By Ryan Harris in Reflection
Blog
By Thomas Brown in Education
Top Fire Mitigation Strategies to Help Protect Any Home
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By Julie H. Case in Innovation
In Rural Puerto Rico, a Drive for Clean Water
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By Tito DeJesus in Reflection
Retired From the Navy but Not From Service
Read the ArticleRecent Stories
Education
8 Tips to Avoid Disaster Relief Scams and Fraud
For survivors of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona and other disasters, here’s how to protect yourself from scammers and fraud while navigating the recovery processes.
Current Operations
How to Volunteer to Help With Hurricane Ian Relief
From how to become a disaster response volunteer to how to deploy for a hurricane relief operation, here’s how to help Florida now.
Current Operations
Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief Operations Expand in Florida
Oct. 5, 2022: Having already moved nearly 6,700 cubic yards of debris in Florida, Team Rubicon has begun deploying additional volunteers assist with Hurricane Ian recovery.
Recent Operations
Golovin Races Freeze Up As It Attempts To Recover From Typhoon Merbok
Oct. 3, 2022: When Typhoon Merbok exited Western Alaska, it took an entire village’s winter food supplies—and much of their shelter—with it. Days before freeze up begins, Golovin scrambles to recover.
Current Operations
Route Clearance Teams Push Through Florida
Sept. 30, 2022: Just hours after Hurricane Ian made landfall, volunteers began clearing debris from roadways and making routes for emergency responders.
Recent Operations
Team Rubicon Launches Response to Typhoon Merbok in Alaska
Sept. 29, 2022: Greyshirts are deploying to the remote coastal village of Golovin which devastated in mid-September.
Reflections
Reflection
Grit and Old Glory On Display in Florida
A Greyshirt and Air Force veteran reflects on his first deployment, and on responding to Hurricane Ian with Team Rubicon.
Reflection
Retired From the Navy but Not From Service
On Veterans Day, a Navy veteran and Greyshirt reflects on the meaning of service.
Reflection
Two First-Time Greyshirts Take On One Last Wish
In Florida after Hurricane Ian, veteran volunteers get the chance to help one of their own serve his family a final time.
Reflection
Resettling Afghan Refugees Helped Restore My Faith
A Team Rubicon staffer reflects on the incredible thing she witnessed while serving on a resettlement operation in San Diego.
Reflection
Showing Compassion Through Service in Guatemala
A Greyshirt reflects on spending two weeks delivering humanitarian aid and medical care in Puerto Barrios in 2018.
Reflection
Beating Cancer to GSD
A Greyshirt reflects on his first operation, and fulfilling the vow he made to himself during chemo.
The 91-Day Greyshirt
How I went from sign-up to the Navajo Nation’s longest-serving volunteer in just three months. We all have our own Team Rubicon journey. Mine goes from thinking I didn’t belong to becoming a comms lead in a matter of months. I grew up wanting to serve in the military. My father was a Marine, … Read More
A Vietnam Veteran Reflects On Service, Then and Now
Team Rubicon Greyshirt John Ruehle reveals why he joined the Marines, being injured in battle, and how and why he serves his country in 2020.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves Matter
Applying for the Clay Hunt Fellowship Program (CHFP) was something I felt that I needed to do. As a black woman and a U.S. Marine, I am always conscious of the systemic racism my fellow Americans and I have experienced, even after fighting for and serving our country. But, I also needed help transitioning from … Read More
Care during COVID-19: A Physician’s Greyshirt Experience
It was late in the evening after another busy shift in the emergency department. I grabbed my bag, a now-cold cup of coffee, and headed towards my car. I was physically and emotionally drained, but as I flipped through news articles, all centered on the COVID crisis, I wished I could do more. The week … Read More
Finding Father Figures in Grey—and Man Glitter
On her first operation as a sawyer, one Greyshirt planned to sit back, be a spotter, and let the guys make the chips fly. Two Greyshirts ruined that plan. Lucy Loftus reflects on finding father figures in Team Rubicon.
After Losing My Father, a Greyshirt Steps In
When I saw a job posting in July of 2019 for a major gifts officer based out of Atlanta, GA for an unnamed nonprofit that “serves communities by mobilizing veterans to continue their service, leveraging their skills and experience to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises,” I was very intrigued. … Read More
History & Culture
History and Culture
From Kentucky to Ukraine, Veterans Spend 2022 in Service
For Veterans Day, a look at some places veterans have been applying their experiences in the military to disaster relief and humanitarian aid this year.
