……………………………………......Westmoreland County Chapter
101 North Main Street, Suite 101Greensburg, PA 15601 w Phone: (724) 834-6510 w Fax: (724) 834-6515
Newsletter ~ Spring Edition
Board of Directors Bill Malloy, Chairman Dr. Gordon Vanscoy, Vice Chairman Gene James, Treasurer Sheri Boyle, Secretary John Barsic Barbara Bazzone Ed Eisaman Stanley Hunt David Kolk Dr. Kathleen Malloy Janet McNeel David Mickley Frank Milito Bob Rhody Dr. Christopher Rihn Lawton Snyder	National Volunteer Week Dear Red Cross Volunteer: As we celebrate National Volunteer Week in April, I begin to think about the true worth of our Red Cross volunteers. The National Independent Sector values a volunteer’s time at $18.55 per hour for each hour of volunteer work. If we calculated this in our own chapter, our volunteers would be worth $964,600. You, our Red Cross volunteers, are literally worth a million dollars to our chapter in volunteer time alone. This is extremely impressive and you all should be very proud. My personal value of our chapter volunteers is actually so much more than a dollar figure. I want you all to know that the reason I have continued with the Red Cross for more than 26 years is because of the volunteer support shown by all of you. You, the volunteers, are the special people that motivate me to want to make our chapter the best one in the nation. In the middle of the night when a disaster call comes into our chapter, I continue to be in awe of the disaster volunteers who get out of their warm bed with a smile on their face and rush off to help a family in need. It is the volunteer military caseworkers who sometimes work on one case for hours at a time that makes me feel proud. It is the thousands of blood donors that roll up their sleeves and give the precious gift of life. And the blood volunteers who drive to blood drives in snow and ice because they know they are needed and we are counting on them. I continue to be touched by my Board of Directors whose passion for our mission is shown through their strong governance. And finally, for the volunteers that work at the office and help in any and all ways they can … THANK YOU. The passion you exude for the mission of the Red Cross and the concern you have for the staff, the other volunteers, and for the community is the real value of our volunteers. As many of you know, my favorite quote is from Margaret Meade and I believe more than ever, this is the most appropriate time to share it with you. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I celebrate Volunteer Week every day in my heart, but I wanted to officially say thank you and let you know what an important member you are in our Red Cross family. Sincerely, Donna Pacella Executive Director Special Invitation to all of our GREAT VOLUNTEERS! Annual Meeting The Chapter’s Annual Meeting and election of Board Members is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29^th, at 5:00 p.m.  Our guest speaker will be Tracie Brosius, mother of one of our youth group members, Tori Washington.  Tori and her family experienced a house fire recently and our fire responders were on the scene. They are so grateful for our services! In honor of National Volunteer Month, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29^th at the chapter, we will be recognizing the on-going contributions of our local disaster response volunteers as well as ALL OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS at a wine and cheese reception.  Our disaster volunteers are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, ready and willing to bring relief services to our neighbors in the Westmoreland County and the Mon Valley area whenever a house fire or other natural or man made disaster occurs. Due to limited space, we will honor the initial 30 RSVP’s.  Deadline date for RSVP’s will be Tuesday, April 22^nd. to Erin DeCaro at 724-834-6510 ext. 116 or email developmentdirector@westred.org
Staff Donna Pacella, Executive Director Julie Smith, Administrative Assistant Michael Felice, Emergency Services Director Justin Meyer, Program Resources Director Erin DeCaro, Development Assistant Tricia Skiavo, Volunteer & Youth Development Director Marcy Painter, Accountant & Programs Coordinator

……………………………………......Westmoreland County Chapter

101 North Main Street, Suite 101Greensburg, PA 15601 w Phone: (724) 834-6510 w Fax: (724) 834-6515

Services to Armed Forces Volunteers Partner

with Seton Hill University to Educated Military Families

The Social Work Program at Seton Hill University is proud to present a public seminar on combat trauma and a workshop for the families of combat veterans by Dr. Jonathan Shay, a former neuroscientist and current staff psychiatrist at the Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Boston, on Wednesday, April 9, 2008.

Volunteers from our Armed Forces Emergency Services department assisted in coordinating this evening workshop for families of returning veterans, titled “The Trials of Homecoming for Soldiers Returning from Overseas Duty and How Family Members Can Prepare and Respond.” This workshop will take place from 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Donahoe Road Armory in Greensburg, on Wednesday, April 9. (Light refreshments will be served from 6 – 7 p.m.) This event is free and open to the public; registration is required for all attendees. Parents are welcome to bring children who are old enough to participate, however, childcare for infants will not be available. To register for the evening seminar, please call the Westmoreland County Chapter of the American Red Cross at 724-834-6510. For more information on the evening seminar, please contact Michael Felice at 724-834-6510, extension 108, or e-mail emserv@westred.org.

