Meet Dr Alison Thompson | Global Humanitarian- Founder-Third Wave Volunteers first responders.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr Alison Thompson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr Alison, what principle do you value most?
Throughout my 40 years of volunteer service I have learned many things working out in the disaster field from always checking your shoes for mice before you put them on to loving how OCD volunteers are great at cleaning up refugee camps. One of the most important values I have learned in life, besides LOVE and TRUTH is service to others- as in service to others in volunteering your time. Volunteering is about giving, contributing and helping other individuals and the community. The Cambridge dictionary describes it as ” a person who does something, especially helping other people, willingly and without being forced or paid to do it. I love that definition. I really believe service has made me the happiest person I know and has spilled out into other areas of my life from work to health to relationships. I believe service is one of the great secrets to life that is available for everyone and with service comes love. Love being the ultimate destination. During the Syrian refugee crisis we were rescuing people from drowning on the shores of Lesvos. A volunteer and a refugee meet for the first time – no walls- no discrimination just two people embracing. Sometimes the hug would last 5 minutes while other hugs lasted 20 minutes and those moments were the most pure form of unconditional love I have ever found. Why? Why not? Why wouldn’t anyone want that in their life. The estimated worth of a volunteer is 23$ per hour but I say we are all billionaires on the inside.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
For the past 22 years I have run refugee camps, field hospitals and resilience hubs in the largest disasters around the world. It all began as a first responder on Sept 11th 2001 in NYC where Third Wave Volunteers was also founded. On Sept 11th I learned that it wasn’t just medical people who were needed to help and that we also needed people to hand out water and fetch Iv boxes and do other simple skills and how ‘everyone was needed’. That is our motto. In creating CTEC- the Community Tsunami Early-warning disaster center in Sri Lanka and later with my appointment as the first official Ambassador to the Haitian Ministry of Environment I didn’t have all these large skills but I recognized the problems- found solutions and surrounded myself with the experts to get it done. You don’t have to know everything you can always find people who know more than you. I’ve always believed in taking the paths less traveled and to not be too worried about the future or the past. It is very important to live in the present e.g I may be collecting the dead in a disaster and later that afternoon am dealing with a rape victim and then that night I’m having a Thai meal birthday celebration with friends. I have learned to live in that very moment I am in and to not take certain things with me on the journey forward but to leave them in the past. I’ve seen death up close and I’ve had many people die in my arms. Life can be very short and we don’t know how long we have so each day needs to be lived to its fullest. The road was not easy and I have had my fair share of suffering but I never gave up nor took ‘NO’ as a final answer. There is always another way. I’d love the world to know that there is a caring, loving, volunteer family waiting for them and “everyone’s Needed” so come find us. “Its easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time but its leadership to be in the wrong place at the right time.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my buddy was arriving in Miami for a weeks holiday-here are some of the things I would show them. The magical gardens of Fairchild Gardens is a must see along with The Kampong and Vescaya gardens. I would take them out on our boat to see the beauty of the Biscayne Bay as well as a late afternoon cruise up the downtown river waterways where we tie the boat up to jump ashore to eat a fish or lobster at Garcias or Casablancas restaurant. Coconut Grove is a great haven to explore and also has Paddleboard’s, jet skis, kayaks and all sorts of water activities for rent. We would jump on bikes and explore the hidden trails around Crandon Park and its beaches and also bike down to the lighthouse for a tour which closes at 1pm. I’d take them to Little Havana and have a great meal in a number of restaurants to choose from and dance salsa at Cubaocho Arts Center followed by a cigar at one of the small cuban cigar clubs along the main street followed by abuela guava ice-cream at Azucar. I’m also a big fan of the little taco shops in the area which have some of the best tacos around. Tacos El Canal is my favorite and very cheap but I go for the great pork flavors- not the price! I hardly go out to the busier scenes at Miami Beach but when I do I love go to chef Bernie Matz place called Bodega. I would also head down to the farms in the Redlands and stop at “Robert is Here” market for some exotic fruits and in that area is the Schnebly Redland’s fruit winery and plenty of airboats to see the beauty of the everglades and the alligators.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to give a shout out to all of our Third Wave Volunteers who have worked their hearts out world-wide over the past 22 years and especially to all of our health providers working in hospitals across this nation fighting the covid virus. We lost 16 of our nurses to covid deaths last year so they are the true super heroes.

Website: https://thirdwavevolunteers.com

Instagram: @thirdwavevolunteers

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alison-thompson-a9914929/

Twitter: @thirdwaveorg

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thirdwavevolunteers

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbHnlLb4NV8LzcRCE_jCDKA

Other: TikTok- @thirdwavevolunteers