By Paul Warner
Sandy Shirey is passionate about her work.
"The fact that what we do literally saves lives means a lot to me," said the director of the Athens County American Red Cross. "The blood program is probably the highest intensity of work, but you know that in the end of the day, many people aren't just going to have their life saved, but extended."
The Athens County Red Cross, which was chaptered in 1917, is a private non-profit disaster agency and conducts about 60 blood drives a year. In addition to collecting blood, the organization also serves as a third party communicator between active military members and their local families.
But what the Athens Red Cross may be known most for -- at least locally -- is going to scenes of fires.
"We have about 22-35 single family fires or single residence fires a year," Shirey said. "We collect donations in advance so we'll have materials and a financial base to help people in an emergency."
The organization, which has just two full-time employees on staff, provides shelter for the night, clothing -- through donated bags -- and a voucher to go to the store. The Red Cross also provides comfort kits that scouts and 4-H groups make with a toothbrush and toothpaste, washcloth and shampoo.
"It's amazing how many people say, 'that comfort kit really helped. Once I got cleaned up, then I could face what I had to,'" Shirey said. "Anybody, even someone with a lot of money in the bank, may need emergency clothing. Even if they have insurance, the adjuster might not find Athens County for a couple of days."
For large fires or flooding, the Red Cross sets up shelters and feeds people three times a day.
"We can also provide the first month's rent," she said. "We keep pots and pans, towels and blankets to set up house keeping again. It's just that bit of help right after the disaster to get back to a normal living situation. And we do all that by donations."
The Red Cross' Web site is www.athensohredcross.org.
This story is the first in a series of articles appearing in Outlook showcasing the 16 health and social service agencies affiliated with United Appeal for Athens County. This year's county-wide campaign goal looks to raise $203,000.
