Melissa Fairbanks is a board member of our Southeast Chapter and has been a Red Crosser for five years. In a few weeks, she is leaving the comfort of her home and embarking on a new Red Cross adventure, one that is close to her heart and will take her hundreds of miles away from her loved ones. She is deploying to Europe to provide support to members of our armed forces.
Service comes naturally to Melissa, “my father was in the Navy, my father-in-law was in the Air Force, so service has always generationally been very important, so the American Red Cross tie to the military really tugs at my heart so this is where I feel I need to be.”
Through Service to the Armed Forces, the American Red Cross provides in-person support for troops in more than 100 military installations and deployment sites worldwide through a network of staff and volunteers like Melissa. In preparation for this deployment, they receive extensive training from the Red Cross, including certification in CPR and AED because they may be teaching these skills to members of the military abroad.
Before heading to their designated military posts, Melissa and her teammates will undergo orientation here in Indiana. They will receive casework training and their uniforms, among other preparations.
Melissa’s journey began a year ago when she had the opportunity to visit with another deployment team, “I was very interested in the diversity of people deploying…but the commonality for me was that they all had that desire to serve, and they all were willing to do something that most people are not willing to do.”
Thank you, Melissa, for your service and for all you do to advance the mission of the Red Cross.
Written by Isis Chaverri, Regional Communications Director.