Chris O'Brien

Although Chris O'Brien intended to put his First Aid skills to good use as a volunteer with the Arlington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, it turned out he was needed in an entirely different capacity - as a graphic designer.

Thanks to a volunteer coordinator who keeps a close watch on volunteers' skills and has a special knack for placement, O'Brien has been doing graphic design for the chapter for the past year, helping them launch a redesigned website and a chapter calendar, among other projects.

As a relatively small chapter of the American Red Cross, Arlington County is located in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., and relies heavily on dedicated volunteers like O'Brien to perform disaster preparedness and response services for their area.

"Seeing my work being used to help an organization as important as the American Red Cross is definitely what I enjoy most," said O'Brien.

O'Brien's position with the Arlington County Chapter dovetails well with his work as a freelance web designer, and his interest in the internet. It is only natural that when he was looking for some volunteer opportunities, O'Brien turned to the web.

"VolunteerMatch was essential in giving me that first connection," he said.