You are never too young to learn about fire safety. Ask Corinne Miranda. She is the Special Events Lead for Orange County’s Youth Advisory Council. She has been volunteering with the Red Cross since 2015.

Miranda remarked that the Red Cross is the right choice for her because someday she intends to specialize in the medical field, so helping others will always be her goal. And, she (and her council members) loves to tell folks about avoiding the hazards of fire at Red Cross events, like Sound the Alarm campaign happenings. “I have gained so much experience, met so many [fantastic] people, met my best friends through it, and get to help my community in so many ways,” she marveled.

Since Miranda is the Special Events Lead for the Youth Advisory Council in Orange County, she (and the council members) publicizes the Red Cross events by telling school clubs and friends about them, recruits volunteers to man the events, and tries to ensure that these events maintain a smooth flow and fun, learning environments.

Orange County Youth Advisory Council Members, Santa Ana, CA. (Corinne Miranda – second female from the right wearing glasses).  Photo Courtesy of Corinne Miranda.

Her best memories of an event are remembering the excitement of children receiving the gifts of knowledge about fire safety, along with actual Christmas gifts, at a safety festival event.

This was a festival dedicated to teaching children about safety preparedness, along with games and booths created by high school Red Cross clubs, and a toy drive in which kids could receive a small Christmas present (since it took place during December). It was all set up by high school students (which is truly amazing), and it doesn’t get much better than being able to teach kids about safety while everyone is having fun.

According to Miranda, “One of the most rewarding parts of being a Red Cross volunteer is being able to help and contribute to your surrounding community; and, being able to see the difference you and other volunteers make is priceless.”

She also knows that her youth advisory council’s success is due to the diligent efforts of others. Behind-the-scenes folks like Regional Volunteer Operations Manager Madelyn Spiegelberg and Regional Volunteer Services Officer Toni Chitty make tangible contributions. Additionally, Miranda says that Bryan Solis, the Chair of the American National Youth Council, is simply “amazing.”  All these Red Cross officers serve Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in California.

She stated, “I think one of the reasons why I love volunteering with the Red Cross so much is because it does resonate so much with who I am and who I try to be.” And, she added that seeing her brother (and grandfather) serve in the Armed Forces made her realize that she wants to live her life, not just for herself, but for others too. “I’ve learned to love being able to give back to my community, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because I want to create a safe environment for my family and others to live in,” Miranda concluded.