Red Cross volunteers provide Hall of Fame care during induction ceremonies

Posted on August 8, 2019 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Eric Alves, Regional Communications Specialist, American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio

August 8, 2019- Fans who enjoyed the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony events in Canton, Ohio, were treated to top-notch care and attention from the American Red Cross.

It’s important to stay safe and hydrated while outside on hot summer days. That’s why Red Cross volunteers were present to give those enjoying the festivities a cold bottle of water and provide medical attention if needed.

Events began July 21 during the community parade. As crowds were enjoying the procession, volunteers from the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter passed out cooling towels and water and provided medical attention at a first aid tent.

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Festivities continued Aug. 2 with two events. The first event was a fashion show luncheon, where 17 Red Cross volunteers were on hand. Later in the day, 18 volunteers staffed the enshrinement gold jacket dinner. At both events, the Red Cross volunteers where present in areas where food was served and worked with the hosts to spot anyone who needed medical attention.

The Hall of Fame enshrinement celebration came to an end Aug. 3 with two final events.

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The day began with the grand parade. As fans enjoyed local bands and floats, 26 Red Cross volunteers handed out water and cold towels to help beat the heat. The Red Cross also provided an inside cooling room and a first aid station at the Malone University Johnson Center.

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The day ended with a roundtable discussion luncheon featuring this year’s inductees. Inside the Canton Memorial Civic Center and Cultural Center, 17 Red Cross volunteers were present to spot and provide any necessary medical attention.

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If you’re interested in learning how you can volunteer for the Red Cross, visit redcross.org/volunteer or call 216-431-3328 to learn about all the different opportunities in your area.

To view photos from the grand parade, visit our Flickr page.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Photo credit: Tom Newman, American Red Cross volunteer

Hometown heroes honored by American Red Cross of Stark and Muskingum Lakes at annual event

Posted on May 21, 2019 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By Amiti Sharma

May 21, 2019- On May 2, the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter of the American Red Cross held its annual Hometown Heroes BASH in downtown Canton, Ohio, at the Cultural Center for the Arts. The event was created to honor local residents for their accomplishments in demonstrating compassion, selflessness and courage during emergency situations. These individuals managed to take the appropriate action in extremely urgent, time-sensitive matters by relying on their knowledge, contacting local authorities, administering first aid and more.

Members of the Red Cross community throughout Stark and Tuscarawas counties attended and participated in the evening wine pull and silent auction. After attendees spent time mingling, dinner was served, and the program recognizing individuals began.

This event honored the following:

Thomas Smith III, Jason Saylor, and Jennifer Bethal – These police officers and dispatcher came to the aid of a local mother who was on her way to the emergency room with her two-year-old daughter when she had to pull over after the child began to have a seizure. The officers not only arrived at the scene quickly, but they transported the mother and her infant daughter to the emergency room in their police vehicle, saving valuable time since no emergency vehicle was available.

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Aribella Wetrich – Upon seeing her grandmother experience a medical episode of nausea and dizziness, the four-year-old girl dialed 9-1-1 and contacted the local police.

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Sabrina Seal – Sabrina supports and cares for persons with disabilities as a member of the Carroll County Board of Developmental Disabilities. She was honored for going above and beyond to assist an individual with disabilities by driving him out of state to a safe home to remove him from a potentially abusive environment.

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Bethany Lewis, Erin Hodgson and Gareth Evans – Witnessing a high school football game official collapse on the field, Bethany, Erin and Gareth teamed up to administer CPR with an AED (automated external defibrillator) while calling an ambulance to transport the official to the hospital, where he ultimately recovered.

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Nick Harper – Nick has designated himself as the handler of K-9 Recon if Sergeant Mike Hickman were to be injured or killed in the line of duty. This will prevent the canine from having to be put down if there was a situation where the dog is out of the police car and teams are not able to approach Hickman since the dog is trained to not leave his handler’s side.

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Tye Lauener – Tye, an Alliance police officer, immediately responded to a car accident while off duty by rushing to the driver’s side, directing another driver to contact 9-1-1, attempting to CPR until the driver became responsive, and finally helping to stabilize her until emergency medical technicians arrived at the scene.

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Jack Liberator – Jack was the recipient of the inaugural Jack B. Liberator Lifetime Community Excellence Award, which was named for him. He was recognized for his early efforts to teach specialized classes in emergency medical care to Columbus fire departments and for developing the first statewide curriculum in emergency victim care and rescue procedures.

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A special thank you to Hometown Heroes BASH committee members, including chairman Devin Williams for his efforts to organize the event, along with all Red Cross volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time to support and promote Red Cross activities. Additional thanks goes to the Canton Cultural Center, Gather Flower Studio and Lemon Leaf Catering.

Visit our Flickr page to view photos from the 2019 Hometown Heroes BASH.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Mental Health Services Offered to Disaster Victims

Posted on October 10, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Kim Kroh, Executive Director, Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter

Did you know that the Red Cross offers mental health services to those who suffer from disasters? In the last seven weeks, Red Cross volunteers have provided more than 180,000 mental health and health services to support and care for those affected by hurricanes this season.

