Chapter Announces 2015 Gala Chair, Vice Chair

Maria Triplett, left, and Erin Rasinen, right, will lead the 2015 Wrapped in Red Gala steering committee.

The results are in from the 4^th Annual Wrapped in Red Gala and Red Lounge. The Louisville Area Chapter’s signature event raised $157,000 for community disaster programs through sponsorships, ticket sales and auction purchases. Thanks to our 2014 Chair Randy Blevins, Vice Chair Maria Triplett, the Wrapped in Red steering committee and volunteers who donated their time and expertise to make the event a success!

Louisville Area Chapter Board Member and 2014 Gala Vice Chair Maria Triplett will be leading the 2015 Gala. Maria is President and Owner of TSI Paving—a family owned and operated business providing services in the areas of pavement maintenance, storm water drainage repairs and sanitary sewer repairs for residential, commercial and industrial clients. In addition to her service on the Louisville Area Chapter Board of Directors, Maria is a member of the National Association of Women in Construction and the Executive Womens Golf Association.

Maria will be joined by Vice Chair Erin Rasinen who has chaired the Gala design and décor committee for the past four years. Erin began her career with Messer Construction in 2004. In 2012, Erin was promoted to senior management at Messer and is now a partner in the firm. She is involved in many industry and community organizations, and serves on the board of directors for the Louisville Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction, the Kentuckiana-Post of the Society of American Military Engineers, the Sacred Heart Academy Alumnae Association and Kentucky Derby Festival.

If you are interested in serving on the Wrapped in Red Gala planning committee, becoming a Wrapped in Red sponsor or donating an auction item, please contact Amber Youngblood at (502) 561-3711 or Amber.Youngblood@redcross.org.

More on the Wrapped in Red Gala

A Look Back at the 1974 Tornado Response

Photo Courtesy of Capital City Museum

Former Red Cross employee Pat Badgett (left) surveys the damage at Mitchell’s Trailer Park in Western Franklin County Kentucky following an April 3, 1974 tornado. Pat’s mother lived in the park, but was luckily not at home when the tornado hit. Pat was also a longtime Red Cross board member and continues to volunteer with the Franklin County Chapter.

Several communities are hosting memorials today to mark the 40^th Anniversary of the 1974 tornado outbreak, so I thought I would take a look through our chapter archives to learn how the Red Cross responded four decades ago. One of the hardest hit areas on April 3, 1974, was right here in the Commonwealth. A total of 85 deaths were recorded for Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

The Red Cross was there during the following days, weeks and months to provide emergency assistance in the areas where folks needed help the most. Six shelters were opened to accommodate displaced families. More than 400 people sought refuge there during the first days of the relief operation. By April 8, all Red Cross shelters were closed. Even though hundreds of families were still without a home, their family, friends and neighbors opened their doors to offer shelter and comfort.

The Red Cross opened one fixed site to serve food and operated six mobile units, feeding approximately 3,200 people around the clock, including affected families, National Guardsmen and emergency workers. We also set up a babysitting service for families cleaning up and collecting what was left of their homes.

Jefferson Co. Indiana volunteer Paul Steinhardt

 

But it wasn’t just the disaster department working to support relief efforts. Every single branch of the Red Cross played a part. Three mobile first aid units monitored affected areas at all times. Service to Military Families helped locate families for frantic relatives. More than 1,500 blood donors answered the call for blood in the week following the tornado outbreak.

As I read through old chapter meeting minutes, the familiar names of key community groups were frequently mentioned including Salvation Army, National Guard, Kentucky Baptist Convention and our longtime partner, the United Way. It was then as it is today, an “all hands on deck” operation inside and outside the organization. By the close of the operation, we had served 2,900 families in our region alone and we couldn’t have done it without our volunteers, donors and partners.

As we enter severe storm season, remember to create or review your family disaster plan. You can also download free Red Cross preparedness apps on floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes. Visit www.redcross.org/mobileapps for more information.

Intern and Youth Volunteer Jocelyn Porter

Jocelyn (right) at 2012 Donorama Blood Drive

Hello, my name is Jocelyn Porter and I am a youth volunteer for the Louisville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. I just completed a five month internship here and am continuing my service through the Chapter Club Council, (Louisville’s chapter club). These past five months have been instrumental to my growth as a high school student. I’ve developed many noteworthy skills and have been given amazing opportunities.

