3 things I learned about the Red Cross

Guest Blog Post by Pamela Gandy – Public Relations Student at Texas Tech University.    

I cannot remember a time before I knew about the Red Cross. In 2010 when a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, I was in seventh grade. In the weeks following the earthquake, my school held a fundraising competition between all the homeroom classes. Students, teachers, and staff donated their money to try to provide some relief for those affected (and to win bragging rights over the other classes).  I can remember watching the news at school, seeing dozens of volunteers wearing the Red Cross logo as they brought relief items to the people of Haiti.

Eight years later, I am beginning an internship at the Texas South Plains Chapter of the Red Cross. My perception of the organization has changed significantly since seventh grade.  In my brief time with the nonprofit, I have learned that the Red Cross does far more than send supplies to victims of natural disasters.

1.      Before Texas Tech

Established in 1881, the Red Cross has a very long history. Even more impressively, the South Plains chapter, located in Lubbock, has existed for 100 years. In 1917, Lubbock was barely large enough to be considered a town. Lubbock’s pride and joy, Texas Tech, did not even exist yet. The fact that the chapter, Lubbock, and the surrounding towns of the Texas South plains, have grown so much in those 100 years, is truly amazing.

2.      The Red Cross Reconnects Families

Despite all the media coverage of volunteers working to help those affected by natural disasters, emergency relief is only one component of what the Red Cross does. Much of the work the Red Cross does will never be shown on CNN during primetime. I was very surprised to learn that one of the services the Red Cross offers, was reconnecting families separated by wars and extreme weather events. The Red Cross works with people in Washington D.C. and all around the globe to help bring families back together. People impacted by the recent hurricanes along the Gulf Coast were able to be reconnected with their loved ones because of the Red Cross.

3.      The nurses in white uniforms.

Since the first World War, the organization has taken military assistance very seriously. The methods of helping service members, however, have come a long way since the time of nurses wearing white uniforms. Volunteering at veterans’ hospitals, supporting veterans acclimate to civilian life, and providing emergency and financial support, are just a few of the ways the nonprofit works to help military families. Domestic and abroad, in times of peace and war, the Red Cross strives to help service men and women in any way possible.

The Red Cross is a network of people who are dedicated to the mission of preventing and alleviating human suffering. In my short time with the nonprofit, I have been so impressed by the volunteers who work to improve the lives of others. Like most things, the Red Cross cannot be accurately represented or defined in a 45 second television news story. It is an organization made up of many components and countless volunteers. I look forward to spending more time with the Red Cross, learning all that it has to offer. 

Thank you to our gold level sponsors

 For our 8^th Champions Breakfast event, which honors heroes of the Lubbock and South Plains area. We are proud to have United Supermarkets, Covenant Health Systems Lubbock, and Betenbough Homes as our gold level sponsors.

Betenbough Homes is a new gold level sponsor to the Red Cross, Betenbough builds homes in Lubbock, Midland and Amarillo. They have a passion for giving back and serving the community. Betenbough believes in helping others and we are grateful that we have them as our gold level sponsor.

Covenant Health Systems have been long-time sponsors for our Champions Breakfast. Covenant has been our sponsor for many years. Their mission is to work with others to improve health and quality of life in their communities. Covenant received a 5-Star rating from HealthGrades in 2010. We appreciate everything they've done and continue doing for the Red Cross.

United Supermarkets has been a gold level sponsor for the Red Cross for past years, including 2011 and 2012. United Supermarket’s mission is to give back to those who support them every day and United has supported Red Cross and they’re doing it again this year for our 8^th Champions Breakfast.

An event like this takes a lot of contribution and dedication, and we hope to work with all of you for many years to come. We also look forward to seeing you at the 8^th Champions Breakfast March 4, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. located at AeroCare.

Anyone who would like to join us you can purchase tickets here at http://american.redcross.org/site/Calendar?id=110087&view=Detail

When Texas Was at the Bottom of the Sea - A new Red Cross volunteers reflections

If volunteering is to be viewed as a sacrifice for one’s community, volunteering with the Red Cross may be spoiling me. I have been volunteering with the Red Cross for just over a month now, and the relationships and opportunities I have found here have made it more of a pleasure to volunteer than a sacrifice.

