Dear Volunteers,

Our Chapter was tested this year as we responded to the most destructive disasters in our history. In the wake of unprecedented despair and devastation, we have seen you, our volunteers, rise to the challenge as never before.

In response to the hurricanes, when we realized we would need a Service Center the size and scope of Remington�s, having volunteers to call upon made decisions about how we could and would deliver services easier. Then when the tornadoes hit earlier this spring, many of you gathered with us here at the Chapter, while others were sheltering with your families at home and planning how you could help.

And with all of this going on, we responded to more single families fires than ever before � more than one a day since January first � and we are just now beginning to see a decrease.

Whew! Just thinking about what we�ve done this past year is exhausting!

We have all been busy, and we have depended on YOU as never before. And things are just getting started! We are already a �highly performing� Chapter and have plans to do even more. This year, Carrie will be talking with you about some unique leadership and support volunteer opportunities. Most of you know that our AmeriCorps VISTA program is ending soon, so there will be gaps to fill. We�re looking for Disaster Action Team (DAT) members and leaders � so that we have a full team in each county. This helps with client satisfaction and gives volunteers more opportunities to BE the Red Cross. We also need help getting to all those important community meetings and safety/health fairs.

On top of all this, we�ve been challenged by The American Red Cross to take on a new responsibility � the Response Call Network (RCN). When a major disaster strikes and people need help finding shelters and feeding sites, they call the Red Cross. You could be the person on the other end of the phone offering direction. Two training sessions are scheduled at this time � 5-10 p.m. on June 15 or June 20 (you only need to come to one if you�re interested in helping). The local RCN will be open (when activated by national headquarters) from 8 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. We�re planning on having volunteers work four or eight hour shifts. This is a great way for volunteers who work full time to get experience on a national disaster relief operation. There are several opportunities for volunteers with all levels of experience � so please let us know if you want to get in on the action.

We say this all the time � but the American Red Cross is our volunteers. We could not do this without you. Please think about how you would like to help the greatest relief organization in the world. Thanks for all you do!

Sincerely,

Debi Meeds Chris Harmon Carrie Collier