Two Red Cross volunteers depart quickly for Southern California
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By Dustin Lemmon | Tuesday, October 23, 2007 |
(LARRY FISHER/ QUAD-CITY TIMES) Buy this Photo
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Volunteers Frank and Deb Parker left the Q-C area in a Red Cross emergency …
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TODAY: (Updated 2:00 p.m.) Within a half-hour of getting a call from the American Red Cross of the Quad-Cities Area, two veteran volunteers of the Hurricane Katrina disaster departed today for Southern California.
Frank and Deb Parker of Rapids City, Ill., took the local Red Cross emergency response vehicle, hoping to provide aid to those fighting wildfires near San Diego. They’ll find out their assignment when they get there, Leslie Anthony, a spokesperson for the Red Cross said.
Frank Parker, who is retired and drives a truck part time, was eager to hit the road today. He first had to go home to pick up his wife.
“This job comes first,” he said, standing outside the disaster response vehicle. “We like driving this there and feeding people. We’ll do what we can to give them what they need.”
Parker and his wife first volunteered for disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Anthony said they agreed to go to Southern California as soon as they were called today.
“They’re really great,” Anthony said. “They’re always available on a minute’s notice.”
The Parkers are the first local volunteers to depart, but Anthony said they would like to find more. A call for help was put out to the organization’s 210 local volunteers today, but others are welcome to join the effort.
Anyone with interest can call the local Red Cross at (309) 743-2166. Anthony said volunteers will receive specialized training and a background check before leaving. Volunteers should expect to be gone for at least three weeks, she said.
Nationwide, the Red Cross is trying to recruit 1,900 people to assist in Southern California.
“We love to see people from the Quad-Cities go because they learn things we can use back here,” Anthony said.
A local Red Cross employee, Patti Franklin, director of public support, was flying out of the Quad-Cities today, bound for Los Angeles. Franklin will help tell the Red Cross story to potential donors to build funding, Anthony said.
“This is probably going to be a very expensive disaster for the Red Cross,” Anthony said, “so it’s important we have the public’s help.”
Anthony said the emergency response vehicle can be used to transport food and water and anything else that might be needed.
She hopes to have more volunteers departing for Southern California by the end of the week.
Dustin Lemmon can be contacted at (563) 383-2493 or dlemmon@qctimes.com.
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