Since an early age, Katie Marcinko has had a connection with the American Red Cross. Her mom is a member of the Disaster Services Team in the Indiana region, and her grandmother is also a volunteer with the Red Cross. Therefore, being a Red Crosser and being able to help others was always a passion that Katie wanted to pursue. “My mom tells a story about how she would bring me to her office since I was an infant, and that’s how my story began,” Katie recounts, highlighting the early roots of her passion.
Katie officially became a Red Cross volunteer on her 13th birthday and has been an active volunteer ever since, “I stayed up until midnight on my 13th birthday to sign up as a Red Cross volunteer,” shared Katie. As a volunteer, she has logged over 4,000 hours and has helped install smoke alarms in countless homes throughout the Indiana region. Katie finds the most rewarding part of volunteering to be the direct impact she has on families. “I remember one of our first goals that mom had was reaching all of Frankfort, hitting every single home in Frankfort, which is my community. “I remember accomplishing that goal, and it was huge. It was an amazing thing because I just knew that we touched that many lives,” she reflected.
She remembers one family in particular who had nine children and did not realize their smoke alarms did not have batteries. Equipping that family with working smoke alarms gave Katie a real sense of accomplishment and helped to keep the family safe. Installing smoke alarms and making homes safer is close to Katie’s heart as she recalls losing a classmate during a home fire. Recently, Katie along with other Red Cross volunteers went out to survey damage after the March 15 tornado that affected various communities in Indiana and Ohio.
Katie is graduating high school this year and plans to attend the University of Arkansas where she will major in criminology with a focus on pre-law. She plans to continue volunteering with the Red Cross. “I like volunteering because I feel connected to the community and that I am making an impact on people’s lives,” added Katie. “I love being able to meet the community and just seeing such diverse communities.” Katie Marcinko embodies the compassion and dedication young people bring to volunteer work. Her unwavering commitment to the Red Cross serves as an inspiration to others, reminding us of the power of lifelong service.
Written by Communications Intern, Thao Nguyen.