- List the Community Partner / Organization you chose
Provide a brief summary of experiences volunteers can have with the organization
I chose the organization called American Red Cross Coastal Chapter. The position is a Blood Donor Ambassador. Volunteers for this organization can experience situations that would enhance and improve their communication and professional skills. Volunteers, especially those who want to pursue a career in health, can gain experiences on how to treat guests that come to donate blood. They can also learn how to support the guests and make them feel comfortable. This organization gives volunteers the opportunity to experience a lot of interaction with donors by answering their questions, assisting them before the blood donation process, and escorting them to their necessary places.
2. Please write a description of the Community Partner(s) by answering these questions:
What is their purpose / mission?
Their purpose is to prevent and reduce the sufferings of humans during emergencies with the use of volunteers and people who donate blood. During emergencies and other disasters, volunteers and blood donors through this organization provide vital support to victims of disasters in order to alleviate the victims’ sufferings.
What services does the partner provide?
The American Red Cross Coastal Chapter provides services such as shelters, meals, blood, and other forms of support to people affected by disasters. They help the community prepare for disasters in order to the reduce the damage caused by it. This organization also teaches skills that could be lifesaving in the event of an emergency. They provide special support for military members and their families.
What needs of the community do they address?
The needs addressed by the American Red Cross Coastal Chapter are giving shelters to homeless people in a certain area, providing free meals to reduce starvation in the community, and of course, provide blood to local hospitals in order to save lives.
Why is this organization important to the community?
Without this organization, the community would lack knowledge on how to respond to a disaster, and thus would be unprepared in the event of a natural or human-caused disaster. This organization is also important because it provides a lot of blood to hospitals and medical centers which is crucial in saving lives.
Find one article / video about the organization and the work they are doing in the community.
This is a link to a news article about the organization:
3. After reflecting on the organization’s goals and mission, have your values, opinions, and/or beliefs about the importance of health changed or grown? Be specific.
After reflecting on the organization’s goals and mission, my values and beliefs on the importance of health have grown. By learning about its role in the community, I appreciate the positive impacts that this organization provides. The medical support provided by this organization saves countless lives every day. I have learned its importance in our community and their mission has motivated me more to pursue a career in medicine.
4. Thinking about the community partner:
How do these services relate to your intended career field?
The services provided by the organization are related to my intended career field because both provide medical and emotional support to people who are victims of emergencies and disasters.
What Degree Program (other than your current major) could it relate to?
This organization can relate the major of Public Health. They both care for the community and prevent or reduce human suffering.
Would you choose to pursue that major as your parallel major?
Yes, Public Health is an option that I may choose as my parallel major.
Why or why not?
Public health is interesting to me and is related to the field of medicine. My interest in the field has also increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and knowing its impact on how it saves COVID patients is something I can see myself doing in the future.