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Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

Published - Saturday, May 03, 2008

Red Cross needs volunteers

By Marie Plaskett, executive director, Winona County Red Cross

It is National Volunteer Week — a time to recognize volunteers and celebrate the spirit of volunteerism.

We all know a volunteer. Many of us are volunteers. We know first-hand the selfless nature of people who give with no expectation of being paid for their time.

Volunteers do work for free, but volunteers will tell you that they are well-paid. They contend that the reward for their work is not money, but is, instead, the satisfaction of helping others, active involvement in the community and the friendships that form through volunteer work.

The theme of National Volunteer Week is Volunteer to Change the World, and that is just what Red Cross volunteers do. Without volunteers, the American Red Cross could not complete its mission to provide relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

At the Winona County Red Cross, more than 300 volunteers help people affected by domestic and international disasters, support blood drives, teach lifesaving skills and serve members of the military and their families.

There are one-time opportunities such as a family that came in shortly after the flood to help measure, fold and bag quilts that are distributed to disaster clients after a fire, flood or other natural disaster. Every month, we have a dedicated group of approximately 45 volunteers who call blood donors to set up appointments at the upcoming blood drives. Twice a year we have 12 to 16 volunteers who come fold, stuff and label our newsletters.

When you see articles in the paper about a house fire and the Red Cross responded, those are our wonderful fire call volunteers helping families with the emergency assistance they need to get through the first few days. As you can see there are a plethora of opportunities to get involved depending on where your interests lead you. Our local Red Cross thanks all of our volunteers for their time, talents and energy.

The Winona County Red Cross welcomes volunteers of all ages and skills. Right now we especially need people in the following two areas: health and safety instructors and fire call. To volunteer, contact Marie Plaskett at (507) 452-4258 or e-mail at arc2marie@luminet.net.