Three Questions: Henry Chu

By Dana Gray and Alessia Garcia, American Red Cross in Greater NY

"Three Questions" is an American Red Cross in Greater New York blog series featuring staff, volunteers, and partners who help carry out our humanitarian mission. Through these short interviews, we hope to shine a light on our different programs and get to know those who make this work possible.

Henry Chu, a retired business owner, joined the American Red Cross in Greater New York as a volunteer nearly five years ago. At the Red Cross, Henry completes two to three shifts a week as a disaster responder. In this role, Chu helps provide assistance to New Yorkers affected by local disasters like fires, floods, vacates and building collapses. In addition to supporting the Red Cross locally, Chu at times deploys outside of New York following large-scale emergencies. In 2017, he been deployed to Houston to help Hurricane Harvey relief. In his spare time Henry gives bicycle tours of Manhattan, some of which are 8-hour tours through multiple boroughs. Chu also volunteers with other organizations.

What did you hope to find by volunteering with the Red Cross and have you found it?

Volunteering for the Red Cross gives me a platform to be able to go out and help other people and also to meet other people that share the common goal of helping out those that are in need, using resources to benefit those who really need help. It’s very fulfilling. I’ve been with the Red Cross for five years. The Red Cross is a family. You come in here and everyone says hello to everybody. No one is a stranger here.

What’s been challenging for you?

The most challenging part would be that you don’t know enough to do a better job. What you know is maybe sufficient to do a good job and once you represent the Red Cross you’re going to want to do a better job. I will never say that I have learned enough. It’s difficult to push yourself to do better than you’re already doing. I find it happens when you’re responding to any major hurricanes or floods. Being on deployment and seeing that there are so many things that need to be done. And what you can do is limited. 

What was your first volunteer experience?

One of my first experiences was working during Hurricane Sandy [with another organization]. It’s still fresh in my mind. During Sandy I was a case manager. I was out in the field and I was going door to door to see the people that needed help and then we provided assistance to them. All the people that we helped were undocumented. It was a struggle because in the beginning a lot of people are not sure who you are. Since they’re undocumented they’re reluctant to talk to you or get help from you even though they lost everything. That was the greatest struggle, trying to tell them that we’re not a government agency and that we don’t share information with government agencies, that we’re an independent charitable organization that is there to help people that suffered because of the hurricane.

In Case You Missed It - June 24

The Greater NY Red Cross participated in the Long Beach Pride Parade last Sunday.
(Photo: Lori-Ann Spaccarelli-Pizzarelli)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 76 adults and 23 children following 40 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• On Sunday, our Long Island team participated in the Long Beach Pride Parade.
• On Saturday night, Red Cross volunteers assisted five families displaced by a fire in Mount Vernon.
• Last week, we featured volunteer Henry Chu in this two-part installment of our #MyRedCrossLife Instagram series. 
• Last Friday was the official beginning of summer! Make sure you are staying safe in the heat with first aid tips from our free Emergency App.
• On Thursday, ABC7 and News12 reported on a massive fire in Yonkers in which Red Cross volunteers helped four displaced families, providing emergency housing and financial assistance.
• On Thursday, we hosted our Wellness Day at our Manhattan Regional HQ with several activities, such as yoga, and a puppy party!
• Last week, thousands of Red Cross volunteers and staff from all over the world (including a few from Greater NY) gathered in Solferino, Italy, the birthplace of the Red Cross Red Crescent network, to celebrate our global humanitarian movement! 
• Red Cross volunteers from the Greater New York area were recently deployed to Arkansas and Missouri following severe flooding. Read about their experiences on our blog.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Disaster Action Team Member, Mass Care Team Member, Citizen Preparedness Corps Presenter, Financial Statistical Information Team Member. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• June 24, 25: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.

In Case You Missed It - June 17

The Greater NY Red Cross kicked off the lifesaving #MissingTypes campaign on
World Blood Donor Day on the Today Show.

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 115 adults and 37 children following 43 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• Last Thursday, NBC4 reported that the Red Cross provided emergency assistance following a massive fire in Brooklyn.
• Hundreds of trained Red Cross volunteers, including several from Greater NY continued helping in the Midwest after tornadoes and flooding. We are providing safe shelter, food, relief supplies and support to people in need.
• On Thursday night, our Red Cross Young Patrons group gathered in Soho for our annual Summer Soiree. Amazing energy and support from these leaders!
• On Wednesday, we launched the lifesaving #MissingTypes campaign just prior to World Blood Donor Day. To mark the occasion, we took part in this Today Show segment.
• Last Wednesday, we took part in a Mass Casualty Incident exercise during the 2019 NYC VOAD Annual Meeting.
• On Wednesday, state senator Leroy Comrie partnered with the American Red Cross and the FDNY to provide free smoke alarms to Queens residents.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Volunteer Screener, Home Fire Campaign Team Member, Disaster Action Team Member, Recovery Caseworker, Pillowcase Presenter. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• June 21: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.

