Adrian Grieve knew what to expect from his summer counselor job at Camp Conrad Weiser when he first came to Berks County from his hometown of Hightae, Scotland, in 1985. What he couldn’t have anticipated was that he would be smitten by the region – not to mention his wife Kati – or that, in 2018, he’d be living in Spring Township and working as Executive Director of the Tri-County Chapter of the American Red Cross. Today, in addition to his work serving Berks, Schuylkill and Chester counties, Grieve is president of the board of directors for South Mountain YMCA, which counts Camp Conrad Weiser as one of its member camps.
Q. How did you hear about Berks County while living in the UK? I was earning my undergraduate degree in social work from Edinburgh University when I learned of the opportunity to work with kids as a counselor at Camp Conrad Weiser. I thought it would be good experience, and it was teaching horseback riding, which I love. I’ve been riding since I was 8. It was wonderful, and I came back the following summer to do it again.
Q. How did that lead you to the Red Cross? I thought I’d come here to work with kids and go back to Scotland to work in social work, but the Flight 103 airline disaster over Lockerbie, which is very close to my hometown, had a big impact on me. I wanted to volunteer with a disaster relief organization, so while I was here I started working with the Red Cross. I fell in love with every aspect of the work and it became a career. We help people going through trauma and loss — losing a home or even losing a loved one. It’s important and meaningful work.
Q. So, living in the US wasn’t really part of your plan? Yes, I never planned my life; I just let it evolve and I am so grateful for how it’s turned out. In what other job could I go into a community and literally live there and help rebuild after a disaster? Another incident that affected me was September 11; I was sent to Shanksville to help. I’ve also worked at communities hit by hurricanes like Katrina, Sandy and Irma, and I know firsthand what those people went through. I specialize in transportation incidents, so I worked at the Amtrak derailments in Philadelphia in 2015 and the December 2017 incident in Washington state. I like travel and meeting people, which helps.
Q. Do you find Berks very different from Scotland? It’s very similar. Over the years I’ve lived in Spring Township, Wernersville and South Heidelberg, and those areas look a lot like my little hometown.I think that’s why I love it here.
Q. Your wife is from the area. How did you meet? I met Kati while we were both counselors at Camp Conrad Weiser. In fact, our wedding was in the camp chapel and our reception was in the lodge at Camp Byndenwood. She’s a school nurse in Cocalico Township, Lancaster County, so we share that desire to work with people.
Q. With a round-the-clock job, you must be a master of time management. So, when you can manage it, what do you do for yourself? Even though I travel a lot for work, I still love to travel on my own. I also enjoy watching British TV, particularly comedies and crime dramas. I played rugby in school, so I like watching that and soccer. I also still love horseback riding. I don’t teach anymore, but there’s no better view than that from the back of a horse.
