Urgent Call for Volunteers

Red Cross needs volunteers in Webster County

Your American Red Cross only has half the volunteers it needs in Webster County. Disaster Action Teams (DAT) are critical to Red Cross response and assistance in every community. The Red Cross recommends at least one volunteer for every fire that occurred in your county during the last fiscal year. Last year, Webster County had 11 fires. Currently, Webster County has six volunteers: Lela Gallison, Ron and Jo Slingerland, Dale and Ramona Sponsler and Tony Adams.

The responding fire department (or emergency responder) calls DAT members. These volunteers assist victims with meeting critical needs such as medication, clothing, food and a place to stay. All services to disaster victims are free, thanks to donations made by the Ozarks community. DAT training for Webster County will be held in Marshfield if an interest is shown. Training is free to volunteers. Meetings are scheduled once a month in Marshfield. A DAT meeting is scheduled in Webster County � interested residents are encouraged to attend.

WHAT: Greater Ozarks Chapter DAT Meeting
WHO: residents of Webster County
WHY: to fill the urgent need to supply your neighbors with disaster assistance
WHEN: Thursday, January 8, 2004
WHERE: Marshfield (exact location TBA)

For more information, please call Disaster Specialist Denise Dobbs at (417) 832-9500.

Governed by volunteers and supported by community donations, the American Red Cross is a nationwide network of nearly 1,000 chapters and Blood Services regions dedicated to saving lives and helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. Led by 1.2 million volunteers and 30,000 employees, the Red Cross annually mobilizes relief to families affected by more than 67,000 disasters, trains almost 12 million people in lifesaving skills and exchanges more than a million emergency messages for U.S. military service personnel and their families. The Red Cross is the largest supplier of blood and blood products to more than 3,000 hospitals across the nation and also assists victims of international disasters and conflicts at locations worldwide.