Granville County doesn’t currently have a chapter of the American Red Cross, but a group of local organizers are planning a Volunteer Open House to share information about what it will take to form a volunteer team there.
The open house will take place Thursday, Jan. 25 at The Venue at HighRock Farm, located at 2317 Enon Rd., Oxford from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The Red Cross is known for blood drives and disaster relief efforts across the globe. But did you know that the organization also needs volunteers to help deliver the blood that gets donated and that most of the U.S. disasters are house fires?
“Just knowing that someone is there to lend a helping hand during these trying times provides a light of hope for Granville County residents,” said Laurie Hughes, Executive Director of the Greater Triangle Area Chapter, American Red Cross of North Carolina. “Please join us by resolving to help as a Red Cross volunteer and ensure no one faces life’s emergencies alone.”
The open house is free and all ages are welcome. There will be Hands Only CPR training, and participants can learn more about all the volunteer opportunities available with the Red Cross.
Light refreshments will be served, and organizers would like anyone interested in attending to RSVP by contacting Lesley Ireland at 919.709.8129 or Lesley.Ireland@redcross.org.
The need for volunteers is constant. Visit redcross.org/volunteertoday to learn more, including the most-needed positions:
- Blood donor ambassadors and transportation specialists: Blood donations are essential to the health of our communities, and blood donor ambassadors are a vital part of this work by welcoming visitors and taking their temperatures before entering Red Cross facilities and blood drives. Visitors could include potential blood donors, people seeking help, training course participants, and Red Cross employees and volunteers. We also have a high need for transportation specialists in Durham and Wake Counties to help deliver blood from our facilities to local hospitals.
- Disaster response volunteers: Most of the U.S. disasters that the Red Cross responds to every eight minutes are local home fires, which can destroy nearly everything a family owns in a matter of minutes. Partnering with local fire departments, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers connect with families by video or phone call to provide emotional support, emergency financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover.
- Volunteer from home (virtual positions): Help from the comfort of your own home through a wide range of virtual opportunities.