With the arrival of spring and pleasant weather, there is also a heightened chance for severe storms to strike. And when disaster strikes, the American Red Cross is there to help.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters and supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood supply. It teaches skills that save lives and provides international humanitarian aid. They support military members and their families. As a not-for-profit organization, they depend on volunteers and the generosity of the American people to perform their mission.
March is American Red Cross Month, and the American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas has an urgent need for volunteers who can assist virtually and in person for disaster response
“We are gearing up for spring disaster response needs such as flooding and tornadoes, and we need additional volunteers who can help virtually or in person,” said Chris Harmon, regional disaster officer. “Throughout the pandemic, our volunteers have continued supporting disasters locally and nationally. Some traveled to serve states hit with hurricanes, wildfires or tornadoes, while many helped with the response from their home.”
The workforce for the Red Cross is 90% volunteer-based.
Frank Delano is 73 years old, lives in Poplar Bluff and volunteers for the American Red Cross.
As to how he became a volunteer, Delano explains, “You have to blame my wife for that one. She’s been a blood donor for many years. She kept seeing the same people at the blood donations and I asked her if she considered being a volunteer. She had to go to Saint Louis for an orientation. I went with her and decided well, there are these other areas to volunteer for and while I don’t want to work blood drives, in the other areas I could perhaps make a contribution, so I decided to join them.”
Delano was dog sitting earlier this week, because his wife, Connie, was on her way to Sikeston to help out with a Red Cross Blood Drive. They have been volunteers for the past three years.
He describes his experience with the Red Cross this way, “I’ve volunteered in several areas. One of those is disaster response and we respond to a lot of house fires in this area. And the other is a service to armed forces and we interact with the local VA by rendering assistance, usually to patients and customers that they are at the hospital.
“Selfishly, I mean it’s a great deal of personal satisfaction, but it’s also pretty humbling when you are interviewing a person and you’re literally standing next to the smoking ruins of what used to be their family home. It makes you appreciative, there’s a great deal of personal satisfaction that comes from it. The benefits far outweigh any inconvenience that you might have.”
He appreciates and welcomes desperately needed donations to the Red Cross but from his own experience, he describes how different volunteering can be compared to just offering financial support.
“You watch the news on TV, and you see a disaster and you think those poor people. But you have a totally different mindset when you look at it and say, what can I do to help that’s more than just opening your checkbook,” he said. “It’s more than just texting and saying, take $10 from my account and I’ll contribute to this, it’s more than that.”
The past year’s pandemic has been a bit of a roadblock to the mission as well according to Delano.
“It’s been more difficult during the pandemic with limitations on the interaction,” he said. “We still interact with people over the Internet and that work is done by phone and by video calls, but it’s a little more limiting that way. But there is still the personal satisfaction from feeling like maybe I made a little bit of a difference to someone.”
The Red Cross is offering virtual informational sessions to learn more about volunteering before signing up. These sessions are held several times a month to help individuals learn about opportunities to volunteer.
To sign up for an upcoming virtual informational session, go to www.redcross.org/ARCVolunteerFair.
Upcoming virtual sessions are:
• Thursday, April 1, noon
• Tuesday, April 6, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 15, noon
• Tuesday, April 20, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 29, noon
Visit www.redcross.org/VolunteerToday to find out what are the most-needed positions and local opportunities to volunteer.
If you’re healthy and feeling well, you can donate blood which can make a lifesaving difference for a patient in need. Go to www.redcrossblood.org to schedule an appointment.
Learn how to help in an emergency by taking a class in skills like CPR and first aid. Go to www.redcross.org/TakeAClass to find out how.
Go to https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/ to make a gift of any size.
And residents can call their local American Red Cross office if they have any questions.