Volunteer Appreciation Month: Cathy Palmer-Ball

Cathy, right. Photos courtesy Cathy Palmer-Ball.

Cathy Palmer-Ball has worked with the American Red Cross in some capacity for 17 years. She decided to volunteer with the Red Cross because its mission was close to her heart.

“The main thread running through all I do for Red Cross is that I've always been in a helping role during my career,” said Cathy. “[T]his enables me to continue that work. It lets me give back to our community and people in their time of need.”

A Louisville Area Chapter volunteer, Cathy started out in blood services. She was also a Board Chair and a member of the WHEELS program advisory board for 10 years before she paused her volunteer career to raise her children and work full-time.

When she returned to volunteering in 2017, she returned to blood services and began volunteering with disaster services as she was retiring from a career in Social Work. Cathy loves being an ambassador at blood drives, greeting donors, managing the schedule, signing volunteers in, and working in the canteen.

“The most interesting part of this role is meeting new people and getting to know them and to show appreciation for the great gift of their blood donation which is always in great need!” said Cathy.

Cathy volunteers in several ways as a disaster volunteer. She deploys to disasters across the country to help with feeding, sheltering, going door-to-door in disaster-impacted areas providing damage assessment, and driving an Emergency Response Vehicle when needed. Most recently, Cathy has become a part of the Disaster Action Team (DAT) and responds to home fires in the Louisville Area Chapter. She is also the regional volunteer lead for onboarding and placing new volunteers, and participates in Sound the Alarm events, where Red Crossers install smoke alarms and provide information on fire safety and prevention to residents.

One of the most memorable experiences Cathy has had with the Red Cross was when she was deployed for three weeks to a Wisconsin army base to work with refugees fleeing Afghanistan.

“It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and we made it work as we went,” said Cathy.

As the Onboarding/Placement Regional Volunteer Lead, Cathy encourages others to volunteer however they can. She recruits volunteers often, and points to being able to help people during a low point in their lives as a reason to volunteer.

“I'm proud to be a Red Cross volunteer and I respect all volunteers and staff for their dedication, hard work and commitment,” said Cathy. “I wish everyone in a position to do so, would volunteer in some capacity.”

When she isn’t volunteering with the Red Cross, Cathy enjoys hiking with her friends and her dog, reading mystery novels, and going to brunch with her mother, friends, and daughters. She loves nature photography, traveling, and volunteers with the children at the Norton Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Thank you, Cathy, for your compassion for others and your dedication to the Red Cross mission!

Learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer at redcross.org/volunteertoday.