Thursday, September 16, 2010

We Depend On YOU!


I hosted a volunteer orientation today at California State University, Fresno.  What is absolutely amazing to me is that every volunteer that attended was volunteering for their own sake.  Meaning, they are not volunteering with us to complete service learning hours for their classes.  Don't get me wrong, the volunteers we have signed up to complete those hours are GREAT and very helpful-but those students that volunteer their time and energy on their own doing is.....something wonderful. 

One student I met is originally from Central America and while living there she witnessed several disaster situations where she wishes she could have helped with First Aid services or CPR.  She not only has signed up to help out at our fundraising events, she wants to become one of our volunteer Presenters! 
Every volunteer has traveled a different road.  But when I meet and talk with each one of them, their destination is the same- to help. To help the community they are apart of.

Thank you for making up our total work force of 96 percent and carrying out our humanitarian work! 
Nationwide Statistics:
  • Every year the Red Cross responds to more than 70,000 disastersincluding approximately 150 home fires every day.
  • About 11 million Americans turn to us to learn first aid, CPR, swimming, and other health and safety skills. Last year, more than 158,000 people volunteered to teach those courses.
  • Half the nation's blood supply six million pints annuallyis collected by more than 155,000 Red Cross volunteers .
  • Among our emergency services for the men and women of the armed forces is the delivery of urgent family messages—around the clock and around the globe.
  • More than 30,900 volunteers serve as chairs, members of boards of directors, or on advisory boards for local Red Cross units - chapters, Blood Services regions, and military stations.
  • As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Red Cross reconnects more than 8,000 families separated by conflicts and disasters around the world through international tracking services and Red Cross messages.
Thanks,
Anya Goosev