2009 Report to the Community

Cardinal Chapter
The Red Cross In Our Communities

Disaster Relief and Community Disaster Education
When a disaster threatens or strikes, the American Red Cross is there serving our 75,408 residents in Henderson, Union and Webster Counties.

The January ice storm crippled all 3 counties leaving some residents without electricity for more than 3 weeks. We opened shelters in Henderson and Providence where our trained Disaster Action Team members provided 172 shelter residents with a warm place to call home and meals until they could return to their own homes. We set up a food-serving center for people in Providence and the surrounding area to come and get meals. We also partnered with other local agencies to deliver meals to those who decided to stay at home during the storm.

Fifty families lost their homes due to fires. Cardinal Chapter volunteers responded immediately with emergency food, clothing, shelter and supplies so those families could begin a new chapter in their lives.

Because being prepared can make our families and communities safer and hopefully minimize injury and destruction, we made disaster preparedness presentations to 2484 people in Henderson, Union and Webster Counties.

Due to the partnerships we have with other agencies and organizations we are able to refer clients when they need additional help above and beyond what the Red Cross can help with. We made 156 referrals to those partner agencies.

Health and Safety Services
From first aid, CPR and AED training to swimming, lifeguarding and babysitting, American Red Cross programs help people lead safer and healthier lives. In FY 2009, our 144 business, industry and community Red Cross instructors taught lifesaving skills to 3240 individuals in 197 classes offered by the chapter.

Armed Forces Emergency Services
The American Red Cross provides communication between service men and women in the Armed Forces and their families. We have a worldwide network that reaches service members wherever they are to communicate a family birth, death, illness or other family emergency. We provided emergency connections for 26 military families and briefed 13 military families about the services we provide for them when their family member is serving anywhere in the world in the United States Armed Forces.

Blood Services
Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. Thanks to generous blood donors, the Red Cross collects and distributes nearly half the nation’s blood supply. Over the last year, 44 volunteers helped run 110 blood drives, collecting 2,461 units of blood.

A Note about Volunteers
We depend on volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to carry on our work. Volunteers constitute 97 percent of our total workforce, serving as members of the board, instructors teaching lifesaving skills, disaster action team members, office administrators, event organizers and more. This year, 204 volunteers made the work of the Cardinal Chapter possible.