Red Cross breakfast in Cape raises $50,000

Editor's note: this story has been updated to correct an error.

Business and community leaders learned about education and disaster relief programs during the inaugural "Red Cross Experience" fundraising breakfast Thursday morning at The Venue in Cape Girardeau.

About 200 people attended the new annual event coordinated by the Southeast Missouri chapter of the American Red Cross.

"I am here today to inspire you to help us do more and ensure that wherever and whenever disaster strikes, the Red Cross will be there," said executive director Cheryl Klueppel.

Following a video production featuring the stories of local people helped by the Red Cross, development specialist Jenny Knoderer announced the formation of the new Clara Barton Society. Businesses and individuals were asked to make pledges from $1,000 to $10,000 per year for the next five years as part of the Clara Barton Society.

The pledges received during the breakfast exceeded the Red Cross' $50,000 goal, Knoderer said Thursday afternoon.

"Southeast Missouri has a heart of gold," Knoderer said. "I am so grateful for the response because our need is so great."

Approximately 92 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to Red Cross services and programs, Knoderer said.

A $1,000 pledge provides relief to a family of four devastated by a home fire, 14 military family connections or a hot meal for 25 families affected by a disaster, Knoderer said.

Using the latest in computer and telecommunications technology, the Red Cross allows military members stationed all over the world to send messages to their families at home during an emergency or other important events. Last year the local Red Cross helped more than 300 soldiers through that program.

The local Red Cross office receives thousands of calls for assistance each year and nearly every day is responding to a family that has lost its home in a fire, Klueppel said.

Guests also heard the story of how Cape Girardeau resident Amila Ramanayake was helped by the Red Cross following the 2004 tsunami in his homeland of Sri Lanka. Ramanayake is a chef at The Venue and a student at Southeast Missouri State University. He was at the beach playing rugby in Sri Lanka during Christmas break when he heard people screaming and running from the giant, deadly wave.

"I climbed onto a bridge that was the highest point I knew," Ramanayake said. "I held on as the tsunami killed hundreds of thousands of people as their homes were crushed by the waves. I held on until my strength gave out and I fell to the ground."

Ramanayake injured his back, but upon arriving at the hospital he was asked to help law enforcement officers write death certificates for those who died.

"I saw the Red Cross helicopters in the sky dropping down water and food for my people," Ramanayake said. "The Red Cross brought us relief in the face of devastation."

The local Red Cross recently experienced a 34 percent reduction in the funds it receives from the United Way of Southeast Missouri. The Red Cross received $47,500 from the funds contributed during the United Way's 2008 campaign, compared to $72,000 the previous year. According to United Way executive director Nancy Jernigan, the organization has changed its allocations based on its agenda now focusing on education, income and health. The disaster relief services the Red Cross provides fall outside these priorities, Jernigan said.

In recent years the United Way also fell short of its campaign goals, resulting in smaller allocations for many agencies, she said.

"We are looking to many funding sources including the Missouri Foundation for Health and the United Way," Klueppel said. "The decline in funding is a challenge as we see the need increasing."

mmiller@semissourian.com

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