Marilyn Rasmussen was recognized for excellence as a Service to Armed Forces (SAF) team leader during the American Red Cross Southeast and Caribbean Division meeting. Rasmussen and the Tennessee Region SAF team took on the North Florida Region’s casework load while the state recovered from Hurricane Michael. The storm severely impacted Tyndall Air Force Base, located near Panama City, Florida resulting in an acute need for SAF response. Because Tennessee Region volunteers accepted the challenge, SAF service delivery continued without interruption and thousands of families received much needed assistance.
Rasmussen, an Atlanta native, worked for GE as an administrator, eventually assigned to the vice president of major appliances where she created and delivered intern orientation classes. In addition to her career with GE, Rasmussen served in the office of Mayor Amato of Lexington, Kentucky, operated her own business, and worked as a medical transcriber. She relocated from Georgia to Kentucky, and Indiana for husband, Ken’s, career, before settling in Knoxville, Tennessee.
No stranger to volunteering, Rasmussen has bestowed her gift of time to several agencies including the Atlanta Police Department, church leadership, and served Cub Scout Den Leader for 8 years, before joining the Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina. In addition to SAF, she has held positions as a DAT Captain, CAS administrator, Disaster and Volunteer Connection Instructor, Ham Radio operator, Fire Safety House team, and First Aid Station Team at University of Tennessee sporting events. Rasmussen began volunteering with SAF in 2014 and advanced to Lead Caseworker and Trainer and EDGE Administrator for the Tennessee Region.
Rasmussen says that she encourages others to volunteer and investigate, like she has, different lines of service and the multiple opportunities to help others offered by the Red Cross. “I tell new volunteers the number one requirement (to be a volunteer) is heart and compassion,” Rasmussen said. “You can make a difference. Believe me when I say that volunteering with the Red Cross is a humbling, yet emotionally rewarding experience.”
Friday, May 31, 2019
Letter from East Tennessee Executive Director, Sharon Hudson - June 2019
Our Honorary Chair, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, kicked off the event and joined our Tiffany Circle team to install smoke alarms. Homeowner Donnie Ernst was thrilled when the Mayor showed up to install smoke alarms in his home. We also received thank you notes from neighbors the following week and checks from homeowners to show their appreciation. Once again, fulfilling our mission through mobilizing the power of our volunteers and the generosity of donors.
Thank you again for your time to make this event a success!
Please also mark your calendar for our Annual Meeting on June 6, 2019 at 4 p.m. at the East Tennessee Chapter. We will have a brief meeting to share news, our upcoming board roster, and recognize volunteers with service anniversary pins. Food and refreshments will be served.
Letter from Heart of Tennessee Executive Director, Kathy Ferrell - June 2019
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” William Shakespeare
This quote resonated with me this week. I do believe that we are incredibly fortunate to find our gifts and even more fortunate to share those gifts with others. This is what you collectively do at the American Red Cross, but also in so many other areas of your lives. You so generously share your most precious asset with us: your time.
Our annual Sound the Alarm, Save a Life event was incredibly successful! Many of you, along with Rutherford County Health Department, First Baptist Church, LifePoint Church, and the Town of Smyrna, installed 287 smoke alarms and made 110 homes safer. What an incredible day to see so many individuals in the community serving together!
The Battle of the Badges is complete and Law Enforcement won! 149 units were collected, impacting 447 lives. Thank you for rolling up your sleeves to donate, for taking the time to work registration and canteening, and for making sure your neighbors are aware of this event and had the opportunity to participate.
We had incredible volunteer and board engagement for our Military Kids Serve Too event. Children of military members and veterans were celebrated for their sacrifice. Major General Tommy Baker presented each child with a special event coin and thanked them for their service. The Discovery Center at Murfree Springs graciously closed the museum for our event, allowing the families full use of the facility. Tennessee Event Specialists donated a bounce house, and multiple board members donated food and drinks. The American Red Cross was born on the battlefield and we have served our military members continuously for 138 years. I’m so proud to continue that legacy of service alongside each of you.
Finally, we have much to celebrate at our Annual Meeting. Please plan to join us on Wednesday, June 19 at 11:30 a.m. at the Heart of Tennessee Chapter office. We will present a Certificate of Merit to a young woman who used her Red Cross training to save a life! In addition, we will recognize Oakland High School for leading the entire state of Tennessee in high school blood drive collections. This is a great opportunity to fellowship and celebrate what we have accomplished in fiscal year 2019, and to share areas of focus and goals for fiscal year 2020.
Thank you for helping move our mission forward.
With gratitude,
Kathy Ferrell
Executive Director, Heart of Tennessee Chapter
Southeast Tennessee Volunteer Opportunities - Help Wanted! June 2019
Organized and dependable person with excellent phone and communication skills needed to work at the local Southeast Tennessee chapter in Chattanooga. Job duties include greeting guests, providing general information to staff, volunteers, clients and the public. Answering phone, taking messages, and transferring calls. Positive attitude a must.