From Helped To Helping

“I don’t know what we would have done that night without the Red Cross. The help and compassion that they provided to me and my family was invaluable. We were so moved by the Red Cross’s kindness that we became donors.” - Mary & John of Irwin

In the middle of the night, on August 7th, a fire broke out in our Westmoreland County home. I escaped with my husband, daughter, and granddaughter, but the house was destroyed. The Red Cross was on the scene that night to make sure my family had clothing, food, shelter, and personal necessities for the next several days. Two years later, we are back on our feet living in a newly rebuilt home on the same property.

Disaster Department

We have trained 12 students from Seton Hill University in Disaster Mental Health Casework who will be available for local Large Disasters. All recent surveys completed by our Fire Clients have been outstanding. Way to go Fire Responders. Two fund raisers have been scheduled from the Disaster Department they are :

§ Bunny Cookies from Gigi's Signature Bakery

§ Aunt Anna's Biscotti

All funds being raised will be used for our Disaster Clients.

May 16, 2008 will be our Meat Balls for Disaster Dinner and information will be sent out in April. Seton Hill University along with Your American Red Cross is sponsoring "The Trails of Homecoming for Soldiers Returning From Overseas Duty and How Family Members Can Prepare and Respond.” This event will be held on, Wednesday April 9, 2008 from 7:00-8:30 pm at the Donahue Road Armory in Greensburg. If you would like to help please contact Michael at our office.

The Disaster Department has been invited to attend a free Seminar being held at Seven Springs Mountain Resort on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.

The classes you can attend is Psychological First Aid Training or Disaster Training for Spiritual Care Providers. You can choose either

class. We have 14 Disaster volunteers attending. As you can see The Disaster Department has been very busy.

……………………………………......Westmoreland County Chapter

101 North Main Street, Suite 101Greensburg, PA 15601 w Phone: (724) 834-6510 w Fax: (724) 834-6515

Volunteer Department

Look Who’s Helping…

Intern placed with Emergency Services Department

Please welcome Amy Kolling, a full-time student from Seton Hill University. Amy will be completing her internship with the Emergency Services Department this spring. She will graduate in May with a degree in Human Services and plans to work towards her Master’s Degree. Her long-term goal is to one day become a Professor.

Amy resides in the Greensburg area and is the mother of 3 little ones—Kady age 2, Kody age 3 and Gracie, who is 6 months old.

Amy is very excited to be part of the Red Cross and feels she can learn a great deal from our staff and fellow volunteers.

Please welcome our New Volunteers!

We are proud to welcome the following registered volunteers who recently completed the Orientation Process: Lindsay Turchetta, Chris Cochran, Mariann Posey, Beverly Courtney, Tim Blasko, Lisa Shunna, Josh Rivera, Tony Moux, Amy Kolling, Colleen Radebaugh, Kim Hampton, Allyson Mayer, Sandra Stutz, Tammy Gigliotti, Kelly Sakanich, and Ali Waugaman.

If you know of anyone who would like to join our Chapter, please refer them to Tricia at 724-834-6510 ext 102 for a pre-screening phone interview. Orientations are held monthly and all registered volunteers must undergo a background check courtesy of our Chapter!

Up-coming Thursday Orientation Dates are: April 3^rd, May 1^st. and June 5^th. from

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Chapter.

Volunteer Liaison Committee

This vital committee represents the “voice of our volunteers.” This committee includes:

Barb Janoscrat, Bill Harr, Carolyn Conrad, Charlotte Kemerer, David Kolk, Eugene Kolbosky, Ken Geiser, Linda Engwer, Paula Mizikar, Roz Butler, Sherry Visbisky and Wally Lynn.

Currently, this committee is working on a September 11^th. salute to our military families and is helping to secure community contacts for more fire responders and health and safety volunteer instructors.

Volunteer Parking Policy

Volunteer Parking Spaces are #9, #10 and #11 ONLY for those scheduled to work at the office for more than 3 hours in the Amphitheatre Parking Lot. If working less than 3 hours, you will need to pay for your own parking. Please remember to place your parking pass on your rear-view mirror if using our lot behind the Amphitheatre off of Otterman Street. Parking passes are issued to those volunteers who work at our chapter office on a regular basis. Volunteers need to schedule their time with their immediate supervisor. The lot is regularly monitored and parking tickets are issued. Unfortunately, parking tickets cannot be paid by the Chapter. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Youth Group

How Do I Join?

Our Youth Group attends monthly meeting from September through April during the school year and also have opportunities to help out at the office over the summer months.

The group is open to students ages 7 to 17. We also have local college students, who assist with leadership roles and mentoring. Many of our youth are required community service hours by their schools and have found our Chapter a very welcoming place! Youth Group members are invited to “bring a friend” to any meeting and this has proven to be successful in recruitment.