History and Culture
During Disaster Relief, Change Your Socks
What does “change your socks” mean? Greyshirt and veteran Pat Ross reveals what’s behind the Team Rubicon adage, and how a military term took on new meaning.
History and Culture
What Memorial Day Means to Me
U.S. Navy Veteran, Greyshirt, and Team Rubicon CEO Greyshirt Art delaCruz reflects on celebration, mourning, and honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
History and Culture
A “Swiss Army Knife in the Field” Named Volunteer Leader of Year
A disaster response volunteer who served everywhere from the Navajo Nation to Haiti took home Team Rubicon’s 2022 Leader of the Year award.
History and Culture
Disaster Responders Earn Leadership Awards
Volunteers known for GSD were recognized at Team Rubicon’s annual leadership conference.
History and Culture
The Birth of Team Rubicon’s Grey Shirt
Team Rubicon’s co-founder reveals the inspiration and meaning behind Team Rubicon’s modest grey uniform.
Stories of Service
Stories of Service
The Special Effects of Veterans Serving Veterans
For disaster survivors who are veterans, help that comes from a fellow veteran can be easier to accept. For the volunteers, it can be extra special to give.
From The Field
Above and Beyond: Veteran Volunteers Go From Sawyers to First Responders
While doing disaster relief in Texas, a Greyshirt saw team takes on a tarping job and ends up saving a life.
Reflection
Soot, Sawing, and the Chance to Serve One Who Served
For National Volunteer Week, three volunteers reflect on time spent helping a Midwest community recover from a rare and deadly wildfire.
History and Culture
The Birth of Team Rubicon’s Grey Shirt
Team Rubicon’s co-founder reveals the inspiration and meaning behind Team Rubicon’s modest grey uniform.
In The Grey
A Midwest Deployment, and an Extreme Double Date
Two married couples and one engaged couple serve on the same Team Rubicon strike team together during Operation Heartlander, in Nebraska.
In The Grey
To Volunteer on Thanksgiving, It’s Chainsaws Over Forks
Nine Team Rubicon volunteers on why they spend their holidays doing disaster relief—and how they give thanks while in the grey.
COVID-19
COVID-19
Volunteer Returns to Home and Service at the Navajo Nation
A member of the Big Water Clan finds community and the chance to serve within the four sacred mountains.
COVID-19
To End Vaccine Hesitancy, Rely on America’s Most Reliable
In America, veterans hold the key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19
Vaccination Volunteer Gets Needled by a Friend
While helping stand up a mass vaccination clinic in Portland, one Greyshirt gets vaccinated by another.
COVID-19
Here Come the Reinforcements
Vaccinated and free to serve again, formerly at-risk disaster relief volunteers get back to heavy lifting.
COVID-19
Mid-Deployment, Responding to a Different Type of Disaster
When two Team Rubicon volunteers assisting with Hurricane Sally relief stop to assist a motorist in need, a life is saved.
COVID-19
What to Expect When Volunteering at a Vaccination Clinic
Ever wonder what really happens at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic? Team Rubicon volunteers tell all and explain what to expect when volunteering.
Partner News
Education
Small Gifts, Big Impact
When it comes to disaster relief, everyday philanthropy—like rounding up purchases at checkout—is having great effect.
International
Team Rubicon Expands Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Operations Globally
Veteran-led humanitarian organization increases international medical support and disaster response efforts.
Partner News
Beyond the Veterans Day Discounts, Corporations Find Ways to Engage Veterans
From talent software that translates military experience to paid time off for volunteer service, these five companies offer unique programs for veterans.
Education
Corporate Volunteers Heed the Call of Disaster Relief
From rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes to building resilient cities, how individuals and groups can use service to improve communities and corporate social responsibility.
COVID-19
Vaccines, Veterans, and the Chance to Serve Again
Six veteran organizations on how, and why, they united to help vaccinate America.
Partner News
Team Rubicon and PXG Announce “Two Million Dollar Challenge” for Hurricane Laura Relief
Los Angeles, CA (September 4, 2020) – Team Rubicon, a veteran-led disaster relief organization, announced today a “Two-Million Dollar Challenge” for its Hurricane Laura relief effort. The challenge was issued by PXG founder and CEO Bob Parsons, a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam War Veteran. Through PXG, a company dedicated to developing high-performance golf equipment and … Read More
From the Field
Reflection
Grit and Old Glory On Display in Florida
A Greyshirt and Air Force veteran reflects on his first deployment, and on responding to Hurricane Ian with Team Rubicon.
