Their name was inspired by the phrase “crossing the Rubicon,” meaning passing a point of no return.
“It’s helping people who had no expectation of help, and that’s why I love to do it,” says Noel Middleton, Field Readiness Coordinator, LA Metro, Team Rubicon.
Team Rubicon (TR) was established in January 2010 as a veteran-led humanitarian organization in response to the earthquake in Haiti. Eight volunteers were part of a medical team who traveled to Port-au-Prince three days after the disaster, helping people in areas considered too dangerous by other aid organizations. Crossing the Rubicon means passing a point of no return. Since then, the veteran-led organization has over 160k+ volunteers , nearly two-thirds of them veterans. Many are looking for an environment of camaraderie to help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation after service. Other Greyshirts include first responders, teachers, and mental health providers.
“It’s not just the work we do and the clients we serve, but how we serve the veterans that come out and volunteer,” says Nicole Capossela, Chief Development Officer, Team Rubicon.
01:51
In 1980, a billion dollar natural disaster 1 happened every
82 days
Now it’s every
10 days
Time—and tech—is of the essence
According to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, extreme weather events have increased five times over the past 50 years 2 , causing a surge in natural disasters. The people and communities impacted by these disasters urgently need help to recover, and the longer they wait for aid, the more they suffer.
This urgency fuels TR to realize the importance of an efficient system when every second counts—and how critical it is to scale its support to help the most people possible.