There are three ways to volunteer with the American Red Cross:

1. in a group such as your Girl Scout troop, church youth group, or school beta club
2. in a Red Cross club at your school or in your local chapter
3. as an individual volunteer

I am a member of the Red Cross Club at the Louisville Area Chapter and as mentioned before I am also a student intern. As a part of my internship, I came in three times a week to complete office administrative tasks along with Public Relations related assignments. Some of my office administrative duties included data entry in the volunteer office.

One very important task I completed was to catalog the volunteer pins given out before our newest computer system update. My help in this effort made it possible for seasoned and dedicated volunteers to be awarded for their hard work over the years. I recorded the names of volunteers and the awards they had been given so that we knew when it was time for them to receive another award based on the years of their service. I created a database of this information and cataloged names and awards from 1986 to 2011.

I have also made phone calls to youth in the community who have expressed interest in becoming a youth volunteer for the Louisville Chapter Club like me. I’ve put together bulletin boards in the building elevators that have announcements Red Cross employees should be aware of. These projects as well as the many other activities I do at the Red Cross are important for many reasons--they open the door for more volunteers, allow information to be stored in a more organized form, and contribute to the mission of the Red Cross as a whole.

I have acquired 90 hours this year. My favorite project that I have done thus far has been the Pin project. I was able to see just how many people over the years have volunteered their time to help their local Red Cross reach its goal of serving people worldwide and how committed those people have been. Some have been working with the Red Cross for 50 years.

I would definitely encourage other youth in the community to volunteer with the Red Cross because it is a way to help save lives even though you may not be old enough to give blood. It is a group effort, and by volunteering at blood drives or working in the office, you are helping to fulfill the mission of this worthwhile organization

-Jocelyn Porter

Local Volunteers Help Illinois Disaster Relief Operation

Red Cross volunteers Charlotte Surratt, Joe Baird, Carrie Smith and Mike Sewell.

This past weekend, as most Kentuckiana residents prepared for “the greatest two minutes in sports,” four local American Red Cross volunteers were on their way out of the Commonwealth. In the midst of Kentucky Derby madness, Carrie Smith, Mike Sewell, Joe Baird and Charlotte Surratt traveled to Illinois where they will assist with the Midwest flood response in Arlington Heights and Peoria.

The four volunteers collectively have more than 15 years of disaster response experience with the Red Cross. For this disaster operation, each of them will help provide client casework services to people affected by flooding. Client caseworkers work one-on-one with families and individuals to determine what kind of help they need to get back on their feet following a disaster.

Charlotte Surratt is a retired EMT/CNA/Cake Decorator. A jack of all trades, she began volunteering at the Fort Knox Red Cross a few years ago. She assists the Fort Knox office with everything from the Helping Hands program which provides household furniture and goods for soldiers, to meeting with military families before oversea deployments. Along with her weekly responsibilities in Fort Knox, she tries to serve on at least two disaster operations each year.

“This is my heart, going out on disasters,” Charlotte said. “This is what I was supposed to do.”

Charlotte is trained in several disaster response areas. Following Superstorm Sandy, she traveled to West Virginia where the storm dumped 2-3 feet of snow before moving on to the northeast. In West Virginia, she was in charge of ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) dispatch. Drifts of snow along with icy roads and fallen tree limbs prohibited driving in much of the mountainous area, so it was important for Charlotte to send ERVs to central locations that people could travel to on foot.

Charlotte knows it’s important to remain flexible on disaster operations, but she will say that casework is her favorite as she gets to meet people (and pets!) and be there for them when they need it most.

“A lot of times they’re so grateful to see you they burst into tears. They all have a story and they want you to listen to them.”

A total of 15 volunteers from throughout the Kentuckiana Region are in Illinois helping provide food, supplies, emotional support and health services. The Red Cross will be there to support affected communities until well after the flood waters recede. To support Red Cross disaster efforts, please make a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Sit and Stay With Us a While at the Pegasus Parade

The Red Cross continued its long-standing tradition yesterday of providing reserved seating for senior adults and individuals with functional and access needs during the Pegasus Parade. This was the 38^th year the organization has been providing this service.

