Cumming Volunteer Joins International Disaster Team

Michael Lee is no stranger to helping people around the world.

For his honeymoon a few years ago, he and his wife, Mindy, spent a month in Kenya – helping locals find the resources to build grain storage facilities. He is also a volunteer with the American Red Cross Northeast Georgia chapter and a member of Rotary.

So when Rotary partnered with ShelterBox, a global disaster relief charity, he jumped at the chance to help people abroad. He applied and was recently selected to be a member of the ShelterBox Response Team (SRT), a group of highly-trained volunteers who deliver aid on the ground to survivors of natural and other disasters around the world.

“It goes more to my desire to actually have a part in helping people rather than writing a check, which I’ve done in the past. Being involved is very important to me and my wife,” Lee, a Cumming resident, told Patch.

As part of the process for becoming a Response Team member, Lee went through a nine-day selection course held by the ShelterBox International Academy of Disaster Relief near the organization’s global headquarters in Cornwall, England. He was part of a group of 14 candidates from four countries, according to a press release from ShelterBox.

The course tests the knowledge and skills of the candidates, both through classroom exercises and simulated deployments. It is meant to be both mentally and physically challenging. Candidates go through situations similar to those they would encounter immediately following a disaster, and they are evaluated on their response, the press release stated.

Lee said they had to get around using local drivers and public transit, with the threat of carjacking and robbery, just like in a real disaster scenario. They camped in tents in rainy weather with temperatures around 50 degrees in June, he said.

“We know how the people who live in these shelters – how they feel,” he said. A ShelterBox, given to people affected by disasters, typically contains a tent for an extended family, along with blankets, water storage and filtration equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items. 

Lee, an investment strategist at Long Street Capital Management, said he is already an ambassador for ShelterBox, raising money and awareness here at home. And even before the trip to Africa, he and his wife spent two weeks in Russia, helping out at orphanages and children’s homes.

He said his wife inspired him to become more involved. A former paramedic, she has organized charitable events such as a children’s Christmas party sponsored by businesses, and she assisted tribal doctors in Kenya, Lee said.

“We’ve always been interested in helping whenever we can,” he said.

Now, as a member of the ShelterBox team, he could be deployed to an international disaster. Response Team members help out in more than 25 disasters a year, according to ShelterBox’s press release.

“I hope to help in any way possible,” he said.

If you are interested in volunteering for ShelterBox as a response team member or through other supporting roles, contact the organization at 941-907-6036 or visit shelterboxusa.org/beinvolved.