Sherry Robbins Celebrating 34 Years!

Sherry Robbins prides herself on a strong work ethic. She started working with us a week after she graduated high school. “I worked 2 jobs for 25 years. I was an assistant manager at Arby’s. I always had a part time job with my full-time job at Red Cross,” said Sherry. She will celebrate 34 years with us in June 2024.

Sherry joined us as a word processor. She did type style and editing for letters, standard operating procedures, fliers etc. She took a word processing class at vocational school and applied for the position. “Part of the interview process was to volunteer for one day,” said Sherry. After 3 years, she transitioned into a secretary role.

Sherry and Shane

“I was in Emergency Services for 19 years. When I first started, the department was a combination of what we now know as Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) and Disaster Cycle Services. I enjoyed that,” said Sherry. “I did transcription for SAF cases. People would call in needing help and I would put my headphones on and transcribe the message.”

Sherry was in that department prior to us opening our large SAF call center. She took care of the billing for 200 chapters across the country. “When hurricane Katrina hit, we covered for Jackson, Mississippi, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Those places got hit, and their chapters weren’t open. Families were calling us- people who were stuck on their roof and needed rescuing. That was probably the worst thing I ever went through,” she said.

She is now our Business Operations Specialist, and right hand to our COO, Rick Sheehy. Sherry helps manage the finances and supplies for the region. Rick admires her dedication, saying, “Sherry is the poster child for our values. After almost 34 years of service to the organization, her commitment to the mission and the stewarding of assets is stronger than ever. I rely on her counsel to make decisions on all finances… Sherry is trusted by all staff and volunteers for her commitment and hard work. We are so fortunate that she has chosen to share her talents with us.”

Sherry is thankful for the support and flexibility of her supervisors, as she is the caregiver for her son, Shane. “When he was five, he was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. As he grew up, he had one surgery per year. He will be 30 this year, and we are hitting 5 years where he hasn’t had one. He lives at home. He’s functional but needs someone to guide him along.”

Sherry and Josh

Shane volunteers with us in the office and at Sound the Alarm events. “Shane was a Red Cross baby from the beginning, so it was great introducing him to the joys of volunteering with the Red Cross his senior year. He is always asking when he can volunteer again because he loves to help,” said Sherry.

Sherry’s personality aligns well with her position, as she likes to operate in the background. “I prefer being on the backend in a supportive role as opposed to being out in front. That’s not who I am… I’m a good support system,” she said. She’s most proud of her tenure at Red Cross. “That’s the biggest part of it- helping people. In the position I’m in now, I don’t necessarily deal face to face with the community, but I know the things I do helps many people.”

Sherry has been married to Josh for 10 years. She enjoys crafting and spending weekends with her family.