Duty Officer
Organized and dependable person with excellent phone and communication skills needed to work with our disaster response teams to relay critical information to ensure timely delivery of Red Cross services.
Volunteer Services Recruitment
Outgoing, dependable person with excellent communication skills. This position would be responsible for implementing the volunteer recruitment strategy in coordination with the Volunteer Specialist. Job duties include building a recruiting team, serve as a subject matter expert on volunteer recruitment, and develop a recruitment network of internal and external partners. Enthusiastic about Red Cross mission and programs a must.
Letter from Southeast Tennessee Executive Director, Julia Wright - June 2019
This year was a great success and our volunteers really did the “heavy lifting” to make sure we visited every family possible in the neighborhood. One of my favorite stories of the day was when one elderly resident indicated she woke up at 7 a.m. to make sure she didn’t miss us. Ms. Green said, “I can’t believe you come out on a Saturday morning just to help me. I can’t thank you enough.” I couldn’t agree with Ms. Green more, I also cannot thank you enough!
On April 28, our military families joined together for our third Military Kids Serve Too! event at the Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga. Commander Joey Tanner presented challenge coins to our youngest heroes. Thanks to the Service to Armed Forces volunteers that organized and worked the event to make it a success once again.
With Memorial Day just behind us, summer is well on its way and so is a busy schedule of events. On June 18, we will be celebrating our chapter’s 101st year with our annual meeting and volunteer celebration luncheon. I hope you will be able to attend. Don’t forget, July is our annual summer volunteer picnic as well.
I wish everyone a fun and safe summer.
Letter from Mid-West Tennessee Executive Director, David Hicks - June 2019
I want to take a moment to look back at our Sound the Alarm event which we hosted on Saturday, April 27 in Haywood County. It was a tremendous success with us installing more than 220 smoke alarms and making over 90 homes safer. The partnership we shared with the Brownsville/Haywood County Fire Department was tremendous and they couldn’t have been better in assisting us with the tools and equipment (not to mention the fire trucks). We were also given major assistance by the Haywood County Mayor, William Rawls, and the Community Outreach Director, Shalondria Shaw.
We’re also indebted to the Brownsville radio station 95.3 for their tireless promotion of the event and allowing me to be a guest on two different shows on two different days to help rally the community and increase the awareness and response. Many thanks to each one of you in the Haywood County community. We will be joining forces again in the future for the good of your community!
On Thursday, May 16, we held our sixth annual Heroes Luncheon at the Carl Grant Events Center on the campus of Union University. The following heroes were recognized:
Volunteer of the Year - Sarah Rice (Hardeman County)
Distinguished Service - Valerie and Dick Bates (Henry County)
Humanitarian of the Year - Amy Crenshaw (Madison County)
Uniformed Hero of the Year - Zachary Pruitt (Madison County)
If you happen to know these recipients, please take the time to acknowledge and congratulate them on their recognition and service to the American Red Cross!
Final Letter from Tennessee River Executive Director, Katy Hagstrom – June 2019
It is with a heavy heart and mixed emotions that May 17 will be my last day with the Tennessee River Chapter as the Executive Director. The Tennessee River and Tennessee Region community has become a family to me and stepping away is very difficult. I am going to miss the challenges we all face together and the comradery of the team to get through those challenges. I never like to say goodbye, so until next time, I wish you all nothing but the best! Thank you for teaching me the power of the Red Cross mission. It has been the greatest pleasure serving alongside you all.
Why I Help – Feli Propes
By Sharon J. Alfred, Red Cross Volunteer, Senior Journalist
Feli Propes, American Red Cross of Nashville Area Chapter, Nashville, TN
Feli Propes resolved a problem. She wanted to be a large volume blood donor for the American Red Cross but certain things prevented her from doing so. She wrestled with the question of how to find another way to help her community through a Red Cross activity. So how did she solve her problem? She decided to volunteer for the Red Cross’ Home Fire Campaign (HFC).
Propes became deeply involved in the campaign. Now, she is a vital part of the HFC’s Disaster Action Team (DAT) with the Nashville Area Chapter. And, she has a wonderful team of Red Cross supervisors: DAT supervisor Catherine Goodrich, Disaster Program Specialist Zachary Stokes, and Disaster Program Supervisor Kevin Watt.
At an HFC Sound the Alarm home visit, teams of three are typically formed - team leader, educator and/or documenter. Propes usually takes on the educator role. As the educator, she reviews the fire safety checklist, explains the functions of smoke alarms, and emphasizes the importance of making and practicing escape plans to the homeowners.
