By EILENE E. GUY, American Red Cross volunteer

As we slide toward the beginning of a new year — Can it really be almost 2025?! — many of us look to a new year’s resolution.

Self improvement, better money management, leaving bad habits behind. All of them fine goals, aimed at personal satisfaction.

But how about joy? How about excitement?

That’s what hundreds of thousands of American Red Cross volunteers say they get from their chosen activities.

Here, I could quote from the hundreds of volunteers I’ve interviewed as a Red Cross disaster public affairs volunteer and now as a volunteer blogger.

But let me be personal: Every time I put a Red Cross activity on my calendar, I feel the joy, the excitement of knowing that my time will be spent helping my fellow man (or woman, or kid!).

To me, volunteering isn’t an obligation, although “giving back” is a worthy sentiment. Volunteering lifts me up, knowing I can fill a role no one else is filling. I get to choose my activity, my time commitment and my location (at home or away).

I didn’t step forward to the Red Cross 35-plus years ago. I was asked.

So now I’m asking you: Please resolve to volunteer for one of the many roles that make the Red Cross the foremost humanitarian service organization in our nation.

Teach kids how to swim, how to prepare for disaster or how to babysit. Teach adults first aid, CPR and the use of an AED. Get trained for one of the many roles in a major disaster response. (The Red Cross is responding to almost twice as many large disasters as we did a decade ago.) Donate blood or advocate for folks who suffer from Sickle Cell Disease. Become part of a chapter office staff in your community.

Here in northern Ohio, we need to expand the ranks for several key services:

Disaster Action Team: DAT members help families in their communities after a home fire or other disaster. They provide emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover.

Hero Care Network: Caseworkers support members of the military, their families and our veterans, providing free, confidential emergency communications and critical services to military families all over the world.

Blood Donor Ambassadors: These folks greet donors at blood drives, get them registered, answer questions and help them at the refreshment table after their donation.

Blood Transportation Specialists: These volunteers deliver blood from our testing and processing facilities to hospitals across northern Ohio. This is a great opportunity for anyone who enjoys driving, meeting new people and being part of a lifesaving chain of medical support.

If these activities don’t ring your bell, there are lots of other ways to engage with the Red Cross that can add joy, excitement, even good old self improvement, to your 2025. Check out Redcross.org/volunteer to explore all the options.

And please have a healthy, safe and joyous new year!