Hours before the parade, Red Cross volunteers roped off 200 feet of prime Broadway street side territory, beginning at the corner of Preston and Broadway, and set up more than 400 chairs. The area was specially designated as seating for senior adults and individuals with functional and access needs to give them a great view without needing to jostle for a spot.  Nearly every seat was full Thursday.

Clockwise from left: Robert McNeal, Richard Mart, Sharon Angel and Linda Roberts were the first to take their seats Thursday.

All of the attendees seemed excited for the parade, although everyone had their own reasons.

“I was born and raised in New Albany, and I haven’t been back in over 47 years to go to the Derby Parade,” said Robert McNeal, who came from Panama City, FL for this weekend’s festivities. “There were no celebrities back then. It was mainly bands and horses, so it will be interesting to see what has changed.”

McNeal’s cousin Linda Roberts, a Louisville resident, had a different reason for going.

“I want to see Russ Smith,” said Roberts. “I want to see the whole UofL team. We shot off fireworks after they won the championship. We had all the neighbors over, even though they were UK fans.”

The University of Louisville’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were the grand marshals of the event. Other attractions included marching bands, celebrities and creative booths from local businesses, but there was no doubt that the two teams riding by in fire trucks raised the most cheers from the crowd.

The Red Cross has already committed to continue its seating tradition for next year.

Volunteer Instructor Teaches Life-Saving Skills

Red Cross volunteer instructor Bob Dawson teaches First Aid, CPR and AED once a month at the Louisville Area Chapter. His most recent class took place last Tuesday, just one day after the Boston Marathon. While features on those who lost their lives in the explosions and reports of potential suspects flooded news broadcasts, another story crept into the spotlight. The first responders and law enforcement officials who acted quickly to help those injured. Trained officials were joined by everyday bystanders who rushed to help.

Bob has been teaching everyday people or “lay responders” as we call them at the Red Cross, since 1998 when he retired from LG&E. As a safety specialist, his job was to reinforce rules and regulations, but his ultimate goal was to motivate people to take charge of their own safety, much like he does now at the Red Cross.

“When we teach people to do First Aid and CPR, we encourage them to take charge of a scene—to step up and do something,” Bob said.

In all his years of being certified, Bob has never had to use CPR in his personal life but he knows that he could if needed. Even while working for LG&E, he was fortunate to not encounter a catastrophic injury. He attributes this to the availability of improved safety equipment and the fact that people are better informed and trained.

“The more people trained, the better chance everyone has to survive an incident,” he said. “There is a better chance of the emergency being recognized and care being given until EMS arrives. I think it saves lives.”

The Red Cross offers a variety of courses at various times during the week and on weekends making it easy for people to enroll or even teach as Bob does. Once monthly class schedules are released, he can choose which courses he is available to instruct based on his personal schedule.

 “When we teach people to do First Aid and CPR, we encourage them to take charge of a scene—to step up and do something.”

 As a retiree, Bob says volunteering offers personal fulfillment and helps give structure to his life. He recommends the role to others with a background in safety.

“If you’re going to be retired, you need to stay active,” he said. “One thing you can do is give back.”

Bob also enjoys having an opportunity to meet new people and learn from his students. He encourages them to ask questions and share personal experiences of instances when they needed to use First Aid, CPR or AED skills.

 “I’ve always enjoyed training,” Bob said. “It’s fun. When it stops being fun, I’ll stop doing it.”

To become a volunteer instructor, you need to be currently certified in First Aid, CPR and AED—adult and pediatric and complete a two-day Red Cross instructor course. Instructor training is offered at the Louisville Area Chapter every other month and in Lexington and Elizabethtown on the months in between. At the end of the course, participants take an exam to acquire Red Cross instructor certification. The cost of the course is $500, a fee that can be waived if a volunteer commits to teaching one class per month.

The next instructor training course is scheduled for 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on May 9-10 at the Louisville Area Chapter. To register or to learn more, visit www.redcross.org/take-a-class.