American Red Cross of Western and Central New York

The American Red Cross is primarily known for their assistance and relief services in cases of disaster. The local organizations work to fund services such as relief for families displaced after a fire, babysitting classes, and more. I have been interested for some time in the disaster response services they provide and have considered pursuing training. Many of the people who respond are volunteers who are trained and mobilize quickly to assist those in need when a disaster strikes.

My August volunteer opportunity came from @RedCrossWCNY I subscribed to the Volunteer Match newsletter in July and the opportunity to work as a parking lot attendant came up. During The Great New York State Fair the Red Cross operates a parking lot just a short walk from the main entrance. For a $10 donation fair goers can park near the fairgrounds in a lot organized and staffed by volunteers. All proceeds support Red Cross programs and services.

I registered as a volunteer through email and was given a number of shifts to choose from. I chose a morning shift and hoped it wouldn’t rain! Luckily the rain stopped the night before and I arrived on site with shoes appropriate for a dirt lot, a hat, and sunscreen. I signed in and waited for other volunteers to arrive. I was given a radio and a reflective vest, along with doughnuts and coffee. The volunteers were a diverse group, some first timers like me, others who volunteer here every year. A teenage boy whom I chatted with said he thought it would be a neat thing to do, and a woman in her 60’s or 70’s said she’d been doing this for years and loves it! They do provide volunteers with a ticket for free entry to the fair and parking the day they volunteer.

Our morning talk and directions indicated how they park cars and the order in which they fill the lot. The goal was to park 560 cars in the lot (some parts were still unusable due to standing water so they weren’t sure we would be able to today). Cars were directed to various spots, larger vehicles around the edges of the lot and rows that were marked with cones and could fit a designated number of vehicles. My job involved signaling cars to their spots, sometimes directing them closer to the vehicle next to or in front of them. Watching out for pedestrians as they made their way through the lot, etc. It was a goal to get as many cars in as we could. "First shift sets the tone for the day!" Once the lot was full around noon, another volunteer and I took a golf cart and went to count the number of vehicles parked and check for areas where the water had dissipated and we could now park more vehicles..

We parked 577 cars! This was exciting since we beat our goal and in the end that means more money for the Red Cross services. The lot is turned over about 3x’s a day, including right after the afternoon concert (today was a sold out boy band, I saw lots of moms and their teenage girls and a few dads!). We were all glad the count was high and the volunteers all chatted a bit while waiting for the next shift to arrive. Some people were from the local area, others were from the Buffalo and Rochester area and I think they work for the Red Cross. It sounded like they have trouble getting enough volunteers and ask employees to come in and assist. The volunteers and staff were all friendly and it was a lovely morning.

Impact

It felt good to have a goal for our time and it was nice to interact with the people parking in the lot. Watching all the children get out of the cars so excited to go into the fair was an awesome way to start a day. I also felt really good about the fact that we raised over $5,000 that morning and even if they only turned the lot over twice that was over $10,000 for the day for the American Red Cross. This money is vital in order for them to continue to offer the emergency relief services, babysitting classes, and other services they provide.

I loved doing this and I would definitely do it again!

How You Can Help!

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redcrosswcny/

Volunteer, Donate or Take A Class: https://www.redcross.org/local/new-york/western-and-central-new-york/about-us/locations/central-new-york-chapter.html?CID=organic_gmb_listings