Letter from East Tennessee Executive Director Michelle Hankes, November 2015

November is a month to be thankful--For family, for friends, for food and warmth. I know that I’m thankful each and every day for the men and women who give their time, talent and treasures to the Red Cross so that those who lose so much so suddenly have a way to make it through terrible times.

There is no way to list all of the hundreds of volunteers, donors and employees that are on my list to thank, but I’m going to try my best to list those that particularly come to mind right now:

•    Thank you to those who serve the military by being there 24/7 to answer the call for assistance and emergency communication.

•    Thank you to those who stood out in the hot sun, pounding rain, or freezing snow to hand out water or coffee to first responders and victims of disaster.

•    Thank you to those who keep our resources available by managing call centers, handle dispatch, and figure out the logistics of getting all of THAT, THERE.

•    Thank you to those who can make the phone calls that end with a gift of money or in-kind items so that we can serve more people.

•    Thank you to those who have the gift of teaching, able to pass on life saving skills and disaster response best practices to others.

•    Thank you to those who answer the phone with a gentle voice and warm heart.

•    Thank you to those who provide first aid with firm hands and strong knowledge.

•    Thank you to those who can stand up in front of a crowd to spread the mission of the Red Cross.

Thank you all for being prepared to jump into action. As cold weather becomes reality, we know the call for Red Cross will become stronger, and you are the ones who will make that response possible.