Blanche with the quartet “Something Old Something New” who came to sing to her on her special day!
Filed under: Volunteers | Tagged: 97, American Red Cross, Birthday, Blanche, Blood, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
By: Vicki P. Jenks, Red Cross Board Member & Disaster Action Team volunteer
The Chain O’ Lakes Elementary School (K-2) and faculty recently held a “Hats on for HEROES” Day for the local American Red Cross in Waupaca county.
On February 28th, the Cat in the Hat inspired the students to wear a hat all day long for just $1. Cumulatively, the students raised $100. The funds will be used for local disaster relief in Waupaca County. The most prevalent disaster locally are RESIDENTIAL FIRES. Funds raised are used for such basic needs as temporary shelter, food, clothing, shoes, bedding, linens, the replacement of prescription medications, eyeglasses, and more.
“Down the street, across the country, around the world…the Red Cross is there” because of compassionate, generous American citizens like the students and faculty at Chain O’ Lakes Elementary.
Principal Rhonda Hare is shown presenting Vicki P. Jenks, Red Cross Board Member and Disaster Action Team volunteer, the donation.
Filed under: Disaster Services, Fundraising | Tagged: American Red Cross, Chain O' Lakes, Elementary School, Red Cross, Vicki P. Jenks, volunteer, Waupaca | Leave a Comment »
During Red Cross Month, the American Red Cross recognizes the nation’s Everyday Heroes who give of themselves and in some way help their community.
“Please remember those who help all of us either down the street or across the country by giving their time to help their neighbor,” said Steve Hansen, Chapter Executive. “We want to thank our heroes during Red Cross Month – our volunteers, blood donors, class takers and financial supporters who help us assist those in need.”
March was first proclaimed as Red Cross Month 70 years ago by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Since 1943, every president, including President Obama, has designated March as Red Cross Month. The American Red Cross is synonymous with helping people, and has been doing so for more than 130 years.
The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters a year in this country, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. It provides 24-hour support to members of the military, Veterans and their families – in war zones, military hospitals and on military installations around the world; collects and distributes about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply and trains more than seven million people in first aid, water safety and other life-saving skills every year.
In just one fiscal year, our local Chapter responded to 171 local emergencies with trained Red Cross responders who are able to respond to disaster not just down the street but across the country. We assisted more than a 1,000 military members, their families and Veterans with pre and post-deployment briefings and emergency communications. We also brighten the holiday season for local Veterans and active duty personnel with our Holiday Mail for Heroes program. Through our Preparedness, Health & Safety services we trained thousands of people in both classroom and online courses in life-saving skills to disaster education. Throughout our area, people also rolled-up their sleeves to donate the gift of life. Throughout the state, we provide a safe and reliable blood supply for more than 40 hospitals and clinics.
“Red Cross Month is a great time for people to become part of the Red Cross and there are many different ways to do it. You can develop a preparedness plan for your household, become a Red Cross volunteer, give blood, or take a Red Cross class, just to name a few,” concluded Hansen.
The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar given to the Red Cross is invested into humanitarian services.
The Northeast Wisconsin Chapter has a number of activities planned for Red Cross Month, including:
Disaster Overview course provides new and perspective volunteers an overview of Disaster Services and previews involvement opportunities.
Our Services to Armed Forces support Yellow Ribbon Events for our enlisted military members and their families with “Get to Know Us Before You Need Us” presentations to reintegration services and/or information booths.
Northeast WI Chapter
The American Red Cross of Northeast Wisconsin Chapter serves 20 counties, including two in Michigan, with a mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. To learn more about Red Cross programs, volunteer opportunities, and how you can help, contact the Chapter at 920-231-3590 or visit redcross.org/newisconsin or via social media.
Filed under: Disaster Services, Giving Blood, Health and Safety, Northeast WI Region, Preparedness | Tagged: Amerian Red Cross, Heroes, March is Red Cross Month, Northeast Wisconsin, Roosevelt, Steve Hansen, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
Harvey Lorenz, Disaster Volunteer, from Neenah, is leaving on Thursday for New Jersey to assist on his second National Deployment for Hurricane Sandy.
Harvey deployed to New York back in November. He will be assisting as a supervisor in the area of Financial & Statistical Information. When asked what motivates him to go out on deployments:
“It is just a calling I feel comfortable answering. I know there are people that have it a lot worse than I do. I’m just happy I have the time to devote to this.”
