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Springfield woman aids flood relief efforts |
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American Red Cross Volunteer Ellen Patashnick of Springfield (right) being debriefed by Red Cross volunteer Ivy Ward (center) and Red Cross Disaster Services employee Paula Wilke (left) on her deployment to Mississippi. Reminder Publications submitted photo
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SPRINGFIELD — More than half of the country has been affected by this continuous band of damaging weather, disrupting people's lives from North Dakota to the East Coast. In the last several weeks, Red Cross disaster workers have provided thousands of overnight stays in shelters, distributed thousands of clean-up and comfort kits and served hundreds of thousands of meals and snacks.
American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter volunteer, Ellen Patashnick of Springfield went to Clinton, Miss., to assist with the disaster relief efforts. Patashnick went for two weeks to provide casework services to victims of the disaster. As a disaster caseworker, Patashnick will work with families and individuals to asses their needs following the storms and provide immediate assistance.
Tim Van Cleef of Amherst went to North Carolina on April 22 to assist with technology support. Ellen Patashnick of Springfield went to Mississippi on April 29 to assist with emotional support services for victims of the disaster.
On April 30, Dorrie Durand of Holyoke was deployed to Alabama to serve as a casework supervisor.
On May 1, Vicki Edwards of Agawam was sent to Mississippi to assist with client casework.
On May 1, Gerri Sexton-Jones of Springfield traveled to Memphis, Tenn., where she worked in shelters for two weeks providing food and other immediate needs to residents affected by the storms.
"We are very proud of our local volunteers who have answered the call for help," Paige Thayer, deputy director of chapter support for the Pioneer Valley Chapter, said. "We have an amazing team of talented local folks who are well trained to provide the compassionate care so desperately needed by the people throughout the storm affected areas."
New local volunteers are welcome, and training opportun-ities are ongoing. Interested volunteers are encouraged to pursue disaster training as soon as possible because deployment to major national or regional disasters requires important advanced training.
For more information on how to begin the training process, please contact Brenda Brouillette, deputy director of chapter services at 737-4306 ext. 1905 or via e-mail at brouilletteb@usa.redcross.org.
To help people affected by disasters like floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief.
Each gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters.
Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS to make any donation.
Contributions may also be sent to a local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.
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