The Red Cross is known all over the world for their gracious efforts to help out the US Armed Forces and victims of disaster. They assist in collecting blood at local blood drives every year as well as coming to the rescue for victims of tornadoes, fires, floods, and much more.

Jennifer Bartley, Volunteer Coordinator for the Lee County Red Cross, explains how, “We, The Red Cross can’t do our jobs without volunteers. It is at least a 90 percent volunteer led organization with a chapter staff of only four.”

She goes on to explain how all of the volunteers who come help out with Lee County Red Cross are brought there for different reasons. A lot of people just want to help out in the community, some choose the Red Cross to complete their community service hours, and some are from public housing. However, despite the variety of reasons the volunteers are there, they are all part of an important process which is ultimately helping those in need.

Bartley actually started working with the Lee County Red Cross as a volunteer herself. She completed 1,700 hours of volunteer work before becoming a staff member. Bartley has now been involved with the Lee County Red Cross for about a year.

With both the holiday season and tornado season just around the corner, Lee County Red Cross is currently working on many different projects. On December 5th there is a volunteer luncheon for all its volunteers, sponsors, and fund raisers. They are also starting recruitment for volunteers interested in helping out with their big fundraiser in March, known as Fly-In. This event features vintage aircrafts, helicopter rides for kids, and parachute jumps and is usually widely attended by the Lee County community. The Red Cross is also beginning special training for volunteers who will be involved with tornado disasters, as they find it’s very important for the volunteers working with this particular disaster to be specially trained.

The Lee County Red Cross has been making a difference in peoples lives for over 90 years now. They depend a great deal on their volunteers and often see a great turnout from local college students. Bartley explains her favorite part about working with the Red Cross by saying, “I enjoy working with the volunteers. It’s meeting different parts of the community.”

Becoming a volunteer is a simple process, anyone interested can show up at the Lee County office during regular office hours, between 8 and 4, send her an e-mail, or call. There will be a basic orientation and application process in which the Red Cross will work to see which area you might be most interested in helping and how much time you are hoping to commit. The Red Cross will provide any training their volunteers might need, so no previous experience or knowledge is needed, just the will to want to help others.

For more information about the Lee County Red Cross, or to become a volunteer visit their website: http://www.leeredcross.org/





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