(L-R) Harvey Lorenz completing his paper work with Nick Cluppert, Disaster Services, Regional Manager, Training & Development
Filed under: Disaster Services, Volunteers | Tagged: American Red Cross, Harvey Lorenz, Hurricane Sandy, Neenah, Nick Cluppert, Northeast Wisconsin, Sandy, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
From left, Jan Traversa, Joe Gerrits, Bonny Chapman, Rudy Senarighi and Gayle Hein stand as five members of a group of 19 volunteers from the local community who traveled to the east coast to help during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. / Matt Robinson/Press-Gazette Correspondent
Charity begins at home, but it doesn’t have to stay there.
That’s the mindset of 19 volunteers with the Red Cross of Northeastern Wisconsin, all of whom recently pitched in to provide disaster relief in New Jersey in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. They each spent about two weeks there, sleeping on cots in a gymnasium full of strangers, working 16 hours a day or more packing and trucking goods to people in areas of heavy devastation, going door to door to provide relief where needed.
For their volunteer efforts, they are being featured in the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s series, “Seven Days of Giving,” which identifies some of the local heroes of charitable efforts.
“There’s nothing like someone giving you a hug and saying ‘thank you,’” said one of them, Jan Traversa, 59, of Pulaski. “I’m so grateful I was able to go. I wish I didn’t have to work so I could do it full time.”
Like most other Red Cross volunteers — and there are 41 of them throughout Northeastern Wisconsin — Traversa and the other 18 do local disaster relief work. They can often be seen at the scene of fires, for example, where they do everything from providing temporary shelter for fire victims to handing out coffee to the tired firefighters.
The people
Red Cross volunteers recently returning from providing Hurricane Sandy relief: Joe Gerrits and Mary Roellchen, De Pere; Jan Traversa, Pulaski; Bonny Chapman, Dean Ekberg, Deb Harrington, Gayle Hein and Denise Mooren, Green Bay; Phil Everhart, Marinette; Ron Maloney, Rudy Senarighi, Judy Dobbins and Diane (Dee) Knutson, Sturgeon Bay; Donna LaPlante, Little Suamico; Mary Beth (Betsy) LeClair and Joel O’Connell, Two Rivers; Keith and Yvonne Stukenberg, Luxemburg; Lori Delain, Casco.
But these 19 also were willing to take their show on the road. In this case, that meant the Eastern Seaboard in the wake of some of the worst storm damage the nation has seen.
“A lot of the people who did this and Katrina felt this was worse because it’s a much more populated area,” said Jody Weyers, volunteer coordinator for the Red Cross of Northeastern Wisconsin.
Joe Gerrits, one of 19 local volunteers who helped out after Hurricane Sandy, celebrates with a group of friends at Legends in De Pere earlier this month. / Matt Robinson/Press-Gazette Correspondent
“You drive down the road, and all you see are piles of debris out on the street,” said Joe Gerrits, 46, a volunteer from De Pere. “Everything is junk — appliances, furniture. People are tearing out their dry wall. It’s because of the mold.”
Gerrits saw a lot of the devastation while he was out there, but he spent most of his volunteer time working in a warehouse, loading trucks with supplies.
He spent a little bit of his time on “search and serve missions,” in which Red Cross volunteers simply drive around looking for people who need assistance.
“We brought them drinks, Meals Ready to Eat, cleaning supplies,” he said. “People wanted coffee terribly. There was no power, and it was cold and damp.”
To get the time off from his office job here, Gerrits used up vacation time and also went without pay for the two-week period.
Traversa joined the Red Cross 11 years ago specifically because she wanted to help at the scene of the World Trade Center devastation of Sept. 11, 2001, the first of six national deployments she has participated in. That has included two hurricanes, two floods, tornado damage and the terrorist attack.
In the hurricane disasters, “I drove a 26-foot truck for bulk distribution,” Traversa said. “It’s awesome, because you’re driving around with a truck filled with supplies like tarps, bug spray, heater meals, comfort kits, cleanup kits.
“You just drive around doing search-and-serve, just looking for people … I like being with the client.”
Judy Dobbins, 60, of Sturgeon Bay is a newcomer to Red Cross volunteering and went on her first ever national deployment for the hurricane relief.
“It makes you think, because none of these folks thought this could happen to them, and here they ended up jumping out of second-story windows and getting into boats to escape,” Dobbins said.
She spent her entire time working in an evacuation shelter, serving as a shelter supervisor.
“It was an amazing experience,” she said. “There were almost 500 people in the shelter, such a diverse group, from older adults to heroin users taking methadone treatments and everything in between.”
