At the Races…

Last weekend volunteers, staff, and interns of the East Georgia Chapter joined forces with Pro Stock Racer Steve Johnson at the National Hot Rod Association dragway race in Commerce, Georgia to raise money for disaster relief operations throughout the southeast.

For three days, they stood in the heat and rain collecting donations and listening to stories from people affected by the tornadoes last month. With their tent erected on the main road to the entrance, they were in prime location to speak to race fans as they passed by.

Steve Johnson and his crew were set up on the opposite side of the venue. Not only did Johnson and crew promote American Red Cross by sporting the logo on their jersies and on the motorcycle, but they also collected donations. Furthermore, those jersies were sold to corporate backers and the money went straight to the relief efforts.

On Saturday, Johnson and other pro racers signed autographs in front of the American Red Cross tent. Johnson used a matress as a makeshift table, but it served a point. A sign that read “if you have one of these stop and donate” sat atop the matress to remind passerbyers that some people affected by the tornadoes don’t have their own mattress, much less a home. It worked. People stopped to donate even if they didn’t want an autograph.

All in all, thanks to the tireless efforts of Johnson and the East Georgia Chapter volunteers and staff, $11,000 was collected from donations alone in three days. ($600 was raised in one hour on Sunday!) It will certainly go far in the relief efforts.

Volunteers Help with Relief Efforts in Morgan Co.

For nearly two weeks, volunteers from the East Georgia chapter have been involved in the FEMA disaster relief efforts in Morgan County.

From 7 am until 7 pm every day since May 7, 2011, volunteers represented the American Red Cross East Georgia Chapter alongside other local, state, and national organizations including FEMA, GEMA, and Family and Child Services. Together, they have helped the lives of county residents most affected by the tornadoes last month.

Volunteers have been active everyday distributing comfort kits and information to residents in need, visiting homes hit by the tornadoes, manning a table for 12 hours in the relief center, and following up on previous cases to determine the degree of assistance needed or wanted. These are just a few of the many duties involved in the relief efforts.

Fortunately, the need for assistance has substantially decreased; volunteers and government officials agree that organizations may be able to withdraw their relief efforts as early as this weekend and close the relief center as well. This has not been made official and some say that the efforts could continue into June.

Whether the efforts shut down in a couple of days or continue for another month, volunteers at the East Georgia Chapter remain committed to helping those in need.

*pictures are of volunteers Kim Moore, Janell Ward, and Susan Bell who participated in the relief efforts on May 11, 2011. Moore and Bell visited 4 homes and created new cases for all. Ward visited 6 homes previously contacted and no new cases were created.

National Volunteer Week 2011

National Volunteer Week was April 10-16, 2011, and the American Red Cross East Georgia Chapter celebrated at its monthly volunteer meeting! Chapter volunteers were surprised by a 10-foot long banner featuring each of their names (we have more than 70 superstar volunteers!), a cake, and tabletop decorations–all in a superstar theme.

This great group of volunteers gives generously to their own communities throughout the 14 counties the East Georgia Chapter serves, as well as other communities around the state and Southeast, that are affected by disasters.

To find out more about how these awesome people are serving the East Georgia Chapter, check out our new Twitter account or visit us on Facebook!

Volunteers Laura Gutsmann and BJ Brown were deployed to the Disaster Relief Operation in North Carolina with Red Cross an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). The ERV is used to conduct mobile feeding throughout the areas affected by the tornado and to distribute bulk items like shovels, tarps, rakes, etc.