OC Red Cross needs Volunteers

The American Red Cross is the largest volunteer organization in the United States. Each year over one million Americans serve as Red Cross volunteers.  The call is going out for civic-minded residents of Oconee County to become volunteers with the Red Cross, explains Kathy Rogers, executive director of the Oconee County Chapter of the American Red Cross.  “We need volunteers, especially in Oconee County, to serve on the disaster team and also I need office help.  We used to have a staff of five, but we no longer have that and I am the only person.  It hurts me to have to leave the chapter unattended.  Therefore, I need someone that is willing to come in maybe just a morning a week or if I could get enough volunteers, ultimately to have the office covered Monday thru Friday from 8:30am to 5pm.  It is so important to have the chapter open.  We also need disaster volunteers.  The Red Cross could not do what we do without these great volunteers, but we need more.” As a Red Cross volunteer, you will make a difference every day.  Whether you are comforting a victim of a house fire, providing disaster preparedness training, helping with blood drives or special events, or assisting in the office, you will be helping to change lives.  If you would like to be a Red Cross volunteer, go to www.upstateredcross.org/volunteer.  Complete the online volunteer application and set up your volunteer connection account.  You will receive an email with the link to your new volunteer checklist in volunteer connection.  Complete the steps in your new volunteer checklist including your online orientation and background check.  Someone from the Red Cross will contact you to discuss your specific interests and get you started.  For more information, call Kim Eller, Red Cross Volunteer Coordinator out of the Greenville Office at 864-282-8650.