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I have just returned from a Red Cross assignment in New Hampshire. For two weeks I served as a Client Casework Supervisor. Since there are more lessons learned, I thought I'd return to post additional comments here.

My purpose of writing this Blog was to inform my friends, colleagues, and students about my experience and what I have learned about helping and volunteering in the Red Cross. I am honored to be a part of this wonderful organization and hope my thoughts here encourage you to become involved as a volunteer. I hope the lessons learned posted here help prepare you to be effective. At this point, I have discussed the following seven "lessons":

Putting good will to action (Lesson 1)
The health of the helper (Lesson 2)
Emergencies are a sprint, preparation a marathon (Lesson 3)
The faith community provides the heart and backbone for relief (Lesson 4)
Assuming the burden of unfinished business (Lesson 5)
The power of volunteers (Lesson 6)
The qualities of leadership (Lesson 7)

You can scan previous entries to find more information about the above.

Several months ago I attended a training in Missouri that focused on supervision in Red Cross Family Services. After two weeks of supervising caseworkers who were conducting home visits and general outreach in New Hampshire, I have a better perspective on the work of Red Cross volunteers. I think I will be a better supervisor at the local level.

I don't really enjoy the "supervising" part of the work, though I know caseworkers have to have a good supervisor to be effective themselves. I like being in a position of helping them have a worthwhile experience. But being a mid level person in the food chain has its drawbacks. I'll discuss additional lessons in forthcoming entries.