of the main volunteer program areas to choose from based on interests.
2. A step-by-step process to get started by submitting an application.
B. For those unable to volunteer time, there is a need for financial donations at redcross.org/donate.
1. Specifics on what monetary gifts provide (supplies, equipment, transport, etc.)
2. Different donation levels and employer matching options.
C. Check out the upcoming local volunteer deployments and community blood drives to join.
1. Ease of fitting short-term volunteer stints into one’s schedule.
D. The commitment horizon can be flexible; every bit of help makes an impact.
Works Cited
American Red Cross. “American Red Cross.” Redcross.org, 2023. https://www.redcross.org/
Dodd, Roger Y., et al. “Screening blood donors for HIV, HCV, and HBV at the American Red Cross: 10-year trends in prevalence, incidence, and residual risk, 2007 to 2016.” Transfusion Medicine Reviews 34.2 (2020): 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmrv.2020.02.001
Finegan, Oran, et al. “International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): General guidance for the management of the dead related to COVID-19.” Forensic Science International: Synergy 2 (2020): 129-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsisyn.2020.03.007
Liebrecht, Christine Cornelia, and Charlotte Miriam Joyce Van Hooijdonk. “Webcare across public and private social networking sites: How stakeholders and the Netherlands Red Cross adapt their messages to channel affordances and constraints.” Psychology of Language and Communication 26.1 (2022): 375-398. https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/plc-2022-18
McGuire, Michael E. “At (Red) cross purposes: American Red Cross humanitarian ‘arrogance’and France’s Great War relief and reconstruction, 1917–20.” European Review of History: Revue européenne d’histoire 30.5 (2023): 705-726. https://doi.org/10.1080/13507486.2023.2227210
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