Growing up in Lubbock, it has always been a little difficult to feel connected with the outside world. As the 2015 Smithsonian Magazine article, “When Texas Was at the Bottom of the Sea” shows, Lubbock used to be an ocean bed of a vast and expansive ocean. Today it is still easy to look out over the grand vistas of farms and prairies and be overtaken by the same feeling of vastness as if looking out over the sea. After all, we are hundreds of miles away from Texas’ large cities (sorry Amarillo!) and thousands of miles away from the countries that are in desperate need of humanitarian aid. Growing up on the edge of Lubbock, it has always been easy to feel far away from the rest of the world.

I have only been with the Red Cross for a month now, but the opportunities and the world-wide actions the Red Cross provides has been incredibly inspiring. For example, the International Committee of the Red Cross is currently sheltering 20,000 refugees from Aleppo, Syria (http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-strengthening-humanitarian-presence-aleppo-43898108). In Senegal, Senegalese Red Cross volunteers just finished another distribution of food vouchers to communities afflicted by low rainfall rates. (http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/news-stories/africa/senegal/senegal-red-cross-and-echo-bring-a-smile-back-to-thousands-of-families-affected-by-food-insecurity-73729/). To be apart of such an organization, even if I am thousands of miles away, is an honor in itself.

            Not only is it an honor to be apart of an organization that is capable of extending such humanitarian aid, but the American Red Cross also provides opportunities to learn and grow as a volunteer. It was to my complete surprise that the Red Cross has an extensive online education program, capable of training me to become more skilled in plenty of different skill sets, including logistics, disaster services, finances and communications. This has been a huge help for me – as a college senior, the only things I feel truly skilled at doing are studying and power-napping, neither of which are particularly useful in the world of disaster response and aid. In these days of expensive higher education, the importance of free training for curious volunteers cannot be overstated. In my time volunteering in Lubbock there have been few opportunities to grow while serving a community, and I am exciting to have the opportunity.

            It is obvious I still have a long way to go before I can help the villages of Senegal or aid refugees in Syria. My foreign language studies have a long way to go, (Je voudrai visiter le Sénégal bientôt, mais les francophones parlent très rapidement. Mais, j’essaie.), my Disaster Response training is just shy of being completed and my graduation in May I will be faced with paying off college debt.

            Yet though I am far away, the Red Cross is allowing me to serve my community while continuing to grow. This is what brings me back each week, and why I considered myself spoiled. Even if the only way I can help currently is making phone calls to ask for donations and cleaning supply closets, I feel much closer to the outside world than before.

Guest Blogger Jerrod Miller

Just Another Saturday Morning

Just Another Saturday Morning

Yesterday morning at 8 a.m. I joined more than fifty Lubbock residents to participate in the Lubbock American Red Cross Smoke Alarm Installation Project.  We met first in the Lubbock High School cafeteria, where we were welcomed with a large buffet of baked goods and coffee donated by a local business, accompanied by sounds of the LHS Band rehearsing in the parking lot next door.

I chose to sit nearer the front at a table with 3 others, one of whom I learned was a new graduate student at TTU.  Following introductions, acknowledgements (LIA was recognized), and the power point orientation, we broke into Teams of 2 to begin our morning of installations.  The Teams with prior experience exited the cafeteria first – and that left all of 2 of us remaining, the TTU student and me!  So after picking up our supplies we joined Richard Alires’ experienced Team for the first appointment, and then we were on our own.  “He” took care of the installations, “She” took care of the paperwork.

Over the next 2+ hours we met four more families, installing 2-3 detectors in each home and providing guidelines on how to prevent fires and how to respond to the alarms.  And we talked.

We talked about dogs and their value as the ‘someone’s in the yard’ alarm.  We talked about families, children, and grandchildren.  We talked about people’s military service.  We talked about health concerns and disabilities.  We talked about our futures.  We learned about a young man’s fond memories of his high school English and history classes, and watched his eyes light up when he considered going back to school.  We talked with a high school student who shared his love of art and wanted us to see his sketchbook.  We learned how a Vietnam veteran lost his hearing when the bullet entered the back of his head and exploded in his eardrum.  And each time we said good-bye it was with warm handshakes and even warmer hugs.

Before we neared the end of the morning it was beautifully clear.  The Smoke Alarms were simply the vehicle.  They were the vehicle for the larger purpose of human beings connecting once again, sharing the everyday and the intimate, with affection and respect, knowing we are part of one human family.  The morning was a privilege and a gift.

And when “He” and “She” parted?  We agreed – we are already signed on for the Smoke Alarm Installation Project in 2017.  But between time?  We promised to email soon and meet at Starbucks next week!

Submitted by a guest writer S.M.