Reflection
Retired From the Navy but Not From Service
On Veterans Day, a Navy veteran and Greyshirt reflects on the meaning of service.
From The Field
Above and Beyond: Veteran Volunteers Go From Sawyers to First Responders
While doing disaster relief in Texas, a Greyshirt saw team takes on a tarping job and ends up saving a life.
Reflection
Two First-Time Greyshirts Take On One Last Wish
In Florida after Hurricane Ian, veteran volunteers get the chance to help one of their own serve his family a final time.
From The Field
Building Bridges After the Storm
In the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, community is everything. When flood waters rose in late July of 2022, one family was isolated from the rest of the world—and from much-needed medical treatment. Then came the community and some outsiders to change all that.
Reflection
Resettling Afghan Refugees Helped Restore My Faith
A Team Rubicon staffer reflects on the incredible thing she witnessed while serving on a resettlement operation in San Diego.
CHFP
CHFP
Clay Hunt Fellows Program Announces Base Camp 10
Meet the 12 veterans joining Team Rubicon’s Clay Hunt Fellows Program second cohort of 2022
CHFP
Fellowship Leads Veteran Out of the Desert and Onto the Mountain Top
A U.S. Marine reflects on how the Clay Hunt Fellows Program changed—and maybe even saved—his life.
CHFP
Meet the First Cadre of 2022 Clay Hunt Fellows
Team Rubicon inducts 12 U.S. military veterans into Base Camp 9
CHFP
The Journey has Begun for Fellows of the CHFP Base Camp 8
Fellows of the Base Camp 8 cohort of Team Rubicon’s fellowship program for military veterans are stepping off on a professional development and self discovery journey. Meet the veteran fellows.
CHFP
Introducing the New Clay Hunt Fellows Program Logo
In 2011, Team Rubicon decided to honor how early-Greyshirt and Marine Corps veteran Clay Hunt committed his life to serving others by creating the Clay Hunt Fellows Program. Since then, the Program has evolved and grown in countless ways, including to more than 150 Fellows graduated. After a decade of service, and as the Program … Read More
CHFP
Clay Hunt Fellows Program Announces Base Camp Seven
Team Rubicon selects 14 veterans for fellowships.
In the Grey
Education
Emergency Preparedness a Must, Even for Disaster Pros
Because disasters aren’t taking a holiday, even Greyshirts and first responders need emergency plans. And disaster kits.
In The Grey
Father’s Day in the Grey
Meet some of this year’s dads and kids spending their time doing disaster relief.
In The Grey
From Volunteering for Wildfire Cleanup to Until Death Do Us Part
A lucky second chance, a discovery of shared core values, and one incident commander in a kilt unites a pair of Greyshirts.
In The Grey
Their Meet Cute? A Flood
For two Team Rubicon volunteers, stepping into the arena turns into a lifetime commitment.
In The Grey
Love in the Disaster Relief Air
For Valentine’s Day, Team Rubicon looks back on some of our favorite love stories—conventional and not.
In The Grey
A Midwest Deployment, and an Extreme Double Date
Two married couples and one engaged couple serve on the same Team Rubicon strike team together during Operation Heartlander, in Nebraska.
Education
Education
Top Fire Mitigation Strategies to Help Protect Any Home
From applying fire retardant to removing fuels, these strategies can help any homeowner protect their property from wildfire.
Education
Top Emergency Preparedness Apps, Gadgets, and Tools for Any Disaster
From thrift-store finds to apps to top-of-the-line satellite phones, these devices can help make it easier to face any disaster.
Education
8 Tips to Avoid Disaster Relief Scams and Fraud
For survivors of Hurricanes Ian and Fiona and other disasters, here’s how to protect yourself from scammers and fraud while navigating the recovery processes.
Education
7 No-Cost and Low-Cost Ways to Prepare for a Hurricane
Free to cheap, these budget-friendly emergency preparedness tips can help anyone be better ready for a disaster or storm.
Education
Hurricane Preparedness Tips from Harvey Survivors
From half-full is empty to how to file a FEMA claim, four things hurricane survivors wish they’d known, and advice on how to improve your chances of survival and speedier recovery.
Education
After a Flood, Cleanup Safety Means Knowing—and Dealing With—Mold
Expert intel on the biohazards found after a flooding disaster, advice on how to deal with them, and six tips for safely cleaning up when there’s mold.