Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Linda Wise. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.
Linda Wise has volunteered for 40 years, whether it was at her daughters’ schools or at her church. But monitoring the weather has always been her passion, and she’s found a way to merge the two. Linda’s husband got involved with Minuteman Disaster Response, an organization that brings hope in the immediate aftermath of disasters by deploying self-sufficient volunteer teams who are equipped, trained, and ready to serve at no cost to those who need it most. When she joined him at the organization’s gala in 2018, one of its founders mentioned they would be forming a team to track the weather. Knowing this was something she was knowledgeable about, Linda realized she had to get involved. She had no idea how much her role would continue to evolve and grow.
Linda’s primary responsibilities are to watch storms online in real time, review and summarize the damage afterwards, and provide damage videos and photos. If a tornado, hurricane, or flooding disaster hits and a deployment is scheduled, she provides logistical information for the MDR team who will be working in the field. This could include contact information for local authorities and the location of fuel, medical services, and other supplies that may be needed during the deployment. In the beginning, she monitored Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. But as MDR has grown, the team now has the resources to respond to disasters nationwide.
One of Linda’s favorite aspects of her volunteer work is being able to get involved with people who are so passionate about the cause. From the dedicated leadership to the staff and volunteers, she’s proud that the team brings hope to disaster victims who may feel hopeless about their situations. She’s particularly proud that her work frees up the team’s leadership to run the business instead of watching radar and weather developments, which she specializes in. Since monitoring the weather can be a nonstop endeavor that’s constantly evolving, knowing that she’s about to contribute to the mission of helping people is particularly satisfying. Linda’s story is an inspiring one about taking one’s special skills and putting them to use to serve others.
What inspired you to get started with this initiative?
I’ve enjoyed studying weather for years. It’s a fascinating hobby. It’s my passion and something I’m very interested in. Minuteman has an annual fundraiser, and my husband had gone to clean up Hurricane Harvey the year before, so I went with them to the gala in March of 2018. It was one of those moments. I was introduced to one of the founders, and he said they would be starting an operations team of people who do pre-event things, like monitoring radar. A light bulb went off. I remember looking at my husband and saying, “I’m the weather fanatic.” It just clicked, and I joined that night. It was just a meant-to-be situation. From that moment on, I’ve been involved in it.
Tell us about your volunteer role with Minuteman Disaster Response.
I’m a researcher. A lot of our team goes out in the field, but I do pre-event work. I’m part of the ops team. Our main goal is to provide storm damage information to management so they will know where to deploy. Watching the weather, as you can imagine, is very time-consuming. I monitor a lot of social media. Then, when a disaster does hit, one of my responsibilities is to create a document to help those who will be in the field know where to get groceries, medical help, and gas, because sometimes those sources are damaged or non-existent. Trying to find where the grocery store is when a tornado or hurricane goes through can be very time-consuming if you’re in the field. I also provide damage photos and videos, so they’ll know where to go.
What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?
I’d like to keep learning and stay with this as long as possible. I try to study, and there are so many kind and dear people in this organization. It’s humbling to be selected. I try to study every day. I try to study every storm, and there’s always something new to learn; there’s always something to give, learn, and improve. I want to improve weekly, daily. One other aspect is this isn’t a job. This is who I am.
What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?
Knowing that our mission’s fulfilled. We strive to bring hope to people, and being a small part of that is very rewarding. Also, I try to save my boss time. They’re trying to run a nonprofit, and trying to watch the weather and do that would be very difficult. But knowing that ultimately I had a small part in helping people who are hurting is very rewarding.
What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?
I’ve learned a lot about weather. I’ve also learned a lot about how nonprofits operate and what they need. I studied FEMA courses. If you learn the chain of command, you learn how to communicate effectively and be precise in your communication, especially in a crisis. You can’t have haphazard communication.
Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?
I think everybody can do something for somebody else. Even a small act of kindness can make a big difference to somebody who’s hurting. I think time is our most precious gift to give away. This sounds maybe kind of hokey, but there are so many people out there who are trying to find themselves. You find yourself when you lose yourself by doing something for somebody else.
Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?
Just jump in. Just do it. Just do something and learn as you go. Follow your passion. I’m very passionate about what I do. This is not work to me. Hours can go by, and I don’t even notice. Just follow what’s important to you, and do something for somebody else.
What do you want people to learn from your story?
My faith is really very important to me. This is my ministry, and it relates to my Christian faith and disaster response. We don’t always understand why tragedies and suffering happen. Our organization is filled with a lot of kind people who are very tough, and it’s just a great organization. I just like trying to help them make a difference. I have a blast doing it. I’ve tweaked it through the years and tried to improve, but I was always the one in the middle of the night who would get up and turn on the TV if a storm was coming. Weather affects everybody.
Do you want to make a difference in your community like Linda? Find local volunteer opportunities.