Red Cross in need of volunteers in Vigo County
Jan. 29—The Red Cross dispatches volunteers all over the globe to contend with disasters — tornadoes, fires and floods lead a lengthy list. But it seems like the biggest disaster would be not having the Red Cross in the first place.
Beth Sweeney has been the executive director for the American Red Cross' Southwest Indiana Chapter for the past year. "I still consider myself a newbie," she said.
She's based in Evansville, where she previously served as a former news anchor and assistant news editor for a TV station, where she interacted frequently with first responders.
Except for Vanderburgh County, home to Evansville, Vigo County is the busiest of the 26 counties Sweeney oversees.
"We have been very busy in Terre Haute," Sweeney told the Tribune-Star in an interview. "It's amazing to see what goes on behind the scenes that most people don't see. You don't see the day-to-day operations of our extraction teams who go out and help a family who's just lost everything in a fire. You don't see people coming in to donate blood."
Sweeney added, "It's humbling to know that 90% of our work force is made up of volunteers. It's incredible to see the sacrifice and support that we get from people in the community."
But she also noted, "We just had a multi-family fire a few days ago, where we assisted five families in an apartment complex. We're seeing more responses and because of that, we need more volunteers for our Disaster Action Team in Vigo County."
Terre Haute Fire Department Chief Bill Berry said, "Our department won't leave the scene until [Red Cross volunteers] show up to take care of these people in need. However, we rarely have to wait for them as they are prompt and courteous and provide for occupants in need of shelter or other vital items such as food, clothes or medicines.
"They are a vital resource for our community," Berry added. "It's an honor to have these people volunteer their time for people in need. The Terre Haute Fire Department can't thank them enough."
Berry's department works primarily with Red Cross disaster action teams.
"These are those volunteers who will go out and work directly with families when a disaster happens," Sweeney said. "When the fire department calls us and says, we're on the scene and it looks like the family's going to be displaced, we send a team of two volunteers to the scene to meet with that family."
The Red Cross then provides food, shelter, clothing and financial assistance for displaced families. It also sets families up with a case worker who will contact them within 72 hours to build a recovery plan and hook them up with other agencies.
"We only have a handful of Terre Haute volunteers, so we really need to expand that as much as possible," Sweeney said. Volunteers require 10 hours of training which can be done virtually, then they sign up to be on call for a couple of shifts every month.
To volunteer, contact redcrossrecruitsIN@redcross.org or call 317-886-8508.
David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.
