My Richmond Fed

From helping the Virginia Department of Health with COVID-19 vaccinations as a member of the Community Emergency Response Team to volunteering with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to help victims of ice storms, flooding and Tropical Storm Isaias, Anna put a variety of skills to work — including operating a chainsaw, providing onsite stress counseling, taking inventory of donated food, and scooping mud and muck from flooded houses.

Yet, when asked if her volunteer activities increased during the pandemic, she said “it actually slowed down.”

Anna — a senior business intelligence architect and member of our Ability Beyond the Label (ABLe) employee resource network — is driven by her faith and motivated by the joy of helping others who are experiencing difficult situations. Knowing that she has met a need and made a positive impact on someone’s life fulfills her as a community volunteer.

“Giving my time to focus on others helps me remember the world doesn’t revolve around me and to be thankful for what I have and how far I’ve come on my journey,” she said. “God has given me a gift to share with others and I found the best way to share it is to meet people where they are — walk beside them in the lowly times when they feel there’s nothing left. I enjoy showing people in a tangible way that they aren’t forgotten — that they are loved and cherished.”

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief provides training and certification with the same credentials as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), allowing her to access restricted areas. Anna also is certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM), enabling her to provide both medical assistance and stress counseling to disaster victims. CISM focuses on providing short-term psychological help for dealing with immediate, identifiable problems so that people can return to their daily routines more quickly and with less likelihood of experiencing post-traumatic stress.