Participants become 'victims' during Red Cross annual meeting

Those attending the annual meeting of the local American Red Cross chapter on Tuesday weren't themselves -- for an hour or so, they were disaster victims receiving aid from Red Cross volunteers.

The 85th annual meeting's 200-plus attendees were tagged at the door of the A.C. Brase Arena Building as victims of fires, flooding, tornadoes and similar catastrophes to give them an idea of how sudden and devastating an emergency situation can be.

"We wanted to be a little different this year, because this year has been different," said Amanda Sechrest, a development specialist for the American Red Cross Southeast Missouri chapter.

On both the national and local levels, the past year has been marked by disaster and emergency situations. From the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to severe flooding and tornadoes in Southeast Missouri, the American Red Cross has spent countless hours providing services to victims.

The annual meeting gave the Red Cross an opportunity to show appreciation to its many volunteers and to educate outsiders about disaster relief efforts.

"These people came from work and their regular lives and walked in and were told they'd just lost their home in a fire or their life had just been saved by someone doing CPR," Sechrest said of the meeting. "That's how it is for our clients. In a matter of minutes, their lives are changed."

Several individuals and businesses were recognized for their contributions to the American Red Cross, and chairman of the board Nancy Browne provided an overview of the past year's accomplishments.

Other emergency personnel, including the Cape Girardeau fire and police departments and the Cape Girardeau County Health Department, were on hand at the meeting to provide participants with a more realistic look at how disaster relief works.

Visitors also toured the mobile disaster relief facility of the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief's Southeast Missouri Feeding Unit.

"We set up the display to let everyone see what we do. The more public knowledge, the more support we have," said John Rhodes, director of the feeding unit.

The unit, which is made up of 60 volunteers from within the Southern Baptist denomination, provided those attending the meeting with a lunch served disaster-relief style with volunteers handing out bags of chips and piling pasta salad onto paper plates.

"The Southern Baptists work hand-in-hand with Red Cross," Rhodes said. "We provide facilities to cook in and they provide the food. Without a doubt, the people involved are the most hardworking people I've met."

Marble Hill, Mo., resident Susan Muller was among those honored at the annual meeting for her four years of work with the Red Cross. She was involved with the spring storm damage cleanup in the Marble Hill area.

"I was so proud of our community," she said. "It's really amazing how people come together and work to make it happen. If somebody needed something, it was there."

Retiring and current board members were honored at the meeting. Retiring were: Nancy Browne, immediate past chairwoman, Dave Dirnberger and Janice Hill.

The current executive board members are: John Johnston, chairman; Lisa Crane, vice chairwoman; Robert Cox, treasurer; and Allen Phillips, secretary. Other directors are: Donna Denson, Bobby Ann Crouch, Pete Poe, Sam Smith, Duayne Williams, Larry Essner, Bill Kiel, Ruth Hathaway, Cindie Jeter, Lt. Com. Willie Stigler, Christina Icaza, Dr. Morris Osburn and George Shepherd.

cchitwood@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128

RED CROSS ACHIEVEMENTS

In 2001-2002 the Southeast Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross:

Collected 17,626 units of blood

Received $349,945 in contributions

Trained 10,402 individuals in disaster preparation

Assisted 416 clients in single-family emergencies

Trained 13,288 people in life-saving skills

Implemented a youth violence awareness program

SOURCE: Red Cross annual report