Each department head helps to host a meeting and it is our goal to expose these youth to all the services that our chapter has to offer. Youth also help out at Fundraising Events such as the Turkey Trot and Meatballs for Disaster Dinner.

This year, Michael Felice, Director of Emergency Services will be offering this group more Disaster Training in anticipation of having the youth be part of a drill during this summer.

We have a nice group of diverse youth, who are very active in our chapter. Whenever you are visiting the chapter, please view our Youth MySpace bulletin board dedicated to their many activities.

If you know of anyone interested in joining our group, please contact Tricia Skiavo at voldev@westred.org or 724-834-6510 ext. 102

……………………………………......Westmoreland County Chapter

101 North Main Street, Suite 101Greensburg, PA 15601 w Phone: (724) 834-6510 w Fax: (724) 834-6515

Blood Services

Ron Baird Featured In Local Press…

Recently Ron Baird, of Youngwood, a Red Cross volunteer, was one of more than a dozen individuals from the Red Cross’s 100-county Greater Alleghenies Region to participate in photo and audio sessions for images and recordings to use in upcoming donor recruitment campaigns.

As a volunteer greeter at local blood drives, Ron specializes in recruiting eligible individuals to donate via the double red cell donation process, through which twice the amount of red blood cells are obtained than from the whole blood donations. Eligible individuals with 0 positive, 0 negative, A negative and B negative blood types are most frequently recruited as double red cell donors.

His commitment to helping others through the Red Cross stems from a family tragedy. His son, Jeff, died at age six from cancer. During Jeff’s treatment, Baird’s friends came out to donate on behalf of Jeff and it was then that Ron made up his mind, when the day came that I had the opportunity, I was going to “give back” and this is how I have honored my commitment.

To make an appointment to donate double red blood cells, please call 1-800-GIVELIFE or 1-800-448-3543 and select option 3.

Can You Help Us In “Location Specific” Volunteer Recruitment?

Our Blood Service Volunteers are the best, but at times, we may only have a few registered volunteers who carry the load in certain areas. Currently, we are in great need of volunteers in the Mt. Pleasant and Irwin/North Huntingdon Areas. If you know of anyone or any group/organization that we can approach for their services, please email Tricia at voldev@westred.org or 724-834-6510 ext. 102

Tric Is Retiring Soon…

Many of you know that I will be retiring September 5^th of this year. I am so very thankful for the opportunity to work with many nice volunteers. I will be retiring with 5 years of service and have promised to stay connected to the chapter as a volunteer grant writer.

The present position of Director of Volunteers/Youth Development will change greatly. In order to have a smooth transition, I am asking that any volunteer who might be interested in a part-time position of 20 hours per week to please contact me as soon as possible at 724-834-6510 ext. 102. The main job responsibility of this position will be supervising the Blood Services Program. Potential candidates for this position must be organized, dependable, flexible, patient and a people person.

Health and Safety

Spring! How long have we been waiting for warm weather, sunshine and the new growth that comes every year?

With your help, the spring of 2008 can be remembered as a new beginning! As you know, our mission is to help our community learn how to prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The Health & Safety department is involved with meeting the needs of all three of these mission activities.

So many of you have been a tremendous and invaluable part of this mission. Your dedication in responding to emergencies, both locally and nationally, consistently demonstrates the quality of our volunteers.

Have you wondered how you can help our community and your chapter during non-emergency times? We are seeking assistance from volunteers in all three areas.

Your disaster-related experience would be a great asset in our Community Disaster Education program. We get requests for, and can offer these programs at the chapter. Talking to various groups in the community about how to prepare their homes and families in case of a disaster is more than just informational. When the community is prepared for events that may occur, be they natural, weather-related events,

serious industrial accidents, or even due to terrorist activities, it lessens the financial burden on the chapter.

An urgent need for the chapter is for volunteer FA/CPR/AED instructors. While we train a large number of people every year, the cost of doing this is cause of great concern. The time involved with preparation and teaching a class can be valued at between $80.00 and $90.00. Consider that teaching one class a month would be the equivalent of donating between $900.00 and $1,000.00+ per year to the chapter! The three-day instructor training and all materials are provided free of charge to volunteers. If you have a teaching or medical-related background this training can be less than 3 days.

Also, if you enjoy working with youth ages 11-15, as a FA/CR instructor you can bridge to teach our very popular Babysitting program. This course teaches young people responsibility, how to care for infants and toddlers, and helps them learn to become caring and productive members of our community. With the release of the new Babysitting program due April 30, 2008, now is the perfect time to become an instructor. This release will now include optional lessons that will also certify Babysitting participants in First Aid and/or CPR.

