#Activate10: Help people in need as a Red Cross volunteer

“Our community is large and wildly diverse, which is at the same time our strength and our weakness. #Activate10 is a movement seeking to increase communication between individuals and organizations across Fremont County and to promote positive action in our communities.”

(Riverton, WY) – Local resident Carol Harper was featured in a press release from the American Red Cross of Wyoming this week encouraging people to consider volunteering for the nonprofit organization.

As a proud member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe and a resident of Riverton, Harper is deeply committed to strengthening both her tribal communities — the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone — and the broader Fremont County region.

Serving as the Red Cross of Wyoming’s relationship management disaster cycle services community partnership lead, Harper focuses on community outreach, engagement, and education, with a special emphasis on building partnerships and expanding access to resources in underserved areas. 

She is currently training with the Disaster Action Team, recognizing the urgent need to build local response capacity in a county that has historically relied on responders from other parts of the state.

For Harper, volunteerism is not about recognition – it is about responsibility.

“There is comfort in knowing that when someone calls 911, help is on the way,” she said. “The Red Cross is that next layer of response. We all work together, and our communities need to understand that connection.”

Her advice to anyone considering volunteering is simple.

“Find the one thing you can do and do it well. Many people doing one thing is far better than one person trying to do everything.”

The American Red Cross encourages local residents to consider giving the gift of time this year and resolving to help people in need as a volunteer in Wyoming.

“Our volunteers make up 90 percent of our work force and are the beating heart and soul of the Red Cross,” said Janet Lewis, executive director of the Red Cross of Wyoming. “Their support is immeasurable. Their precious gift of time builds our capacity to help people in what can be their darkest hour.”

Depending on your interests, the Red Cross offers a variety of volunteer opportunities — from supporting a family after a fire in their home, helping a member of the military during an emergency, or helping ensure blood is available for patients who need it.

For example, Volunteers on the Disaster Action Team (DAT) help families in their communities after a home fire or other disaster, providing emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover, while Hero Care Caseworkers support members of the military, their families and our veterans, helping to provide emergency communications and critical services to military families all over the world.

“The need to help has never been greater,” the Red Cross said. “Join us to provide relief and hope when it matters most.”

Click here for more volunteer information.