 St. Louis, Monday, August 22, 2005 – The American Red Cross Jefferson County Service Center hosted its annual Volunteer Recognition Picnic on August 20 at Turner Camp in Imperial to honor Jefferson County residents for giving freely of their time. The involvement of these dedicated volunteers expands the reach of Red Cross programs and services offered to residents of Jefferson County through the service center in Arnold.
The following awards were presented at Saturday’s Volunteer Recognition Picnic:
1. The Jefferson County Honor Award recognizes continued outstanding volunteer commitment, performance or impact in Jefferson County.
• Barbara Girshner, of Fenton, began volunteering in 1999. Barbara is a team leader for the Disaster Action Team. She has responded to many disasters within Jefferson County and now volunteers with the Disaster Services Human Resource System. This has given her the opportunity to respond to several national disasters, including the floods of 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998, as well as the September 11 tragedy in New York. Barbara’s current role in national assignments focuses on family services. She also volunteers in the service center by completing case work for disaster clients, while facilitating other crisis assistance for Jefferson County residents.
• Carl Fisk, of House Springs, began volunteering in 2004. Carl is a member of the Jefferson County Disaster Action Team, responding to several local disasters over the last year, and is an instructor for the Red Cross Community Disaster Education program, educating children and adults on the need to prepare themselves for the unexpected. Carl is interested in the continued expansion of the preparedness message into the workplace through presentations to area businesses.
• Dan Staufenbiel, of South St. Louis County, began volunteering in 2000, and has responded to several local disasters as a member of the Disaster Action Team. Dan serves as a crisis assistance caseworker and is an asset to the “Santa Cross” team, which works to obtain holiday items and delivers them to senior adults and physically and mentally disabled children throughout Jefferson County. Dan also volunteers at local blood drives and assists with administrative functions in the service center office.
• Jerry Stevens, of Imperial, began volunteering in 2004. Jerry is a team leader for the Disaster Action Team and serves as a Community Disaster Education instructor, teaching numerous classes throughout Jefferson County to educate the public regarding the need for disaster preparedness to be a personal priority. Jerry has responded to several local disasters and has played an instrumental role in identifying potential shelter sites, while coordinating agreements to ensure that Jefferson County has an appropriate number of shelters available should they be needed in the wake of a disaster or emergency.
2. The Jefferson County Outstanding Volunteer Award honors the volunteer that has made the single-most profound impact on Red Cross programs and services in Jefferson County over the previous year. The award recipient is selected for the honor by volunteer peers. • Kori Gummere, of Cedar Hill, began volunteering at the Jefferson County Service Center in 2004 and remains busy as a member of the Disaster Action Team, an instructor for the Community Disaster Education program and other Health and Safety courses, and as a trained member of the Disaster Services Human Resource System in the family services function, standing ready to respond to a national disaster whenever called upon. Kori began her work teaching CPR and first aid, and then began teaching young people through Red Cross babysitter training. Kori later began to focus on disaster response and is now a team mentor for the local Disaster Action Team, providing immediate assistance to local residents in the wake of personal loss. She also leads presentations for children and adults in how to prepare themselves and their loved ones for potential disasters and emergencies.
Volunteer Opportunities:
The American Red Cross is led by dedicated community volunteers. Locally, thousands of volunteers assist in the St. Louis region, and there are many opportunities for individuals to get involved in Red Cross programs and services through the Jefferson County Service Center, located at 3880 Jeffco Blvd. in Arnold. To get more information, please call 636.464.9150, or log on to www.redcrossstl.org.
About the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter:
Founded in 1917, the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter provides emergency and preparedness assistance more than 397,000 times each year. The Red Cross depends on the efforts of thousands of volunteers and 140 staff to provide a wide range of community support services, including disaster relief, first aid and CPR training, water safety, adult daytime professional care, services to military personnel, assistance to homeless families, and support for blood services. The Chapter provides programs and services to St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and Jefferson County in Missouri, as well as Monroe, St. Clair (including Scott Air Force Base) and part of Madison County in Illinois.
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