The American Red Cross kicks off its national Volunteer Appreciation Week

The American Red Cross Central Mississippi Chapter is joining the national American Red Cross in its celebratory efforts to honor thousands of selfless volunteers who make the Red Cross possible. The American Red Cross Volunteer Appreciation Week was established by an executive order signed by President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Public Relations Director, Tamica Smith-Jeuitt, knows with assurance that the work at her chapter would not be possible without the help of capable and willing volunteers. “The Red Cross is a work force of volunteers,” she explained. “Actually, volunteers make up 97 percent of the Red Cross work force. I couldn’t do my job, effectively, without my volunteers,” she admitted.

Just for her daily operations at the Central Mississippi chapter, Smith-Jeuitt leans on her volunteers’ willingness to make things happen. “Our volunteers are responsible for clerical office work, responding to various fires and aiding families affected by those fires,” she said. “They also are answering emergency calls, military case work calls and we even have a group of fundraising volunteers.”

To give a brief rundown of what volunteers here in the Central Mississippi area are doing, over 100 volunteers serve Central Mississippi in 12 counties. There are a total of 423 registered volunteers, and the Central Mississippi Chapter of the Red Cross has trained more than 12,860 people in life-saving skills, primarily in the areas of first-aid and CPR.

According to Smith-Jeuitt, volunteers were at the helm of major work done in the past fiscal year. “In 2009, our volunteers responded to over 600 local emergencies and they assisted approximately 830 military families,” she said. She also has the inside scoop on work that the American Red Cross Central Mississippi is launching this year. “Our largest Save the Day fundraiser is coming up, Thursday, May 20. We are in the process of developing a new outreach plan to target the growing Spanish-speaking communities of Central Mississippi, and we will definitely need Spanish-speaking, trained volunteers to assist in these efforts,” Smith-Jeuitt said.

As seen, the American Red Cross, locally, and nationally is on the move doing work to better equip the communities it serves.

For more information about the Red Cross and the work it does, call the Central Mississippi office at 601-353-5442 or visit the Red Cross on the web at RedCross.org, and type in their zip code for chapters in their area.