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The two interlacing hearts etched onto a medal awarded to four Canadian Red Cross volunteers are meant to evoke caring and generosity. And they are qualities that volunteers Robert Chochinov, Dixie Lea Fenwick, Paula Green and Robert Thomas Hamson have demonstrated time and again throughout their careers with the organization.

In times of disaster and emergencies, the work done by humanitarians at home and abroad is essential. Over the last two years, Canadian Red Cross aid workers have assisted with earthquakes in Nepal and Ecuador, at Syrian refugee camps and with Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu, among many others. Disasters, both natural and manmade, are increasingly common. This is why the work of the Canadian Red Cross focuses not only on sending aid workers to emergencies, but also training and educating the next generation.

For Ted Itani, volunteering has been a “marvelous opportunity to give back to society what society has given me over my lifetime...”  Ted was recently appointed to the Order of Canada in recognition of his dedication to humanitarian and peacekeeping work around the world. 

It was an emotional evening as 10 people from Alberta and British Columbia were recognized for their heroic efforts in two life-changing events and given Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards at a ceremony in Calgary.

What do New Brunswick residents Naveed Majid, Earl LeBlanc, and Tamara Brothers have in common? They all took actions that saved lives – and now they are being honoured with Canadian Red Cross Rescuer Awards. 

As I was driving I noticed a young lady running down her front driveway shouting for help at a white SUV in front of me. The SUV didn’t stop. The young lady then shouted to me for help, so I pulled over right away. I got out of my truck and ran across the road to find another young lady at the side of the house with a small baby on her knees. She was crying, saying that her baby had choked on her lunch and wasn’t breathing. 

After volunteering with the Canadian Red Cross for 25 years, Carole Campbell has seen the organization grow in Manitoba and says she has grown with it.

It was an ordinary Tuesday for middle school teacher Deborah, but in a matter of seconds that all changed. By chance, Deborah was walking by the lunch room where Mike, a colleague, had been eating lunch. The pizza that he was eating had become lodged in his throat and Deborah quickly recognized that he was choking.