Page 78 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2017

GIVING BACK helping in times of disaster
story by Lynn Lofton photos courtesy of Southeast Mississippi Chapter
2017 has been one of the busiest
and most expensive years in the 136- year history of the American Red Cross. Red Cross staff and volunteers responded to three major hurricanes, along with devastating wildfires, tornadoes and floods, and sheltered almost 1,200 evacuees when Hurricane Nate roared through Mississippi and Alabama in late October.
From its six offices, the Southeast Mississippi Chapter recruited and trained more than 200 new volunteers in 2017. “We have volunteer opportunities for almost any skill set; whatever you like to do, there is a place for you,” Executive Director John McFarland said. “Many people come forward in times of disaster, offering
to help, and we provide just-in-time training for them to be able to assist veteran volunteers in many tasks.”
He added that the chapter is always looking for men and women in ‘blue skies’ periods who agree to attend formal training classes and prepare themselves to be deployed or take on critical volunteer roles when disaster strikes.
Staff and volunteers were actively involved in national disasters with
many deployed multiple times. Through November 1, 16,000 Red Crossers — mostly volunteers
— responding to the hurricanes hosted 1.3 million overnight stays in shelters, served 6.7 million meals and distributed 5.1 million relief items such as cleanup kits, comfort kits, tarps, masks, coolers, trash bags, hand tools, insect spray and other items. Volunteer nurses and mental health professionals completed more than 198,800 health and mental health services.
Throughout the year, local volunteers installed more than 2,200 free smoke alarms in homes as part of a national Red Cross effort to reduce the number of deaths and injuries in single family fires (55 Mississippians died in home fires in 2016).
The Red Cross was founded in
1881 as a non-profit organization
and chartered by Congress in 1900
as the nation’s official humanitarian agency. Although operating under a congressional charter, the Red Cross
is not funded by federal tax dollars. Donations from corporate sponsors, foundations, United Ways, grants from cities and counties, and donations
The American Red Cross helps in
times of disasters. TOP: Nurses provide assistance in Florida following Hurricane Irma. ABOVE MIDDLE: Volunteers prepare to serve meals after tornado in Hattiesburg. ABOVE: Red Cross responds with help for victims of California wildfires.
from millions of private individuals finance the organization.
For ten years the local chapter has hosted a Moonlight & Magnolias Gala as its principal fundraiser. Featuring a silent auction and celebrity dance competition, the 2017 gala presented by the Beau Rivage netted more than $75,000 for the local chapter.
Southeast Mississippi Chapter
612 E. Pass Road, Gulfport 228.896.4511
78 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2017
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net