National Volunteer Week is April 19 to 25, and the American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region honors its volunteers who are helping people in need, even during the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic. Emergencies don’t stop, and neither do local Red Cross volunteers, who are still providing care and comfort after disasters of all sizes, including home fires. Since March 1st in West Virginia, volunteers helped over 400 people affected by these crises.
Due to this coronavirus outbreak, volunteers are providing relief services after home fires virtually, in coordination with local fire departments. Connecting with families by phone or video calls, we’re helping to provide support like lodging, health and mental health services, and emergency financial assistance, as well as link people to available recovery resources.
Here in West Virginia, more than 160 people have volunteered since March 1st with the Red Cross by helping to support over 500 blood collections, providing support to nearly 200 military families, responding to more than 100 home fires in the middle of the night and so much more. These individuals are also among the more than 300,000 volunteers who comprise more than 90 percent of the national Red Cross workforce.
“Red Cross volunteers keep our communities strong,” said Erica Mani, Regional Chief Executive officer for the American Red Cross Central Appalachia Region. “We honor these true heroes who give their time to help people in need.”
Last year, West Virginia Red Cross volunteers provided food, shelter, comfort and hope to more than 1,000 families affected by home fires and other disasters. They helped install more than 6,500 free smoke alarms to make 2,737 homes safer. Through the Pillowcase Project, they were able to educate over 3,500 students in preparedness. They also helped train nearly 24,000 people in lifesaving skills and provided nearly 1,600 services to military members, veterans and their families
Our need for volunteers is constant and continues to evolve as we navigate this coronavirus health crisis. Volunteer opportunities include supporting blood donations and delivering much-needed disaster services to your community. We even have a wide variety of volunteer-from-home opportunities available. Learn more at www.redcross.org.
