My Most Impactful Mission Moments
Written by Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross.
This June, I will celebrate my 10th anniversary as President and CEO of the American Red Cross. I usually try to look forward and see where our organization is heading, but as I’ve approached this milestone — I’ve also found myself looking backwards a bit.
Through the years, I’ve had the privilege of talking to countless volunteers, employees, donors and community partners about my work leading this American treasure. While people sometimes say that we’ve transformed the Red Cross, in truth I believe it has transformed me. It’s certainly made me a kinder person who is more appreciative of the things that really matter in my own life.
As I near my 10-year anniversary, I thought I’d share a few of the many mission moments I’ve experienced at the Red Cross that have had a profound impact on me.
First Disaster Response
When I first started at the Red Cross, I hoped I could use my business experience to help a venerable institution that was facing a series of challenges. But just three weeks into my new role, I traveled to China’s Sichuan Valley as part of the response to the devastating earthquake that struck there. During my visit, I heard from a seven-year old girl who was standing on the lawn in front of the rubble that used to be her school.
Speaking through an interpreter, she told me how she had been outside painting with her art class when the earthquake struck. Her school collapsed, and she was one of only 15 children that were spared; tragically, 200 of her fellow students were buried alive. There was not a single person with me who wasn’t sobbing as we heard her heart-wrenching story. I realized right then that this job was so much more than solving a series of logistics challenges; it was about helping people in their darkest hours. And it was at that moment that I truly fell in love with the Red Cross mission.
The Dedication of Our Volunteers
A few months later, I experienced my first United States disaster when the Red Cross responded to Hurricanes Ike and Gustav — back-to-back storms that impacted the Gulf Coast. I deployed to Texas and asked to spend time working in one of our emergency response vehicles (ERVs), as I wanted to experience the work our volunteers do every day. For two-and-a-half hours, I dished out bowl after bowl of chili from that ERV. There were two dedicated Red Cross volunteers working alongside me — one was a young man and the other, I would guess, was in his mid-70s. After a few hours of this difficult work, I was exhausted. But the two volunteers I was with never stopped serving and never stopped smiling. I was in awe of what they did, and how much they gave of themselves that day.
When I was done, I had to go straight from the ERV to the airport. As I boarded my flight, I was still wearing my Red Cross gear and I felt like a sweaty mess. But as I walked down the aisle of the plane, everybody I passed touched my arm and said “thank you.” I had never experienced anything like it before in my life — and that was when I began to understand how incredible our volunteers are and the remarkable gratification they feel for being part of the American Red Cross.
Understanding Thankfulness
A few years later, in January of 2010, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. I traveled there in the first week after the quake hit, and visited a station the American Red Cross had set up. It was hard for me to process what I was seeing. The deceased were lying in the streets, injured people were everywhere, and I met a man who had suffered a terrible head injury. It was devastating.
One week before I traveled to Haiti, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. (It was caught early, and I recovered from the treatments quickly.) When I got home from my trip, I told my husband to stop me if I complained about my breast cancer. So many people in Haiti lacked access to the things we take for granted every day — such as medical care, potable drinking water and electricity — and that initial visit made me realize how truly fortunate I was to live in the United States.
In my many subsequent visits to Haiti, I become more optimistic and enthusiastic about the recovery work the Red Cross was helping to lead there. Over the past 8 plus years, our Red Cross teams have worked tirelessly to help Haitian families recover and rebuild. We’ve helped to fund 54 different hospitals and health clinics; assisted more than 143,000 people with safe housing and neighborhood recovery; and provided funding for 46 reconstructed or renovated schools.
The Resiliency of the American People
A few years later, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, I met Viola Lynch, a beautiful 92-year-old woman who lived in New Jersey with her 65-year-old daughter, Carol. Viola and Carol lost everything in the storm, and the Red Cross helped them find temporary housing.
As I visited with the family, Carol described their experience — and whenever she would think of a memento or a photo album that they lost, she would get very weepy. But every time Carol would begin to cry, ninety-two-year-old Viola would pat her on the knee and say, “It’s just stuff, and we have each other. It will be fine.” Viola’s resiliency was so amazing to witness, and she continued to inspire me daily.
