A Mom Inspires a Future Responder

By David Ullman - American Red Cross writer

“I started learning about the Red Cross through my mom. When she presented in front of my summer rec group, I thought, ‘Wow, there's a lot more to the Red Cross’.”

When she was nine years old, Rin Lapointe was introduced to the American Red Cross. Rin’s mom, Jaci Rowan, had recently become a Red Cross volunteer and Disaster Action Team Responder in northern Maine. At that young age Rin was able to accompany her mother to Red Cross meetings and social gatherings. It was from there that she learned about the many services and opportunities afforded by the Red Cross.

“I would go to the fun meetings, like the ice cream socials and the Fourth of July meetings,” recalled Rin. “And like that, I started getting to know the people in our chapter.”

Jaci supported Rin’s desire to become a Red Cross volunteer and join the local Disaster Action Team.

“Probably about the time she was 14 or 15, she started asking, ‘How old do I have to be?’ ‘How much longer do I have to wait?’ ‘Can I volunteer? I want to do this,’” reminisced Jaci. “We got all her paperwork done when she was 17. As soon as she turned 18, we started getting her all her onboarding and her online training.”

After becoming a DAT Responder, Rin was able to join her mother on emergency responses. Working with each other at a fire scene has revealed a new relationship dynamic for them.

“She's come with me to a couple of fires that have happened here in Van Buren, and she's very helpful,” recounted Jaci. “She will just step in and do whatever needs doing.

Brian Bouley, the Red Cross community manager for Aroostook County in Maine, said Jaci has always been a dedicated volunteer, and wasn’t surprised that Rin was interested in joining her mom as a volunteer.

“Jaci always steps forward with a positive attitude and a readiness to help wherever she’s needed. She is someone we can always count on, and her dedication to the Red Cross, her family and the community she lives in greatly strengthens both our efforts and the community as a whole,” said Brian.

“We had a big fire on Main Street. We ended up with five fire departments here. While I was directing traffic, and she and her dad went across the (Canadian) border to Tim Hortons to get hot coffee for everybody.”

The chaos of a large fire can incite strong emotions and reactions. Panic, self-preservation, confusion, despair and anger are all common feelings when facing a destructive, uncontrolled situation. However, these circumstances can also inspire selfless assistance to others.   

“I've been on scenes of fires, and I like being able to help people,” shared Rin. “Giving them the right directions on where to go and helping people get what they need after a disaster. It's scary, but also kind of exciting in a way. I'm not excited that somebody's losing things, but it's exciting that I get more experience in those situations.”

After 5 hours the scene was contained, and the responders were able to finish the response. An integral component of concluding a response is the debriefing and evaluation.

“There's a shared experience there,” explained Rin. “We talk about circumstances after and how we could better do things, how we can react better, what we can do to aid people in a more efficient way.

As a teenager, Rin has chosen to step into challenging situations that most people her age never encounter. Red Cross disaster responders aren’t typically teenagers, but her decision was shaped in part by the example her mother set.

“She [Jaci] is very compassionate, and she has very, very strong morals.  She's also very accepting as a parent,” affirmed Lapointe. “She cares a lot about the people surrounding her, and that’s something that not a lot of people have now. She wants to help people. She is one of the best role models in my life.”

Jaci will continue as a Red Cross volunteer and Red Cross disaster responder in northern Maine with her daughter until this fall when she starts college in Waterville. Rin plans include transferring to the Red Cross Central Maine chapter to continue volunteering as a DAT responder.

“It feels good to help people, but there's a sense of humanity in it,” expounded Rin when asked why she wants to continue as a Red Cross disaster responder. “I'm not doing it for pride or anything. I'm doing it because it is the human in me saying ‘I need to help these people, because I have something they need.’”

To learn more about becoming an American Red Cross Volunteer or a Disaster Action Team Responder, go to redcross.org/volunteer.