The shelter, actually an arena attached to a high school, had to accommodate patients evacuated from a hospital and who were on oxygen and intravenous feeding tubes. It had a group of developmentally disabled adults evacuated from a group home. It had a collection of registered sex offenders who came in from various locations around the community but who were kept together and segregated from the rest of the shelter residents during the nights.
“We had everything from residents with total destruction of their homes and cars to those just not having power and not being able to stay in their homes,” Dobbins said. “It kind of ran the gamut.
“At one point we had a bus driver stop and tell us he had three busloads of seniors who had to evacuate their high-rise. They were in wheelchairs, had canes and walkers. They were scared to death. We had to accommodate, on the spur of the moment, large groups of very needy, very frightened individuals.”
As hard as it was, the volunteers agreed that the hardest part was leaving.
“It’s heart-breaking, because even though you’re working 16 hours a day, you know there are so many more in need,” Traversa said.
“I felt guilty, because there was so much left undone,” Dobbins said. “You get so close to the families and then just leave not knowing what’s going to be next for them. I still wake up and think, or I have a certain resident in mind, or a family, and wonder how they’re doing.”
— psrubas@greenbaypressgazette.com and follow him on Twitter@PGpaulsrubas
Filed under: Disaster Services, Volunteers | Tagged: Disaster Services, Green Bay Press Gazette, Hurricane Sandy, Jan Traversa, Joe Gerrits, Judy Dobbins, Seven Days of Giving, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
One of the big changes Blanche Baudhuin experienced as a volunteer with Red Cross was moving to a computerized system. ‘I never owned a computer, I was afraid,’ Baudhuin said. ‘They showed me a simple way.’ / Lukas Keapproth/Press-Gazette Media
Blanche Baudhuin wore a cheerful red and white Christmas sweater and matching red shoes recently to greet blood donors at the local Red Cross on Deckner Avenue.Many regular donors recognize the smiling 96-year-old as she takes their name and types their information into “Susie” the computer. After all, she’s been a volunteer for the Northeastern Wisconsin chapter of the American Red Cross for about 36 years.
“I just love it,” Baudhuin said. “I hate to think of the day I can’t volunteer anymore.”
She said the gig keeps her young at heart. She used to be a driver for the nonprofit’s transportation services, but now she helps out at the front desk, sometimes answering phones, but mostly checking in donors.
She started volunteering after her husband died.
“I had to do something to keep busy,” Baudhuin said. “Before I came here, I also helped with the free Thanksgiving dinners for people and made quilts for the needy.”
Baudhuin said she likes volunteering for the Red Cross.
“I enjoy meeting the people,” she said. “Most of the people who come in know me because I’ve been here so long. When they come in, they kid with me.”
One of the big changes she experienced was moving to a computerized system.
“I never owned a computer, I was afraid,” Baudhuin said. “They showed me a simple way. I’m too old, can’t run it. We named her Susie.”
Although she no longer drives for the Red Cross, she still occasionally volunteers off sight, by helping at locations such as Green Bay City Hall, during blood collections.
Everyone she works with at the Red Cross is nice, she said.
“I like the people,” she said. “They’re friendly, and nice to get along with.”
Baudhuin grew up in Algoma and move to Green Bay in 1940. She likes to crochet and play cards when she’s not volunteering. She turns 97 in March.
She thinks more seniors should consider helping others.
“Instead of sitting home and feeling sorry for yourselves, get out and volunteer,” she said. “That’s how I feel about it.”
The Red Cross appreciates her efforts.
“She’s an absolute joy,” said Jody Weyers, regional volunteer and communications director for the local Red Cross. “I think it goes to show volunteering definitely keeps you young at heart. If you’re thing is sitting at home and thinking about ailments, it’s better to get out and keep busy.”
Blanche Baudhuin, 96, helps Jerry Vander Heiden check in to donate blood at the Lakeland Red Cross on Deckner Avenue. / Lukas Keapproth/Press-Gazette Media
Larry Guyette has known Baudhuin for more than a decade and drives her home after she volunteers at the center.
“She has such energy and enthusiasm,” he said. “She gets upset if she can’t make it here. It’s something that’s really important to her, and I thinks she sets a good example for all of us.”
— pzarling@greenbaypressgazette or follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling
Filed under: Giving Blood, Volunteers | Tagged: 96, Age, American Red Cross, Blanche Baudhuin, Blood, Green Bay, Number, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
By Gayle Hein, American Red Cross Disaster Volunteer
(l-r) Carla from Madison, Charlie from Stevens Point and Gayle Hein from Green Bay with the Madison Emergency Response Vehicle on their way to Rockaway Beach portion of Long Island.