In addition to my encounters with wonderful people like Viola, I also deeply admire the incredible spirit and determination I see every time I visit one of our shelters. One of my favorite moments at the Red Cross was a conversation I had with a little girl and her mother who stayed at one of our shelters during Hurricane Matthew, in the fall of 2016.
The girl was only five or six years old, and she was missing her front teeth. To make some fun conversation, I told her that someone must have stolen her teeth. She explained that the tooth fairy had them. Thinking I would keep the fun going, I then asked her, “Do you have a boyfriend?”, to which she quickly replied, “Oh yeah, I have a boyfriend!” As soon as she said this, the girl’s mother — who was sitting right next to us — burst into surprised laughter. That was when this picture was taken.
It was a spontaneous and joyous moment that will stick with me forever. Time and time again, I feel so privileged to witness the resilience displayed by the American people, even during some of the most difficult situations imaginable.
Saving Lives through Training
Another great privilege about working at our humanitarian organization is the opportunity to recognize people who’ve used their Red Cross training to save another person’s life. And one of my favorite lifesaving stories actually took place at American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
One of our own Red Cross employees, Terry Feheley, suffered a massive heart attack while at work. Thankfully, Christy Rogers — one of Terry’s coworkers — was nearby and jumped into action when he collapsed. Christy performed CPR for 20 minutes until the paramedics arrived and Terry could be rushed to the hospital, where he received an emergency pacemaker. Thanks to Christy’s knowledge and quick thinking, Terry survived the incident and continued his work at the Red Cross for many more years. Every time I saw Terry around the office, I would give him a big hug. Even though Terry is now retired, he serves as a constant reminder of the vital importance of our Health and Safety training.
Delivering Comfort and Care to Our Men and Women in Uniform
On a personal level, one of the things that touches me the most about our Red Cross mission is the work we do for the men and women of our Armed Forces, our veterans and their families. And one of my most treasured memories revolves around our Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program, in which we collect holiday cards and send them to U.S. Service Members stationed all over the world.
When my granddaughter, Chelsea was about six-years old, she spent hours painstakingly making more than 300 homemade cards for the Red Cross to distribute through the program. I was so proud of her, and as a gift that holiday season, Chelsea gave me a framed picture of her sitting next to all the cards she’d made.
I’m also the proud stepmother of an Active Duty Airman, and my husband and I celebrated the holidays with him that same year — as he was home from deployment. When my stepson saw Chelsea’s picture, he became very emotional, and showed us a stack of cards that he personally had saved. He explained that those same cards helped get him through the two Christmases he spent in Iraq. He said, “knowing our country supported me meant everything in the world.”
I’m so thankful for the work we do to deliver comfort and care to our courageous men and women in uniform.
The Selfless Generosity of Blood Donors
Of course, I’m also thankful for the more than 2.8 million selfless individuals who voluntarily donate blood every year to help the Red Cross meet the needs of hospital patients across the country. While I’ve always understood the vital importance of our blood donors, a recent health issue with my husband, Don, drove home the significance of our Blood Services mission on a very personal level.
A few years ago, Don had spinal surgery. While the procedure was ultimately successful, when Don came out of surgery he was very anemic, and the doctor eventually called for a blood transfusion. I was feeling very nervous about things — but then I saw that the unit of blood the medical staff wheeled in had the American Red Cross logo stamped on its side. I cannot describe the feeling of comfort and relief that washed over me at that moment. I immediately began to think of the generous blood donors, who give so much of themselves to help save the lives of complete strangers.
The blood transfusion went well, and Don soon made a full recovery from his surgery. But I’ll never forget the feeling of hope I had when I saw our beloved Red Cross logo. It reminds me of something that I heard Betty White, a Red Cross supporter, once say. She said that when she was a little girl, she didn’t quite know what our organization did — but she knew that whenever she saw that image of a Red Cross, it meant that help and hope were on the way.
As I look back on my first ten years with the American Red Cross, I feel more privileged than ever to lead this wonderful humanitarian organization that delivers help and hope to so many. And I remain profoundly grateful for the dedicated volunteers, employees, donors and community partners who empower our lifesaving mission — each and every day.
