Posted by: thepinetree on 03/25/2015 02:17 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 03/25/2015 02:18 PM
Expires: 01/01/2020 12:00 AM
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Sacramento Volunteer Instructor, George Schubel, Receives American Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence
Sacramento, CA...The American Red Cross has recognized Sacramento resident George Schubel as part of the National Award ceremony held in Washington, DC, earlier this month. The national Presidential Awards highlight the work of the Red Cross over the past year and recognizes those employees and/or volunteers from across the country who have gone above and beyond the level of extraordinary service...
This year, for the first time, one of our own volunteers from the Gold Country Region was recognized for his exceptional work as a volunteer Health and safety instructor. George Schubel received the Red Cross Presidential Award for Excellence, an award which honors those who demonstrate superior job performance in support of the Red Cross mission, something at which George does each time he steps into a classroom.
“We’re so proud to see George receive this well-deserved recognition,” says Kathleen Weis, CEO for the Red Cross Gold Country Region. “He takes great pride in his work, and that is reflected in how he teaches every class. Each student that enters his classroom not only gets excellent instruction in lifesaving skills, but also an engaging and enjoyable learning experience that they will never forget.”
George Schubel, also a volunteer chaplain for the Sacramento Fire Department, first came to the Red Cross in 2009. One of the requirements needed to maintain his chaplain status was to become certified in CPR and First Aid, so he signed up to take a class.
“As I sat through the class and observed the instructor I thought ‘well this seems kind of fun, I think I might like to be an instructor,” George says. “I had always had an interest in teaching, though I had never actually done it myself.”
From that point on, George began taking additional classes and learning on his own so that he could become a certified Red Cross instructor. After plenty of studying and co-teaching his early classes with another instructor, George was off and running!
In five years as a Red Cross instructor, George has become a fixture at the Gold Country Region’s Sacramento headquarters. He is a certified instructor and instructor/trainer for nearly all Red Cross Health and Safety course offerings, the only exceptions being Wilderness First Aid and Aquatics.
As George puts it, “I grew up in New Jersey nowhere near water or wilderness, so I’ll leave that stuff to the experts.”
George began teaching three classes a week and they added up fast. Five years later he continues to average nine per month. He estimates that he has taught more than 600 classes, which equates to more than 6,000 students. This is only a rough estimate…after 500 he stopped keeping count.
Having never taught before becoming a Red Cross instructor, what inspired him to keep going?
“I find teaching to be a calling for me,” he says. “It’s something that I have a skill for and something that I do as a mission in life.”
George’s mission has impacted lives beyond the classroom, as well. Over the years, George has received visits from five former students who have shared their experiences of saving a life thanks to his training. Four students saved lives of choking victims using abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) while another used CPR to revive a person suffering a cardiac emergency.
As an instructor, George has also trained many professional responders. While they may not have stopped by to tell tales of their saves, George assumes they have put their training into practice numerous times as part of their occupation, and the feeling is rewarding.
“It’s rare for a person to take the time to come back just to tell me what they’ve done, but I’m happy to hear that at least five of my students did save a life,” he says. “It’s fulfillment. It makes me feel good; it makes me feel as though the effort was worth it.”
George loves teaching. Not only has it had an impact on the students and the lives that they have saved as a result, but it has had a profound effect on him as well.
“Teaching has helped keep me connected to people and keep my emotions up through difficult times. I truly enjoy it and it has been a tremendous help for me.”
George shares, “When students leave my classroom I often say ‘save a life for me'”
Thanks to him, they’ll be able to do just that!
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. The Capital Region serves a twenty-four county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties. For more information, visit www.redcross.org/goldcountry or follow us on Twitter @RCSierraDelta.
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