Maybe teaching does not interest you. There are other ways to assist the Health & Safety Department. This could include basic office tasks such as filing, basic computer tasks, or even assembling manikins and setting up the training room for a class. Most of this can be accomplished in a few hours each week and can be done by several different volunteers, so no one person is committed to a large amount of time.

If you would like to further assist your chapter by participating in any of these important activities, please call or email Marcy Painter at 724/834-6510 Ext. 105 or hs@westred.org.

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……………………………………......Westmoreland County Chapter

101 North Main Street, Suite 101Greensburg, PA 15601 w Phone: (724) 834-6510 w Fax: (724) 834-6515

Financial Development

Geranium Sale

The Westmoreland County American Red Cross Annual Geranium sale is now in progress! Buyers may choose from beautiful red or white four-inch potted plants, overflowing 10” hanging baskets, or a market basket which contains eight 4” geraniums that are great for placing on your porch or replanting. The geraniums are grown by Ogelvee, Ltd. in Connellsville, PA. On Friday, May 9, 2008, we will deliver to business and community groups with orders of 20 or more, no later than 12:00p.m. All other orders must be picked up at Greensburg Fire Department, Hose Company#1, McLaughlin Dr., Greensburg, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Volunteers will be needed to sort and deliver the geraniums ………………………………………...at Hose Co. #1 Firehall, 8:15 a.m. to Noon on Friday, May 9^th. Call Tricia if you can help (724) 834-6510 x102.

Order forms may be picked up at the American Red Cross office or by calling Erin DeCaro at (724) 834-6510 x116. All orders must be paid for in advance. Proceeds from the sale will benefit the Services to the Armed Forces of the American Red Cross, Westmoreland County Chapter.

New Staff Member Joins the Team

Erin DeCaro has joined the staff as a Development Assistant working on special events and public affairs. She has been a volunteer with our Chapter since February 2007 working in the office, helping out with last year’s bowling event and golf outing, and presenting disaster preparedness programs to several community groups. Erin has been certified as an American Red Cross Community Disaster Education Presenter and Public Affairs Associate. Prior to her involvement with the American Red Cross, Erin worked for the City of Deerfield Beach, Florida as the Small Business Disaster Mitigation Coordinator. She grew up in Hempfield Township and after living in South Florida for seven years, returned to the area with her husband and two young daughters. Erin is glad to be back home and to have the opportunity to serve our community as part of the Westmoreland County American Red Cross family.

Clara Barton Society

For nearly 150 years, Clara Barton has been a symbol of American compassion and resourcefulness in times of crisis. Now, through membership in the Clara Barton Society, you can honor the sacred trust that the founder of the American Red Cross has placed in our hands.

Clara Barton Society members help ensure that the American Red Cross, Westmoreland County Chapter has the capacity to respond immediately, whenever someone is in need. Your support helps us to save lives as we meet our community's critical needs for disaster preparedness and response, lifesaving training, services to military members and their families, and international humanitarian care.

Membership in the Clara Barton Society is open to all who share a commitment to ensuring the safety of the community and support the Chapter with an annual contribution of $1,000 or more.

To recognize these special benefactors, the Clara Barton Society members will be listed, with their permission, in our annual report and on a special plaque in the Westmoreland County Chapter lobby. Clara Barton Society members also will receive invitations to attend an annual recognition event with the Executive Director and other local leaders of the organization. Each member will also receive a Clara Barton Society Pin.

We realize that by making this special gift, you consider us to be part of your family. For that, we are truly grateful of your commitment to your community and to the work of your Westmoreland County, American Red Cross Chapter.

For more information, please contact Justin Meyer at 724-834-6510 x110 or comrel@westred.org.

Special Events Committee Volunteers Needed

Calling all volunteers!! If you are looking for a fun new way to get involved with the chapter, have we got an opportunity for you! We are looking for volunteers from all areas of Westmoreland County and the Mon Valley to serve on our newly formed Special Events Committee. Volunteers will work with Committee Chairman Dave Kolk and staff members Justin Meyer and Erin DeCaro to plan and carry out events that will increase community awareness of our services and help to raise funds so that we can continue to provide those services. Please contact Erin DeCaro at 724-834-6510 X 116 or email developmentdirector@westred.org to register for the committee or to discuss ideas for new special events!

Upcoming Events

April 12th, 13th and 16^th Bowling For Disaster Relief

May 9^th Geranium Delivery, Hose Company #1, Greensburg

May 16^th Meatballs for Disaster

June 5^th Party on the Patio, Spitfire Grille, Greensburg

If you have any comments/ personal contributions to our E-Newsletter, please feel free to email our Director of Volunteers at voldev@westred.org

Next Issue of our Quarterly e-newsletter will be e-mailed to you this SUMMER!

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