Eli Russ

Eli Russ is an 18 year-old senior at Mamaroneck High School in Westchester County, New York and has been a youth volunteer with the American Red Cross (ARC) for three years. Within the ARC, he is most interested in Disaster Services.

It was after listening to a Red Cross official speak in October 2009 at a meeting of his local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) that he decided to join the his high school’s Red Cross Club. He quickly became president of the Club as part of the fundraising and awareness events he organized on behalf of earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, continues to lead it.

In 2010, he received the Exceptional Youth Volunteer Award by the ARC Westchester County (now Metro New York North) Chapter for his work as the high school Red Cross Club president and with the Chapter’s youth program. He is a member of the Chapter’s Disaster Action Team (DAT). He is a Responder-in-Training (very similar to DAT) for the Red Cross in New York City, and puts his skills with the City’s DAT to use during summer vacations. He has responded to a dozen disasters, ranging from house and apartment fires to hurricane shelters.

Among Eli’s other standard duties of an American Red Cross National Youth Council member and member of its Communications Working Group, he established and manages the American Red Cross Youth Facebook Page. In the past year, he has led the Council’s Preparedness Exploratory Committee and has worked on a national youth engagement presentation. He is the Council’s Disaster Services Liaison to National Headquarters since February 2012 as well as the Liaison the FEMA Youth Preparedness Council since August 2012.

In September 2012, Eli received the American Red Cross’ national Navin Narayan Excellence in Youth Leadership Award, which is “a prestigious honor that is presented annually to a youth volunteer who demonstrates exemplary leadership skills and Red Cross service.”

He has been on the Council since June 2011. You can contact Eli at his Council email address: eruss.nyc@gmail.com.

Eli’s long-range plan is to matriculate Muhlenberg College and relocate to Israel, where he will pursue a career in Disaster/Emergency Management.