Red Cross volunteers recount ‘Hero’ stories

After tornados devastated towns in southern Indiana last weekend, volunteers from the Monroe County chapter of the American Red Cross arrived to provide relief.

On Tuesday, local philanthropists and citizens gathered for breakfast at the KRC Catering banquet hall. Some of those attendees and other volunteers were honored for the Annual Heroes Campaign.

The campaign, which kicked off Red Cross Month, honors heroes who have raised $1,000 or more for the organization.

The campaign is a national effort for each chapter to reach its target goal for fundraising. This year, the Bloomington chapter is attempting to raise $4,000.

For every $100 a person donates, a hand-sewn stuffed puppy is given to a child living in a post-disaster environment. 

The Heroes Campaign also honors American Red Cross founder Clara Barton, who died in 1912, and other women in philanthropy.

Linda Prall, owner of Kilroy’s, KRC Catering and Smokin’ Jack’s Rib Shack, is the chairperson for the Heroes fundraiser.

This year is the sixth the Red Cross has promoted the campaign.

Three volunteers at the event gave testimonies to more than 100 audience members about how the Red Cross has affected their lives.

Jenny Tracy, who was raised in a military family and recently married a sergeant from the National Guard, said the American Red Cross and the military combine to provide disaster relief.

“The American Red Cross makes a big difference,” Tracy said. “We are here to celebrate that today. Together, we’re all proud, we’re impactful, we’re committed, we’re supportive and damn right we’re scared. The one final, common thread is we’re all heroes.”

Donna Peters gave a testimony of her trip to Henryville, Ind., with six Red Cross volunteers during the weekend. 

She said the destroyed land was “a lot like you see on TV, but it’s panoramic.”

“But what you can’t see on TV is the look in people’s eyes,” she said. “Everyone wanted to talk, but they were in a state of shock.”

Peters said it was hard to tell who was giving the supplies or who was taking them because people in the community were helping each other.

“They have nothing,” she said. “It’s going to be a long time there until those people can rebuild, and I just don’t want us to forget.”

Volunteer Tracy Young gave the final speech, which caused some members in the audience to cry. Young has been a volunteer with the disaster relief services at the American Red Cross for 12 years.

She recounted her experiences as a disaster relief volunteer in St. Lucie County, Fla., where two hurricanes in 2004 hit the county within two weeks.

During the weekend, Young also visited southern Indiana to provide supplies.

“Sometimes all they need is a hug and someone to hear their stories and to listen what they’re going through,” she said.

Young said she feels fortunate because disaster can affect anyone.

“Who’s to say that won’t be me one of these days,” she said. “I’m comforted to know that if I am in their place, the Red Cross will be there for me.