I have been involved in Red Cross disaster services for the past seven years. I joined Red Cross shortly after seeing the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina. Mostly my volunteering has involved fires in the community that displace people from their homes but this time I was deployed to the east coast due to Hurricane Sandy. Red Cross volunteers are trained in various specialties and my specialty is sheltering so that’s what I was sent to do.
On Nov 1st, 2012 I left Green Bay and flew to White Plains NY, one of several Red Cross headquarters. I was sent to open a shelter but before that happened I was sent to Staten Island to help hand out food, clothing and water. Another day I was sent to check out a shelter that was being run by the community to see if they needed anything. After those first couple of days I went to Old Westbury College in the Brookville area of Long Island to open a shelter for Red Cross volunteers. I had a team of five people from all over the U.S. That first night we only had a few people show up at the shelter. But the next day we needed to set up 350 cots, get supplies to run the shelter and meet with the college representatives. We went there in the dark and had no electricity except for a generator. I supervised the shelter and as the days went by we had another team come in and they helped run it.
Noreastern Storm that hit the East Coast.
After about a week, two ladies and I decided we didn’t need so many people there to run the shelter so we transferred out of sheltering and then went to work in an Emergency Response Vehicle or ERV. An ERV is a truck that we use to serve food to people in need. The American Red Cross has 320 ERVs and all were sent to the east coast. There were four kitchens operated by the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization preparing food for delivery. I was in kitchen number 2 for my head quarters, which was in a parking lot at the Aquaduct Racetrack on Long Island. We would go there every morning, struggling with the traffic and some days it took an hour to get there. Once we got there we had a meeting to plan the day’s activities. I needed to find a truck that had two people and needed one more. It seems that three workers per truck were better than only two. So I ran into these two people, Carla from Madison and Charlie from Stevens Point. None of us knew each other before we teamed up. We were assigned to the ERV from Madison. The area we were assigned was the Rockaway Beach portion of Long Island. It was an area that was along the beach and saw a lot of storm damage. Sand was everywhere, washed in town from the beach. We saw cement posts with no board walk left and piles of lumber, car smashed, and boats in the middle of the roads. It looked like a war zone. Many areas still didn’t have electricity or heat days after the storm. Then there were others problem like sewer backups and a senior complex with no elevators, leaving people struck in their apartments. We were sent to the same area every day and it was very sad to see the destruction.
Southern Baptist Disaster Kitchen #2 in New York City
On Thursday of my second week I was processing out and my team came back and said that the people that we were serving asked where I was. So they really did take notice of who was there to help them out and wondered if someone would take our places when we returned home. On the way out my flight delayed at Austin Straubel Airport because President Obama was there and no planes could leave. My return was no better. I flew from New York to Minneapolis but was delayed there six hours due to mechanical difficulties. Needless to say, I was glad when I finally got home but thankful to have been able to help the folks in New York.
Filed under: Disaster Services | Tagged: Disaster, Gayle Hein, Hurricane Sandy, Noreastern, NY, superstorm, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
While military deployments and hospital stays may keep many of our nation’s heroes away from their families this holiday season, the American Red Cross is collecting and distributing cards that send words of encouragement, gratitude and cheer.
Between now and December 7, Americans can give something that means something by sending a card of thanks and support to members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families.
“Holiday Mail for Heroes is an excellent way for America to remain connected with service members deployed overseas under combat conditions. Simple and nice, these cards convey the message that we still care about the sacrifices our service men and women make on a daily basis. This program is more important now than ever before,” stated Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Roy Krueger, who is also a Red Cross Services to Armed Forces volunteer.
We encourage you to make this a family activity, a school project or a civic group event, or participate in one of your areas card making events such as the Sunday, November’ 4th Packer’s Game and the Packer’s Holiday Blood drive on Wednesday, November 14, from 7a.m – 7 p.m. in the Lambeau Field Legends Room.
The Red Cross is inviting the public to send messages of thanks and holiday cheer until December 7 by mailing them to:
Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456
Pitney Bowes Inc. receives cards at the special Holiday Mail post office box, and screens them for hazardous materials. Pitney Bowes screens, packages and ships the cards at no charge, and contributes thousands of volunteer hours at sites around the country. The local Pitney Bowes office in Neenah will also accept cards through November 30th.
A new drop-off location this year is at National Exchange Bank locations where they will collect the cards up-to the first week of December and ship them to the P.O. Box.
This is the third year Miles Kimball’s, based in Oshkosh, has supported the program with a donation of 10,000 printed cards! Cards will be available at community events for signing.