No doubt about it. Propes’ involvement with the Home Fire Campaign allows her to prompt others to take a preemptive strike against having a home fire. She said, “I strongly empathize with those who suffer. I also believe resilience and survival instincts are human nature.” Propes wholeheartedly believes in the Red Cross’ mission to alleviate the suffering of disaster-stricken victims, remarking that “with firm and organized advocacy and assistance, their recovery is [greatly] assured.”
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Nashville Area Volunteer Corner - June 2019
Volunteer Hours
Please get your volunteer hours submitted by the end of the fiscal year, June 28.
Volunteer Opportunities
Disaster Action Team(DAT) Members - Looking for duty/dispatch officers and disaster responders to assist after home fires.
Blood Transportation Specialists - Drive blood to local hospitals. Two shifts per month required (four hours each).
Business Operations Team Members - Work on administrative projects and answer and route phone calls.
Volunteer Services Intake Volunteers -Talk with prospective volunteers and help them get placed in the correct line of service.
Nashville Area Red Cross Volunteer Services Contacts
Nancy Pace, Nancy.Pace@redcross.org
Marlene Sweda,- Marlene.Sweda@redcross.org
Please get your volunteer hours submitted by the end of the fiscal year, June 28.
Volunteer Opportunities
Disaster Action Team(DAT) Members - Looking for duty/dispatch officers and disaster responders to assist after home fires.
Blood Transportation Specialists - Drive blood to local hospitals. Two shifts per month required (four hours each).
Business Operations Team Members - Work on administrative projects and answer and route phone calls.
Volunteer Services Intake Volunteers -Talk with prospective volunteers and help them get placed in the correct line of service.
Nancy Pace, Nancy.Pace@redcross.org
Marlene Sweda,- Marlene.Sweda@redcross.org
Nashville Area Volunteer Spotlight: Cindy Manley - June 2019
Cindy’s Red Cross volunteer career began after her move to Nashville. Her first deployment was to Hurricane Katrina where she did mostly logistics, bringing her years of expertise from vocations including law, accounting and starting up a small business. Since then Cindy has deployed but mostly stayed in the Nashville area where she continues serving the community with her talents and hard work. She typically works in volunteer engagement where she engages with new volunteers once they have been recruited and retains these volunteers to provide much needed help to people during times of disasters.
She loves to see people being connected to the work they are passionate about. “When this happens, people feel as if they are not working,” she said. “They become more engaged with their work and not only find it satisfying but meaningful.”
Cindy’s smiling and kind demeanor while engaging new volunteers makes each one feel welcomed, and in turn, they have a mentor and friend to help them through the onboarding process. Thanks to people like Cindy, the Red Cross can continue the mission of serving those in need.
Red Cross Honors East Tennessee Volunteer Mary Franklin
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| Dr. Dai and team teaching CPR/AED training in March. |
The last week of March, Mary was in Washington, D.C., for the National Awards and Recognition Dinner, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Volunteer in Training Services. She received her award from Jack McMaster, President for Training Services, and Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. When talking about Mary’s love of training others, Jack made note of her use of googly eyes to emphasize to instructor trainer candidates the need for them to use their observational skills and to have participants put their eyes on the information in their books. Mary has been a volunteer for almost 44 years and an instructor trainer for 34 of those years. She is also an advanced master instructor for volunteer Services and a chapter board member.
Awards ceremony with Gail McGovern, Mary Franklin, and Jack McMaster.
The Presidential Award for Excellence is presented to an individual or group of American Red Cross employees or volunteers who demonstrate exceptional performance or service in support of the American Red Cross delivering on its multi-faceted mission. Nominees actions must go beyond meeting organizational goals and expectations and be exemplary of the highest level of commitment to Red Cross values and the execution of superior services and performance that made an extraordinary contribution toward the successful delivery of the Red Cross mission.
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Regional Executive Corner with Joel R. Sullivan - June 2019
As we enter summer 2019, it is time to relax and enjoy longer days and beautiful, warm Tennessee nights. For most, this is the time of the year to make memories and travel with family to enjoy a little rest and relaxation.
Summer is also a prime time to consider giving blood at your local Red Cross. Blood banks across the nation experience a dramatic decline in donations during summer months. Many people are traveling on vacation during this time of year, or busy with outdoor projects, and that means fewer people attending blood drives.
That’s why donating right now is so important!
Here are some facts to consider about summer blood donation:
1. It takes just one hour to make a simple donation. Plus, you can schedule your appointment through the Red Cross blood donation app.
2. One pint of blood can save three lives.
3. Every two seconds in America, someone needs blood.
4. Thirty-seven percent of Americans are eligible to give blood, but only 10 percent do.
Typically, the months of June through August are always critically low months for our blood donations. I ask you to please remember, the need for blood and platelets never takes a holiday in our community. We need you to roll up your sleeves, come in from the heat, and take some time to enjoy the cool air-conditioning in our donation center and donate blood to help save lives. The sunshine will wait, but lives cannot.
If you would like to schedule your donation by phone, please call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or visit our website at RedCrossBlood.org.