Welcome to our second edition of CrossNotes for 2007. This quarterly newsletter will show you what your donations are doing in our community to help your neighbors prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Emergency Services
Can you imagine Jim Veronne�s reaction when he was watching the news from his hospital bed and realized that the building, where he had his business and an apartment on Commercial Street, had been set on fire? The Red Cross responded, and after follow up with Jim, was able to help him with his immediate needs. This is just another way that our staff of highly trained volunteers reaches out to our community members. During the second quarter, our chapter responded to 76 incidents and helped 231 victims who lost their homes due to fire.

Armed Forces Emergency Services
During the second quarter 165 messages were sent and 6 families received financial assistance. Most messages were sent because of a family emergency such as the one sent to Sergeant James Souther in Iraq. His daughter was requesting that he be granted emergency leave because she had been severely injured in an automobile accident and was in intensive care at St. John�s Hospital. She had 20 percent burns to the right side of her chest, back, arm and leg. We were pleased to be a part of bringing him home to support and care for his daughter at this critical time.

Health & Safety Services
During the last quarter Health and Safety trained over 588 students in community classes. The third annual babysitter�s camp was held in Springfield and one of the girls attending, Morgan Abbey, told us how much she enjoyed camp. The day after she graduated her mom was bitten by a dog and Morgan came to the rescue with skills she learned in class. She cleansed the wound, applied ointment and a sterile dressing before her mom sought professional care. We thank Morgan for sharing her story.

Public Relations/Volunteer Services
Did you know that one of our training rooms can be turned into a disaster response call center in a matter of minutes? On June 28, the Greater Ozarks Chapter activated the Response Call Network (RCN). Twelve volunteers took calls from people who were coping with floods in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, dealing with the aftermath of Katrina and others that just needed someone to listen. Ardelle Sanders, RCN volunteer, doesn�t let being tied to an oxygen tank, keep her from reaching out. A phone line and a computer connection allow her to lend a helping hand.

A note from Debi
A wise man once said �Quality is never an accident�It is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution. It represents the wise choice of many alternatives.� Everyday here at the Red Cross we work hard to use every resource wisely as we help families in their darkest hour. Thank you for choosing to join us in our mission.