NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Every eight minutes, the American Red Cross responds to an emergency, and every year in March, the organization honors the volunteers who make their lifesaving mission possible.
Ned Worman of Chesapeake is one of those people.
As part of the Red Cross Disaster Response team, he has deployed 15 times in the past three years. His latest mission was to help victims of the wildfires in Hawaii.
“A lot of them have burns still on their legs and their hands and their feet.,” Worman said. “What happened was so fast. People really had to leave in minutes.”
He offers victims a place to sleep, food to eat and an ear to listen.
“No, we can’t build your house back, we can’t bring your pets back, we can’t bring your family back, but we give them hope,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing we can do.”
Worman brings hope and hugs to every disaster.
“I was doing feeding in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where there was massive tornadoes a couple of years ago,” he said. “We saw this lady and heard what appeared to be her daughter and a little child in the driveway …. so we stopped and offered some food and we talked to them. And she had said that she basically heard the storm and starting to rip her house apart.”
When he went back a few days later, he saw that same woman outside shaking and stopped again and asked what was wrong.
“And she said I don’t like the wind,” Worman said. “I gave her a hug and I said, ‘I can promise you it’s going to be windy today and you’re going to see things blowing around, but it’s not going to be anything like you experienced a few days ago.
And she just looked up at me and thanked me.”
For Worman, the volunteer work is humbling and empowering, and the Red Cross runs on volunteers like him.
“This has become my passion,” he said, “until I can’t do it anymore.”
There are dozens of ways to help from disaster relief, to blood donations, teaching first aid or delivering needed supplies. If you’re interested in helping click here.
