ASSIGNMENT: Simulate a disaster victim. My home was destroyed by a hurricane. We hurry into a disaster relief shelter set up by the Red Cross. We are handed a care package with a meal and a toothbrush. My mind races as I try to understand the victim that I….I was just acting. This was a drill, and my mother and I, as volunteers at the Red Cross for many years, were chosen to help act as victims at a simulation operation intended to be a didactic experience for newly joined volunteers.

This was when I was in seventh grade, and now, five years later, I am still part of the big family that comprises the Red Cross New York chapter. The volunteer work that I do ranges from quirky experiences like the simulation to listening in on lectures and doing logistics work. The Red Cross is not simply a place I volunteer,; it has become my daily newspaper, as I follow disasters both globally and locally.