March is American Red Cross Month
From left to right, Commissioner Jim Porter, board of directors member and communication lead for the Red Cross southeastern Ohio region April Gibson, Commissioner Cindy Cameron, Red Cross Executive Director for Southeastern Ohio and Commissioner Mollie Crooks pose for a photo after the commissioners presented a proclamation declaring March American Red Cross Month in Muskingum County.
March 4, 2019
Across the country March signifies American Red Cross Month.
Local Red Cross members met with the Muskingum County Commissioners to give a brief overview of the local lives that have been touched by the Red Cross thus far in 2019, as well as what is to come in the approaching months and a wrap up of 2018.
Executive Director of the Southeastern Ohio region of the Red Cross Matthew Riddle, said house fires have been very prominent in the first couple of months in 2019 across the 13-county section, but especially in New Lexington.
The first pillar of action for the Red Cross is “disaster relief,” and Riddle said, locally, the largest help in terms of disaster relief is with house fires.
Commissioner Jim Porter commended Riddle and his volunteers for their quick action in responding to families in need after a house fire.
“One call and you guys are there,” Porter said during the meeting.
In an effort to help prevent harm in house fires, the Red Cross has an annual, nationwide initiative to check and install smoke alarms during the “Sound the Alarm” event. This year, the national event will take place on April 27, but Riddle doesn’t want it to be a one-time event.
To help more community members, Riddle and other Red Cross members in the area are setting up more days in order to reach additional homes in New Lexington and New Concord.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the “Sound the Alarm” events can contact Riddle’s office at 740.844.2017.
Riddle stated during the meeting that 96 percent of Red Cross personnel in Ohio’s Buckeye Region is composed of volunteers.
The Southeastern Ohio section of the Ohio Buckeye Region of the Red Cross covers 13 counties including Athens, Belmont, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Vinton and Washington.
In addition to responding to families in need and leading local initiatives, 45 Red Cross volunteers from Muskingum County were deployed across the country to aid in different disaster relief efforts throughout 2018.
Thus far in 2019, Riddle’s portion of Ohio’s Buckeye Region has received 1,900 units of donated blood, assisted in 74 communication cases with military families, trained nearly 400 people in CPR or AED and assisted 17 families in cases of house fires.
Currently, as a nationwide incentive to donate blood, the Red Cross is giving blood donors a chance to win a trip to the season eight world premiere for Game of Thrones.
Any blood donors from Feb. 19 through March 17 will be entered into the drawing to win one of the five trips available to the premiere. To sign up for a blood drive in the area, visit the Red Cross website here.
