Summer vacation for many area young people doesn't mean it's time to just loaf around the house. American Red Cross Youth Council volunteers, for example, are out in full force helping when and where they are needed in The T&D Region. Teenagers 13 to 17 years of age are working to make a difference in the community and learning valuable life skills and lessons along the way.

"This is the first year in a long time that the youth volunteers have been able to continue to work over the summer," said Cindy Smith, executive director of the Greater Edisto Chapter of the ARC. She said parent volunteer Becky Dukes is a driving force behind the group who has enabled them to keep doing volunteer work into the traditional school vacation days.

"This group has really reached out into the community. Our youth have been involved in several different projects including working with the SPCA and CCMO. What they accomplish is up to them," Smith said. "We let them decide what their goals are and what kind of difference they want to make."

Kimberly Fleming of Orangeburg, who joined the group in the spring, recently completed a Red Cross course in Emergency Response. In addition to specialized training in emergency procedures, Fleming, along with most of the other youth volunteers, took classes in CPR/First Aid, Fire Safety, Introduction to Disaster and Mass Care.

"I love it," said Fleming, who noted that she just enjoys volunteering and doing something that is so rewarding.

Young people are trained to become involved in many areas of Red Cross Disaster Services, including community disaster education, disaster preparedness and disaster response through Red Cross disaster action teams and youth disaster corps.

In addition, through Red Cross training in HIV/AIDS education, first aid, CPR, aquatics and water safety classes, young people are learning about leading healthier, safer lives as well as being trained to serve as instructors, lifeguards and peer educators.

Smith noted that in the Orangeburg area any classes that are offered by the local chapter are also available to the youth, allowing them to choose whatever discipline they have an interest in and following it through to completion. Success depends on their drive and willingness to pursue advanced education.

"Over the years, we've had kids who focused on health and safety and went on to become CPR/First Aid instructors. Several of them became medical first responders, the high end instructors. Most of them go into the disaster response component of water safety," Smith said.

Proudly wearing a white T-shirt that states on the front, "Don't ask me my age. Ask me who I am," and on the back, "I'm a Red Cross Volunteer," Benjamin Dukes of Orangeburg, vice-president of the American Red Cross Youth Council, can be found helping out nearly anywhere and anytime the group is needed. He has been with the team for nearly six years and is active in recruiting new members.

"It makes me feel good inside to do something good in other peoples#, lives," Dukes said.

Torez Moody of Orangeburg, who has been a volunteer for about a year, said that when he heard his friends talking about the activities they did to serve in the community, he decided to get involved.

"I have learned that there are a lot of problems in our county and lots of areas where we can help," Moody said.

The youth volunteers are involved with the ARC in supporting emergency workers and victims in single house fires, clearing debris to make living areas safe, caring for the animals at the SPCA, sorting clothes and stocking food items at CCMO, along with many other areas of community service.

Working with the Red Cross, their activities can include cleaning up streets, planting trees and organizing food drives. Young people also serve as mentors to peers and younger youth on substance abuse prevention, teen pregnancy prevention, environmental awareness, violence prevention and other major youth issues.

Parent volunteers Thomas Fleming of the Calhoun County EMS and Dukes, a former Red Cross employee, said they escort the teens to the locations where they are needed, supervise them and make sure they are safe while they are performing valuable services for the community.

In the upcoming weeks youth volunteers are scheduled to help in the landscaping efforts at a newly-built structure erected by Habitat for Humanity on Rose Street in Orangeburg.

The goal of the youth ARC Youth program is to provide young people with meaningful opportunities for education, training and volunteer and community service so that they remain a part of the Red Cross family throughout their lives.

"We encourage our youth to become leaders," Smith said.

Anyone interested in becoming a youth volunteer with the Greater Edisto Chapter of the American Red Cross can contact Cindy Smith, c/o American Red Cross, 545 Louis Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115, or call her at 803-534-5735.

You must be logged in to comment.