by Krystal Smith, staff contributor, American Red Cross North Texas Region

This week is National Volunteer Week! It’s a special time of year when we are able to truly show our appreciation for the outstanding volunteers who make our mission of helping other’s possible.

One of these incredible everyday heroes is Dan Halyburton. Dan has been a Red Cross volunteer for more than 10 years traveling across the nation responding to disasters. As a member of the Public Affairs team, Dan has helped show the destructive aftermath of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, apartment fires and more. He’s shared the heartfelt stories of those helped by the Red Cross after a disaster and restored hope by capturing the best of humanity in the worst of times.

When Dan’s not rushing off to support disaster responses, he continues to serve North Texans by supporting Red Cross events, campaigns, programs and services. Dan can often be found helping install free smoke alarms as part of a Red Cross Sound the Alarm event aimed at making homes safer, supporting the military community through enlistments and reconnection workshop resources, sharing the essential need of blood donors to provide lifesaving blood, and embracing any opportunity he has to make a positive difference in North Texas and around the country.

Dan is a dedicated and driven community leader who uses his time, talents and belief in the mission of the American Red Cross to serve others any way he can. For these efforts and more, Dan was recently recognized with the distingued Presidental Award for Excellence given to a person who has demonstrated exceptional performance or service in support of the American Red Cross delivering on its muti-faceted mission.

THANK YOU, DAN! And THANK YOU to our many other volunteers who help make the Red Cross mission possible! We truly couldn’t do it without you!

Learn how you can join this team of everyday heroes at http://www.redcross.org/volunteer.