www.fortleetraveller.com | September 26, 2013 | Traveller | 7
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The Fort Lee office of the American Red Cross has grown and will be available to provide more assistance to the installation. Deanna Brown and Gladys Jenkins Stevens, Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces specialists, are taking over the operation and are responsible for the Red Cross Emergency Messages for greater Richmond, Halifax, Rappahannock and Fredericksburg. Although an office in Richmond formerly handled Fort Lee and the surrounding areas, some restructuring allowed the service organization to set up shop in the existing, previously volunteer-run Red Cross operation here. Christy Carneal – a long-time volunteer of the Fort Lee office – is still here and will focus on youth opportunities, said Brown. “Currently, we’re setting up meetings with all of the on-base organizations to
show what we could be doing for them, what we have been doing for them, and where we need to go from here,� she said. “The main thing we want to know is what the installation needs from us. Coming in, we don’t know what has been successful and what hasn’t. We want people to think of Red Cross for more than emergency calls. We want them to think of us constantly, even if it’s volunteering with us.� Brown and Jenkins Stevens are focusing on attending briefings and various events – such as Run for the Fallen, the installation’s Grand Illumination and others – to increase awareness about what the organization can offer the Fort Lee community, now that they are assigned to the installation. A large part of their Red Cross work will involve Red Cross Emergency Messages and following up on those cases, said Brown, and they are focusing efforts on increasing awareness about the program and explaining how to make those calls happen more quickly.
“The main thing we want to do during the briefings is give the military members and their families the information they need before the emergency happens,� Brown said. “The more information you have, the faster we can get the message to your service member. A lot of times when you’re in that emergency moment, you’re panicking and not thinking clearly, but if you take care of it now – when there’s no emergency going on – you’ll know that information when you need to call us. That can help us reach them super fast. The longer it takes to verify where the service member is, the longer it takes for them to get the message.� Fort Lee offers the chapter here another advantage with the Military Entrance Process Station available on post, said Jenkins Stevens. “A great part about us being here on Fort Lee is being able to reach out to the MEPS,� she said. “When those new recruits begin their military career by swearing in, they also learn about the Red Cross because we are here to offer that information to them. When I came into the military many years ago, other than someone giving me a card about Red Cross, I didn’t know anything about what they could offer. Having the
Red Cross here makes a big difference. “The Red Cross Emergency Messages are very important for military members to understand,� Jenkins Stevens continued. “At MEPS, often the parents of the new recruits are on hand, and they can learn about how to get in touch with their military member in an emergency.� An upcoming project for the duo is the Holiday Mail for Heroes program that runs Monday through Dec. 6. There will be various card-signing events – including one at Run for the Fallen Oct. 19, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. “With this program, the community can write thank-you notes and holiday greetings to military members and veterans,� Brown said. “The cards are sent to Red Cross locations across the world to be distributed at veteran hospitals and other locations just so they know they are appreciated, especially during the holidays.� The Fort Lee Red Cross office hours are 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.; however, they may be temporarily unavailable during those hours if they’re out supporting community activities and events.. The staff wants Fort Lee members to know they are available to help or answer questions. For more information, call (804) 765-3675 or 765-3670.
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