By Roma Avila
With ongoing reform at Concordia, it isn’t surprising to see change around the campus: a new president, more events, and a few new clubs. One club in particular is dedicated to nothing but change.
The Red Cross Club has been collaborating to aid the Chicago land area by bringing fresh faces through its motivated leaders, President Mariah Echevarria and Vice President Joshua Heine. After a quick Q & A session with Mariah, it wasn’t hard to see why she had the passion and drive to facilitate Concordia’s first Red Cross Club.
Why start a Red Cross club? Why not any other club?
As a freshman with an interest in the medical field, I didn’t have many opportunities to join clubs with the same medical interest. This was my main inspiration for starting the Red Cross Club. In addition, I am an active volunteer in the Red Cross, and it felt natural to get other people involved in such a wonderful organization. Finally, I love volunteering and serving others, and I felt that bringing the Red Cross to Concordia would be great for providing additional volunteering opportunities for students.
How is this different from other clubs?
The Red Cross Club is unique in several ways. First, it is brand new and has never existed before at Concordia. It is also an arm of an international humanitarian organization focused on disaster relief. Finally, the Red Cross Club is community-oriented. The training and skills that our members will receive will benefit not just Concordia, but also the Oak Park – River Forest area and Chicago.
What are the benefits?
There are many benefits to being a member of the Red Cross Club. Members can gain various skills through events, training, leadership positions, or volunteering elsewhere in the Greater Chicago Region. Being a Red Cross volunteer is excellent for building one’s resume, as many employers look for people with volunteer experience. The club will also be doing plenty of volunteer events, which could fulfill any Service Learning requirements. Finally, members can also create lasting friendships with each other.
If people can’t make the meetings, how can they still help?
Register as a volunteer for your local Red Cross or find another way to get involved with the community. Also, come to some of our campus-wide events if possible. We’d love to see you there!
Anyone looking to register and get involved can visit the website:
http://www.redcross.org/il/chicago/volunteer/become-volunteer/application-types
Once a profile is built, members can view various opportunities that can be specific to skills and interests as well as availability.
The first club event took place at the 2014 Chicago Marathon on October 11 – 13.
Red Cross Club
Bi-weekly meetings held Thursday nights @ 6:00pm
Next meeting: Thursday October 16
Agenda: Zombie Apocalypse Disaster Training