World Mental Health Day is observed on October 10th every year. Kim Kroh, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Executive Director of the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter, has worked with trauma victims for two decades. She offers this observation:

Disasters in general can be very traumatizing for the individuals involved. They may lose everything they own and possibly even the life of a family member. Trauma processing can take place with the support of family and friends but often it requires professional intervention, especially to avoid long lasting mental health difficulties resulting from unprocessed trauma.

Shootings and other acts of violence will cause trauma and often Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the individuals involved in the violent act. In these situations, encouraging survivors to seek counseling would be most beneficial.

Licensed mental health professionals are among the volunteers who respond to disasters, from hurricanes to home fires. For more information about volunteering for the Red Cross, visit our website at redcross.org/neo.

First Goal Attained; But the Work Never Ends

Posted on February 9, 2017 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

(Looking back 100 years at the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter)

By Doug Bardwell, American Red Cross Volunteer

As the nation prepared to celebrate Independence Day, Tuscarawas County was celebrating the formation of their new Red Cross Chapter. Organized at the beginning of July 1917, the chapter’s initial goal was to raise $30,000 locally.

By this time, the national goal of reaching $100-million had already been attained, but as Red Cross State Secretary D.C. Daugherty explained, “The needs of the Red Cross in doing its great work of mercy are so enormous that every dollar given, no matter how much over the stipulated amount asked, can be used advantageously in its humanitarian mission of relief and succor to suffering humanity, whether its distress be from war, pestilence, famine, flood or fire or any other form of disaster.”

During war time, Daugherty explained that the Red Cross was responsible for maintaining hospitals at the front, base hospitals, convalescent hospitals, as well as hospital ships and hospital trains. In addition, the Red Cross assists Y.M.C.A. recreation camps, extends relief to soldiers’ dependents, and aids the thousands of homeless and helpless victims of war.

Understanding that not only would people abroad be helped, but also the Red Cross would be there for the hometown boys from New Philadelphia, the newly formed chapter was eager to begin doing what it could. Typical for the time, men formed committees to raise cash donations, and the women began sewing projects to provide hospital supplies.

A workroom was opened in Eagle Hall, above the New Philadelphia City Council offices, for the volunteer women workers. Open four days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., the workroom was equipped with sewing machines, tables and chairs. Women were told to bring their own scissors, and they began making hospital supplies and articles of comfort for the soldiers.

Not unlike today, con artists must have been a problem for these early volunteer organizations as well.

On July 3, 1917 a statement was issued in the Daily Times of New Philadelphia, from the national headquarters of the American Red Cross, denouncing the use of chain letters and similar methods of raising money. Members and friends of the Red Cross were urged to neither donate nor assist those fostering such schemes.

Today, you can rest assured that donations made to the Red Cross are well spent. In addition, did you know that the Red Cross now also accepts used automobiles as donations? Learn more at https://neoredcross.org/donate/.

Typical Red Cross workroom during WWI – photo courtesy of CTDA

Angel of the Battlefield: Celebrating Ordinary People that do Extraordinary Things

Posted on February 13, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Everyday heroes are ordinary people that do extraordinary things. Clara Barton was an ordinary person whose ideas and passions for others made her the “Angel of the Battlefield”, a hero in the American Civil War.

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Born in Massachusetts on Christmas Day, Clara grew up enjoying the wonders of the world. As a child she tended to her brother, David after a farm accident where he fell from the rafters. At 15, she became a teacher and opened a free public school in New Jersey. Throughout the 1850’s she worked for the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C.

Following the first battle of Bull Run in 1861, Clara provided immediate assistance to federal troops, despite the social mores of the time, which said that the battlefield was no place for a woman. She provided clothing, food, and supplies to the ill and wounded she also read to the troops wrote letters fro them, and listened to their problems.

Portrait of Clara Barton

In August of 1862, she appeared at a field hospital in Cedar Mountain, in northern Virginia at midnight with a wagon-load of supplies drawn by a four-mule team. Her assistance left the surgeon on duty in awe. The surgeon later wrote, “I thought that night if heaven ever sent out a[n]… angel, she must be one – her assistance was so timely.”

From that time on, Clara became known as the Angel of the Battlefield as she assisted troops in the Battlefield of Fairfax, Chantilly, Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Charleston, Petersburg and Cold Harbor.

The Red Cross shares stories of everyday heroism to inspire other people to act with generosity. The Red Cross of Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter will present its 2015 Acts of Courage event recognizing ordinary people that perform extraordinary acts to save a life, on March 5 at the Akron/Fairlawn Hilton.

Red Cross is currently calling for heroes to be recognized at the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter event in April and the Lake to River Chapter event in June.

To be considered for the Stark and Muskingum Lakes Chapter Hometown Heroes award, nominees must reside or be employed in Carroll, Harrison and Tuscarawas County. The Heroic event must have occurred in 2014, but may have taken place outside of Carroll, Harrison and Tuscarawas Counties. Click here to access the online nomination form.

Nominees residing or working in Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana or Jefferson Counties may submit a nomination for the Lake to River Chapter Acts of Courage Event. The heroic must have occurred between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015. To download the nomination form, visit the Lake to River Chapter event page.

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