Our volunteers not only respond to disasters and help at blood drives, but also teach lifesaving skills! 💪🏼 Meet Swan Cooke, a Red Cross volunteer instructor who has been teaching people how to swim, perform CPR and provide first aid during emergencies for the last 43 years. “My favorite thing about being a volunteer instructor is the people. Teaching students and also working with the other instructor trainers and educators, they have become family," said Swan. As a busy mom of eight, she continues to find time volunteering and inspiring others after so many years. One moment she recalls is when she taught a retired officer in the military how to swim. She wrote him a congratulatory message after he received his completion certificate. Years later, he qualified for an Ironman Triathlon and attributed the skills he learned in her class to winning the competition. "It’s a pretty well-kept secret that when you give back, you always get more than what you give. The friendships, the ...