Volunteer Appreciation Month: Michael Randles

Michael and Mylie.
Photos courtesy Michael Randles.

 #VolunteerAppreciationMonth We love having new volunteers representing Gen Z! Michael Randles has always felt called to help people during a crisis. “I am a firefighter EMT by trade in Illinois. I went into service straight out of high school. I was 19 years old,” said Michael. He did some volunteering with disaster response and emergency management organizations, like Team Rubicon. Michael worked in the communications and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) divisions at his local counties’ emergency management department.

Currently, Michael is a thriving college student. “I decided to pursue my bachelor’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Fire Arson and Explosion Investigation,” he said. Michael knew he wanted to keep volunteering while at college. “Red Cross has always been on my bucket list. I admire what they do, especially for victims of house fires,” said Michael.

Michael volunteers with our Red Cross Eastern Kentucky Chapter as a member of the Disaster Action Team (DAT), Duty Officer, and Disaster Health Services (DHS). “I do Duty Officer most frequently. That works best for me because I can do it from my dorm room. I get dispatched for disasters in my area. I verify the event, make initial contact with families, and assign DAT responders to work with them,” said Michael.

Deployed virtually for the 2021 western Kentucky tornados and the 2022 eastern Kentucky floods, Michael worked as a Disaster Health Services volunteer. “We filtered through requests of people who had unmet medical needs due to power outages,” he said. His favorite memory is helping an elderly woman after a house fire. “She was 80 years old and lived alone. She needed her dentures replaced… I was so thrilled to be able to call her and say, ‘hey we got the cost approved, make your appointment.”

Michael has loved his volunteer journey so far. “It’s such a great experience to surround myself with people who care about people who they have never met… Beyond helping people, it’s a great way to give yourself life experience, see different perspectives, and learn new skills,” he said. When he travels home, Michael spends time with his siblings, Virginia, Kevin, and Steven. He also works on a hot air balloon crew. Michael loves spending time with his hound mix, Mylie, and is a member of the EKU marching band. “I play trumpet. I’m going to be a section leader next season.”

The Red Cross Kentucky Region loves having such a rising star on their team! Thank you for all you do to help your community, Michael. We will be cheering you on in your college endeavors at EKU!

Learn more about volunteering with the Red Cross at redcross.org/volunteertoday