Shauna Stanley Seymour is a long time supporter of the Red Cross, and when she heard about the massive forest fires in Northern Ontario forcing people from their homes, she knew she had to act.
Seymour helped organize a safe place to stay, as well as transportation for the evacuees. The challenging task was spearheaded by the tireless dynamo, known in town for her work with OOH digital billboard company, CMM.
“Situations which require evacuation often involve the Red Cross being involved in the response,” she says.
“For me, when I hear about these things, I often give some thought to whether my schedule might allow for me to be away for a bit. In this case, the email came, and my answer was ‘Yes, I can.’
Seymour says that problem solving is a key skill when dealing with natural disasters. The human touch is the most important component.
“My short answer is ‘This is the Olympics of problem solving!’ Every day is filled with finding solutions to small and sometimes large problems.
“For example, in this response, one morning we helped an elderly man put a tiny battery back into his favourite watch.
“Another time, we helped little kids fill up water balloons and water guns for an afternoon of water play on the lawns.
“In another situation a woman wanted to touch base with her father who was located in shelter elsewhere in the country. The Red Cross team organized a phone call so they could have a visit.
“The Canadian Red Cross mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity in Canada and around the world.
“By providing one of the best training programs I have ever experienced, the online and hands-on components provide us with a set of principles and tools that makes it really easy to adapt in every situation. And that is what we do.
“Using the facilities and resources available, we adapt to provide people with a ‘sense of home’ as best we can. It is never perfect, but we are pretty good at keeping families connected, and hopefully comfortable, during stressful situations. I have to believe that really matters.”
Shauna says the key takeaway people should remember is that a situation can happen to anyone, and being mindful of that is important.
“Any one of us, any day, could find ourselves in a situation where we are removed from all of the comforts of home and possibly our community,” she says.
“Prior to becoming involved with the Canadian Red Cross, that thought would have scared me. Now I know that if I should ever find myself in that situation, I know my family and I would be ok.”
Seymour stresses that it’s also a great opportunity to help.
“If you are seeking a volunteer opportunity in which you spend your time doing, rather than meeting, I encourage you to look into the Canadian Red Cross.
“There are opportunities in every community and not all responses require travel and days away from home. We have a great team here in the Parkland and we are always welcoming fresh faces.”
For more information, visit http://www.redcross.ca/ .