Greater NY Red Cross Volunteers Answer the Call to Help

By Maria Sievers and Dana Gray, American Red Cross in Greater New York

With severe weather recently impacting multiple states across the country, the American Red Cross has been on the ground providing comfort and support.

Peter King, Douglas McNally, Alan Niewald and Denean Paulik are among several team members from the Greater New York area who have been deployed. Their experiences have been both challenging and rewarding.


Peter King

Picture of the flooding in St Louis County, Missouri

Peter King is a retired engineer from Long Island who is currently on a two-week deployment to Saint Louis County, Missouri, serving as a service associate in a shelter. In this role, he does a bit of everything: inventory, cleaning, talking to the people they are sheltering, etc.

The experience has been very touching so far, especially because some families have been separated as a result of the disaster.

“We met a man that was forced out of his apartment because of the flooding and he was apart from his son and grandson," said King. "We worked with him and we were able to reconnect them, and actually we got word this morning that he can come back to his apartment. We were substantial help to reconnect them. They were apart for a week.”

Peter has been a Red Cross volunteer for eight years and what he values most about the organization is the quality of the people and volunteers.

“People are very selfless, they give of their time, energy and effort," he said. "They ask for little or nothing in return. It’s gratifying to work with those kind of people."

Douglas McNally

Volunteer Douglas McNally during his deployment in Little Rock, Arkansas

Douglas McNally is a lawyer and social worker who has been a Red Cross volunteer since November 2018. He is from Long Island where he is in charge of coordinating mental health workers to assist following local emergencies. Last week he returned from Little Rock, Arkansas, where he was deployed for a week to help people affected by the Arkansas River flooding.

As Disaster Mental Health Team member he did a lot of driving across the state, working in shelters and visiting communities that were isolated as a result of the disaster. One town that caught his attention was Wright.

“It’s a small community, they all support each other, and they take care of their own. It was very remarkable to see”, said Douglas.

He met a retired homicide detective who had put his life savings in a home that was flooded.

McNally recalled: “We spent time with him and listened. That’s the main thing, they want you to listen to their story. That’s very therapeutic for someone, just to be able to tell us what’s going on. We also made sure they were hydrated, that they were wearing masks, because the mud that was in their home is probably toxic. We listened to them and assured them that Red Cross was in the community, and within half an hour a damage assessment team was there.”

Last year, Douglas was deployed to the California wildfires, and when he thinks about the lessons he has learned as a Red Cross volunteer, he explains, “I often find in a deployment that I get more than I give and that is true this time again. I met some remarkable people, who inspired me and make me realize how fortunate I am.”

Alan Niewald 

Volunteer Alan Niewald (right) manning the reception desk at the 
Saint Charles shelter next to fellow Red Cross volunteer

Alan Niewald worked in finance before retiring and joining the Red Cross as a volunteer. He deployed to Saint Charles, Missouri where he worked with the shelter manager as a supervisor.

The shelter where Alan worked provided comfort to those who have been displaced due to flooding in the area. One woman that the shelter assisted was provided a medical cot and special care for her diabetes.

The flooding in Missouri has caused damage to homes and the local area. Water levels have risen high enough to cover the local park and have left "the whole town buried in water."

Alan became a Red Cross volunteer this year.

Denean Paulik

Denean Paulik (left) receiving a donation for the Red Cross from
a local Arkansas organization

Last week, Denean Paulik returned from a week-long deployment to Fort Smith and Little Rock, Arkansas where she worked as a fundraising liaison.

Denean has done field work before at the local Greater New York region, but her work in Arkansas was her first deployment. This recent trip has been the most fulfilling experience for her since her time at the Red Cross.

When discussing her work out in the community meeting affected families, Denean said she is always shocked by one thing: “When I see these husbands and wives, they’re just calm,” said Paulik. “Obviously it’s very devastating, they’re going through a very hard day, but they’re not pointing fingers or blaming they’re just trying to get through the next moments. I think there’s such a grace in that and that really puts life in perspective.”

Denean started as the Senior Philanthropy Officer at the America Red Cross in Greater New York nearly two and a half years ago but has worked in fundraising since 2002.

