THE ISSUE: The Red Cross mission

OUR OPINION: Not a government agency but always there to help -- if people will help Red Cross

The Red Cross is expected always to be there in an emergency, whether it’s on the national stage or here at home. And the leading relief agency IS there, always. But it’s a miracle.

That’s because most people assume that Red Cross gets its money in places other than from individual contributors and private organizations. Red Cross is not the recipient of government funding. It functions in conjunction with government relief but is a private organization, which makes the agency all the more miraculous.

Consider the work of the Greater Edisto Chapter of the American Red Cross were you in need.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and the first thing you see is fire rolling across your ceiling? Your first thought is to save your family. Get everyone out of the house, you don’t stop to think about clothes or money, you just want your family safe. As you stand outside in your bare feet and pajamas huddled with your family watching your home and all you own turn to ashes, you begin to think, “What are we going to do?” It’s about that time you notice the Red Cross pulling into your yard and you know help has arrived.

The first thing a Red Cross volunteer is going to assess is does the family have a place to stay? If the answer is no, the Red Cross will offer up to three nights in a local motel. Red Cross is then going to address the need for clothes, shoes and food; does the family have a resource to meet this need? If not the Red Cross is going to provide a MasterCard debit card with a preloaded amount of funding so that each family member can purchase the items needed.

“We want to ensure they have the ability to purchase at least one change of clothing and to ensure they have food to eat for about a week after the fire. Finally, we will address health needs. Did they lose their eyeglasses? What about life-sustaining medicines? Our goal is to meet a family’s basic disaster-caused needs immediately after the fire and to become their advocate to help in the recovery process,” according to Cindy Smith, executive director of the Greater Edisto Chapter.

The cost to provide the service for 66 families since July 1 has been overwhelming to the chapter, Smith said. The cost to fund Disaster Service at the Greater Edisto Chapter is $87,132 per year, $239 a day or $10 per hour.

Smith and the chapter are asking for assistance. “We are asking individuals, churches, business and industry and local government to “ADOPT A DAY OF DISASTER SERVICES.” Maybe you can’t adopt an entire day but you can adopt several hours. Whatever you can do will change a life! It cost the Greater Edisto Chapter of the American Red Cross $239 every day or $1,673 every week or $10 every hour to provide services to our communities.”

Don’t assume someone else is going to be there for the Red Cross. Look at helping as your way of assuring Red Cross will always be there if you should ever need its services.

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For information on Adopt A Day, call the Greater Edisto Chapter of the Red Cross at 803-534-5735.

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