Red Cross hopes to increase services and visibility in the county

The American Red Cross again has a physical presence in Rutherford County.

With an office inside the United Way building on Withrow Road, American Red Cross Community Executive Amanda Edwards is quick to point out that ARC's presence was never absent in Rutherford County.

"The community thought we'd left because the building wasn't there," she said. "We're not a building. We are a team of volunteers, and the work that was being done hasn't gone away."

With the office location at United Way, Edwards continued, ARC will have an even more visible presence for the community.

"We will have paid staff in the office on a rotating schedule, and as part of our volunteer recruitment we'll try to find volunteers to be there as well. Volunteers are staff, too - we refer to our team as paid and volunteer staff. Those folks are actually more often than not more important than the paid staff."

The new physical location, added Rebecca Evans, disaster program manager, means you'll start to see more volunteers out and about at community events.

"That's something we hadn't been as involved in, and it's one of my top priorities to get us back in front of people," Evans explained. "Having this space will also help us have material resources available as we respond to those local disaster calls."

During this fiscal year, Evans said, there were 20 cases opened for disasters that included floods, fires and trees on houses.

"We helped 64 people in that process, and I think that number will continue to increase," she said.

ARC responds to a variety of disasters, Evans added, from manmade to natural disasters. Even events like winter storms that create extended power outages can cause ARC to respond.

The new brick-and-mortar location will also provide more of an opportunity for community preparedness and youth education.

"We want to get into the schools and talk about water safety and home fire safety," Evans said. "We were able in January to do a home fire campaign event in partnership with the Spindale Fire Department and install 99 smoke alarms. That's something I anticipate with growing relationships is to really be able to talk more about the importance of home fire safety."

Another education piece planned is the pillowcase project, Evans continued, which is geared to third through fifth grade students. This is the age, she explained, when kids are more likely to talk with their families about what they learned at school. The project includes home fire safety and another local hazard and provides students the science behind it and how to be prepared. At the end, students receive a pillowcase and talk about how to build an emergency supply kit.

In order to provide services to the community, Edwards said, volunteers are always needed.

"We have several volunteers and are working to rebuild that volunteer base," Evans said. "We need volunteers in all capacities, so we absolutely need more folks. We can't do our work without our volunteer staff."

The volunteers and the services offered are what matter most, Edwards added.

"I think one thing I want to start to reiterate is that we never left," she said. "It appears that way, but it's more than four walls. It's about the services that we provide and the volunteers who provide those services. We need more folks to volunteer to help out, which in turn will allow us to increase our presence and the work we do."

For more information on services and volunteer opportunities, contact the American Red Cross in Rutherford County at 828-333-9523.