Red Cross volunteers across the United States and on military installations overseas then sort and deliver the cards throughout the holiday season. The Red Cross and Pitney Bowes have received and distributed more than 4.7 million cards for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and their families since the program began in 2006. Locally, the goal is collect at least 20,000 cards and distribute 10,000 cards to local Veteran clinics and hospitals and through Veteran groups. The Red Cross will schedule volunteers to assist in the sorting and delivery of cards.
To ensure that cards are delivered in time for the holidays, they must be postmarked no later than December 7. Individuals are asked to refrain from sending “care packages,” monetary donations, or using glitter or any other kinds of inserts with the cards. More information and card requirements are at redcross.org/holidaymail..
The public can connect with fellow card senders through Facebook at facebook.com/redcross and Twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holidaymail.
The Red Cross relies on the support of the American people to carry out its mission of service to the 2 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces, 24 million veterans and their families. During this holiday season, people also can support all Red Cross services by making a financial donation at redcross.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. Individuals can also give the gift of life by making an appointment to give blood at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
About our Holiday Partners
During this holiday season, the American Red Cross is grateful for the support of our corporate partners that generously contribute to our Holiday Giving Campaign. They include: University of Phoenix, Circle K West Coast Division, and the Community Safety Foundation, funded by AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah Insurance Exchange. Thanks to the generosity of these and other sponsors, the Red Cross is able to carry out its mission of helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies everyday here and around the world. Each holiday season the Red Cross gives everyone the chance to support our work by giving blood, signing a card for military heroes or buying a gift through our holiday catalog. To support the Red Cross this Holiday Season, visit www.redcross.org/holiday
Filed under: Services to Armed Forces, Volunteers | Tagged: Cards, Holiday Mail for Heroes, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Roy Krueger, Miles Kimball, National Exchange Bank, Packers Holiday Blood Drive, Pitney Bowes Inc, Services to Armed Forces, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
The Super Donor Days blood drive will be taking place Monday, July 2 & Tuesday, July 3 at Shopko Hall, 1901 South Oneida Street, Green Bay.Donor Room Aide: Work in the blood donation area wiping down the beds after each use, carry bins with blood bags to the MUA’s for processing, and escort donors to the canteen area~
Time: 11:45am-4:00pm or 3:45pm-7:00pm or (or until the last donors pass through the area)
Canteen: Serve drinks and food to donors after their donation, monitor donors for post donation reactions
Time: 11:45am-4:00pm
Child Care Table: Supervise young children while their parent is donating
Time: 3:45pm-7:00pm (or until the last child passes through your area)
Blood Drop Costume: Wear blood drop costume and walk around outside along Lombardi & Oneida Street
Time: 11:45am-4:00pm or 3:45pm-7:00pm
Donor Room Aide: Work in the blood donation area wiping down the beds after each use, carry bins with blood bags to the MUA’s for processing, and escort donors to the canteen area~
Time: 6:15am-10:00am or 9:45am-1:00pm (or until last donor passes through the area)
Canteen: Serve drinks and food to donors after their donation, monitor donors for post donation reactions
Time: 6:15am-10:00am & 9:45am-1:00pm (or until last donor passes through the area)
Child Care Table: Supervise young children while their parent is donating
Time: 9:45am-1pm (or until last donor passes through the area)
Blood Drop Costume: Wear blood drop costume and walk around outside along Lombardi & Oneida Street
Time: 6:15am – 10:00am & 9:45am 1:00pm
Call or e-mail: Mary Brunner at 920-227-4240 or mary.brunner@redcross.org
Attire: To have a consistent look and to identify the volunteers to the donor, please wear either black or tan pants/skirt/capris or shorts and a white shirt/blouse.
Check-in: Shopko Hall front entrance inside to the right as you enter. 15 minutes before the scheduled shift.
Volunteer Check in - Inside Shopko Hall – Once you get checked in you will be directed to the Team Supervisor for specific job instructions.
Food/Snacks: You will be provided food/snacks & beverages during your break. If you would like to bring something to share feel free to do so.
If you have a specific area you would like to volunteer in please let me know. We will try to accommodate your need.
Filed under: Giving Blood, Volunteers | Tagged: Give Blood, Green Bay, July 2, July 3, Shopko Hall, Super Donor Days, volunteer | Leave a Comment »
Filed under: Volunteers | Tagged: 91.1 The Avenue, American Red Cross, Billi Jo Baneck, Luncheon, volunteer, Women's Wellness | Leave a Comment »
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