Volunteers at the Red Cross headquarters in Fort Smith, Arkansas

In Case You Missed It - June 10

Guests celebrating our Heroes Among Us Red Cross Gala in Long Island last Thursday (Photo: John Eng)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 120 adults and 43 children following 41 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review 

• On Saturday night, our Red Cross disaster relief team helped 11 families displaced by a fire in Queens, providing emergency housing and financial assistance. 
• On Friday, it was Citi Global Community Day, where volunteers packed 1000 hygiene kits for local veterans. 
• On Thursday, we celebrated our Heroes Among Us Red Cross Gala in Long Island. Congrats to Petro Home Services for being awarded with the Corporate Leadership Award, Dr. Azad K. Anand who received the International Humanitarian Hero Award and Katherine Falco who was awarded with the Long Island Lifesaving Hero Award. 
• As hurricane season kicked off, last Monday we organized a press conference with officials from Nassau County, Suffolk County, (including National Grid and PSEG Long Island) to discuss hurricane readiness on Long Island and the importance of being prepared for the unexpected. 
• It’s Pet Safety Preparedness Month! We remind pet owners the importance of having a disaster plan in case of an emergency situation. Check out some tips. 
• Last week was National CPR and AED Awareness Week. Did you know that sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in this country and that most cardiac arrests happen at home? Would you know what to do if someone needed help? Check out our classes here.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities 

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Volunteer Screener, Home Fire Campaign Team Member, Disaster Action Team Member, Recovery Caseworker, Pillowcase Presenter. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• June 11, 14: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.
• June 11: Join us at Miansai Soho for an evening of shopping to support the Red Cross. Please RSVP to rsvp@miansai.com.
• June 13: Please join the Red Cross Young Patrons for 'An Evening Under the Stars', a summer rooftop soiree to support the Red Cross, featuring an open bar, dinner, and live music. Doors open at 7pm. Get your tickets here.
• June 17-23: Travel to Solferino, Italy for a Historic Red Cross Celebration! For the first time, an unofficial, self-funded delegation of American Red Cross volunteers and staff from the United States will journey to Solferino to take part in this annual event that includes a battle reenactment, musical entertainment, special speakers, a learning academy, a youth conference, group events and guided tours. If you’re interested in traveling to Solferino as part of this group, please ‘like’ and ‘follow’ the American Red Cross Solferino2019 Facebook page or visit the American Red Cross Solferino website, where you can find detailed information about registering.

In Case You Missed It - June 3

Red Cross Volunteer Mark Gordon assisted local neighborhood through disasters. (Photo: Lisa Weatherbee)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 113 adults and 33 children following 38 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• On Saturday, we held the GNY Regional Exercise in White Plains, a full-scale exercise simulating a mass casualty event.
• CBS New York reported the partial collapse of a building in the Bronx, where the Red Cross assisted 26 adults, 12 children and six pets.
• Check out the “Three Questions…” interview to the Red Cross Disaster Responder Mark Gordon in our blog.
• Following a recent spate of severe weather in the Midwest, over 900 trained Red Cross disaster workers from across the country continue helping across seven states, providing support to people in need. Among those providing assistance are several volunteers from Greater NY. 
• Last Monday, several Red Cross Volunteers honored our brave servicemen and women for #MemorialDayand participated in the Memorial Day Parade.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Volunteer Screener, Home Fire Campaign Team Member, Disaster Action Team Member, Recovery Caseworker, Pillowcase Presenter. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• June 4, 7: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.
• June 6: Join us for an extraordinary evening at the Long Island Red Cross Gala – Heroes Among Us! For over 100 years the American Red Cross on Long Island has helped the community prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. Get your tickets here.
• June 13: Please join the Red Cross Young Patrons for 'An Evening Under the Stars', a summer rooftop soiree to support the Red Cross, featuring an open bar, dinner, and live music. Doors open at 7pm. Get your tickets here.
• June 17-23: Travel to Solferino, Italy for a Historic Red Cross Celebration! For the first time, an unofficial, self-funded delegation of American Red Cross volunteers and staff from the United States will journey to Solferino to take part in this annual event that includes a battle reenactment, musical entertainment, special speakers, a learning academy, a youth conference, group events and guided tours. If you’re interested in traveling to Solferino as part of this group, please ‘like’ and ‘follow’ the American Red Cross Solferino2019 Facebook page or visit the American Red Cross Solferino website, where you can find detailed information about registering.

--> --> -->