Tag Archives: Muskingum Lakes

This volunteer donates time, talent and treasure

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By Chris Chmura, American Red Cross volunteer

The American Red Cross celebrates the work and support of the hundreds of thousands of volunteers during National Volunteer Week. Red Cross volunteers fulfill many roles from coordinating blood drives, to responding to home fires in the middle of the night, to serving as board members and many more.

Betsy Sterling, left, and Kim Kroh

Betsy Sterling volunteers with the Red Cross of Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes. Betsy met chapter Executive Director Kim Kroh years ago at a charity event called Day of Caring and they have supported each other ever since. 

Betsy is a Tiffany Circle member, current board chair (past 9 years), an every 56-day blood donor, hosts regular blood drives at her company, and a former BASH co-chair (two years in a row).  BASH is an annual fundraiser for the chapter which raised $80,000 in 2022.  Monies raised by this event are used to support the chapter’s work in the local community:

  • Installing free, life-saving smoke alarms
  • Saving lives through health and safety training in CPR/First id/AED & Aquatics Training
  • Providing shelter, clothing, food, comfort & hope to families devastated by home fires
  • Supporting U.S. service men and women during an emergency
  • Supplying critical blood, platelets, and plasma to patients in area hospitals

In 2023, the chapter is combining the BASH fund raiser with the annual Festival of Trees to create a unique event!  https://www.redcross.org/local/ohio/northern-ohio/about-us/news-and-events/events/festival-of-trees.html  

The Tiffany Circle is a close group of people that donates their own personal funds to support the Red Cross.   

Betsy and her family are true believers in giving back to their community.  She is a third-generation member of the Sterling family Beaver Excavating Company.  Community service has played a key role in shaping the long history of community involvement that Beaver Excavating’s ownership and employees have created. Contributions not only include personal time and money, but also have included many donations of construction services, labor, and materials.  

Nationally, the Red Cross has more than 200,000 volunteers, which makes up more than 90 percent of the workforce.  The Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter is thankful to have humble volunteers like Betsy Sterling.  Her time is extremely valuable because she works in her family business, takes time to volunteer for several charities, and perhaps most importantly is a mom.  

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

Red Cross Funding – 1900’s style

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Looking back 100 years at the Stark County and Muskingum Lakes Chapter

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross Volunteer

(Editor’s Note:  This is the latest in a series of centennial-related stories involving the founding of Red Cross chapters in Northeast Ohio.Centennial-Red-Cross-question)

July 5, 1917, the Red Cross was still not totally understood by many Americans.  Unusual in its charter, the Red Cross could have been considered both private and official.

As the Daily Times of New Philadelphia wrote on this date, “The government has adopted it officially as the auxiliary war relief service. The president of the United States by law is also the president of the Red Cross. Yet, the government does not finance the Red Cross.”

“On occasions, congress has voted contributions of money to it…but, the great volume of its funds spent for relief work is contributed by private individuals. Less than 30% of its receipts come from membership dues.”

They went on later to say that while many people were amazed that the Army did not increase their medical team to handle the increase in enlistees during WW1, that actually the Red Cross was found to be more efficient and cost effective.

At the time, all Red Cross volunteers were asked to join as dues paying members. $1 per year was expected unless the person was well-heeled financially, in which case they might pay $10 or $100 per year.

A local country club held a fund raiser for the Red Cross. Forty golfers played for club trophies and paid a penny a stroke, raising $50 for the Red Cross.

While not everyone could afford to donate, everyone could do something.  The newspaper reported that the Dover Bridge Club spent July 3, 1917 doing their part. Before having dinner, the members spent the afternoon sewing for the Red Cross.

Tuscarawas County was asked to contribute $30,000 toward the Red Cross War Fund in 1917. To get the word out, many papers provided free advertising to help with the cause. The example below appeared in The Daily Times in New Philadelphia.

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Readers might have been shocked to see that while the nation was supposed to be conserving and donating during war time, the city of Akron alone spent $2.7-million on liquor in saloons in the previous year.  Hmmm.

Today, you can do your part.  Donations couldn’t be easier. Donate by text, by email, by mail or online. You can even set up a monthly automatic donation.  All five links to giving are here.