The American Red Cross responds to disasters every day.
The mission of the American Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. Northeast Indiana Chapter Executive Director Jennifer Sexton told us that 90% of their staff are volunteers and the majority of their funds come from donors. She told us that the Red Cross responds to a disaster every 8 minutes across the nation. The magnitude of the disasters ranges from hurricanes and wildfires to smaller disasters like house fires. The Red Cross provides a number of services to victims including shelters, supplies, health, and mental and spiritual health. Jennifer told us that the number of disasters is on the rise and the time between major disasters is decreasing, meaning less time and resources are available to respond, recover and prepare for future events. "Our Red Cross leadership is actively evaluating our capacity and our readiness across all levels. With the potential of widespread impacts from both hurricanes and wildfires, our ability mobilize quickly and respond at a moment's notice is more important than ever."
Here in Allen County, the Red Cross has 28 registered volunteers. Last year they helped 69 families following emergencies, helped 40 members of the armed forces 129 times, collected 3,254 units of blood, installed 158 smoke alarms and trained 300 individuals in live saving and preparedness skills.
Also at Monday's meeting, Cindy Leis exchanged her red badge for her blue badge. Congratulations!