Generations of Service: Celebrating Red Cross volunteers across all ages

By Emma Fermo – Red Cross volunteer writer

As National Volunteer Week shines a light on those who give their time to others, the American Red Cross of Northern New England is turning its attention to the people at the heart of its mission: the volunteers across Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire who make lifesaving work possible every single day.

New data released by the Red Cross paints a multigenerational portrait of volunteerism across the region: one where Baby Boomers form the backbone of frontline response, Gen X and Millennials keep disaster teams running, and Gen Z is beginning to write the next chapter.

Stitching these generations together is a single, shared purpose.

“Generation after generation, our community has shown that compassion is one of its greatest strengths,” said Stephanie Couturier, regional CEO of the Red Cross of Northern New England. “In moments when help can’t wait, volunteers of all ages and backgrounds come together to offer care, comfort and hope. Their commitment reflects a shared humanitarian spirit that connects us across time and continues to make a meaningful difference through our lifesaving mission.”

Boomers: The Backbone of Our Mission

Across all three states, one generation stands out. Baby Boomers account for roughly 47% of volunteers in Vermont, 41% in Maine and 40% in New Hampshire, more than double the 18% national average. They anchor core mission roles: disaster response, blood services, and the day-to-day work that keeps the Red Cross running.

For 32-year volunteer John Leeming of Cumberland, Maine, the call to serve was set early.

“As I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, doing community and/or military service was an expectation. The Red Cross, through its Disaster Action Team, allows me to directly help people in my own community. After a successful paid-for-work career, I now get to use my professional skills and life experiences in my volunteer career to work directly with people in need. It’s a great opportunity to continue to make a meaningful difference in this phase of life.”

In Portsmouth, 24-year volunteer Tom O’Neil frames it as a widening sense of responsibility.

“I serve with the Red Cross knowing I am helping someone every day. As one grows older it becomes more important and more possible to expand one’s circle of responsibility beyond self and family to the greater community.”

David Punia

And for David Punia of Ferrisburgh, Vermont, a 45-plus-year Red Crosser, service is inseparable from identity.

“Being born after the midpoint of the Baby Boom, it was important to me to contribute to the greater good of my community and my country, and at the same time, to challenge norms and embrace rapidly advancing technologies for the betterment of humanity. I’m privileged to work with a tremendously diverse group of caring individuals, both fellow volunteers and staff. As a blood donor, I feel a kinship with others who actively participate to the benefit of people we don’t know. That kind of helping is one of my core values.”

Gen X and Millennials: The Generational Bridge

Between the Boomers and the youngest volunteers, Gen X and Millennials are the connectors.

Millennials make up 24% of volunteers in Vermont, 25% in Maine and 20% in New Hampshire. Gen X represents 18% of volunteers in Maine, 14% in Vermont and 11% in New Hampshire.

Together, they help staff the Disaster Action Teams that respond in the aftermath of home fires and other local emergencies.

Brian Mayhew

Brian Mayhew of Bridgton, Maine, a volunteer with the Red Cross for over 15 years describes his devotion to volunteering as a “core identity.”

“I was raised by Baby Boomer parents and shaped by the values of grandparents who served in WWII and Korea. In my family, servitude was not just an action; it was a core identity. This upbringing instilled in me a ‘quiet professional’ mindset — a belief that when a community is in crisis, you show up, you work hard, and you stay until the job is done. Volunteering in disaster relief is the natural intersection of my heritage, my military service, and my professional expertise.”

“To me, volunteering in disaster relief is the natural intersection of my heritage, my military service, and my professional expertise. I am a volunteer who values the 'roll up your sleeves' mentality of the past while applying the specialized, modern-day strategies needed to help a community truly heal and rebuild.”

For Millennial volunteer Max Knecht of Exeter, New Hampshire, flexibility is what makes service sustainable.

Max Knecht

“Red Cross is here for the greater good. The most meaningful aspect of volunteering is to contribute to the mission.  The Red Cross makes resources for volunteers readily available and allows me to volunteer remotely. I have limited time and am very busy, but being flexible and having access to many resources makes it much more fluent in my day-to-day.”

Generation Z: The Tell-Tale of Northern New England

Nowhere is the generational story more varied than with Gen Z. Nationally, Gen Z makes up 42% of Red Cross volunteers. Across Northern New England, the picture shifts state by state.

In New Hampshire, Gen Z accounts for 16% of the general volunteer population, but when student-led Red Cross Clubs are included, the figure climbs to 52%, outpacing the national average. 83% of Gen Z volunteers in the state serve through Red Cross Clubs.

In Maine, Gen Z volunteerism sits at 14%, roughly one-third of the national average, yet 81 young people proudly serve, and nearly 40% come from Red Cross Clubs.

In Vermont, Gen Z represents 11% of the volunteer population. Over 30 Gen Z-ers are already serving in a range of volunteer roles.

Genevieve Soebagyo, a Red Cross Club member from Dover, New Hampshire, speaks for a generation stepping up.

“I chose to dedicate my time and talents to Red Cross because I care about the mission. Being in a younger generation, I’m inspired to work harder and have the ambition to dedicate my time to volunteering to help the world. It drives me, as a young person, to grow better each day.”

The Legacy that Endures: The Silent Generation

Bob Bouchard

They are the smallest cohort, just 2% of volunteers in Maine and 3% in both Vermont and New Hampshire, but members of the Silent Generation contribute to a legacy of service that often spans multiple decades.

For Bob Bouchard of Frenchville, Maine, in his 12 years of dedication as a Red Cross volunteer, Bob says that volunteering not only keeps him feeling good at his age, but it means the most to him by “helping people at a time when they just don't what is next.”

Numbers tell a story of a region powered by more than 850 volunteers across Vermont and Maine alone, joined by hundreds more across New Hampshire. They install smoke alarms in rural communities, carry lifesaving blood to hospitals in the middle of the night, sit with families who have just lost everything, and support military members and their loved ones.

What unites volunteers isn’t age. It’s what Stephanie Couturier calls a shared humanitarian spirit: willingness, across every generation represented here, to show up when help can’t wait.

Whatever your generation, your time and talents can make an impact. Find the right role for you at redcross.org/volunteerNNE.