FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (June 23, 2015) -- The American Red Cross honored Fort Bragg ARC volunteers for their service at an appreciation luncheon at the Fort Bragg Conference and Catering Center, June 16.
Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross more than 130 years ago to provide aid to service members during the Civil War. While the mission of the American Red Cross has expanded beyond just service to the armed forces, Red Cross volunteers still perform vital functions to help support our service members and their Families, at home and overseas.
In 2014, volunteers at the American Red Cross Services to the Armed Forces Fort Bragg Station contributed 30,815 hours of volunteer service to the installation. The services the volunteers provide are vast and include administrative support, assisting patients at Womack Army Medical Center and greeting service members returning home from a deployment at Green Ramp.
The majority of the Red Cross volunteers on Fort Bragg spend their time at Womack.
"You can't walk through the hospital without seeing blue vest after blue vest and smiling face after smiling face," said Col. Ronald Stephens, commander, WAMC, referring to the vests the volunteers wear while on duty. "You all are heroes. Our volunteers are absolutely critical and absolutely irreplaceable."
Jeanette Salcedo, the Red Cross station manager for Fort Bragg, thanked the volunteers and said the time they give goes a long way to supporting the mission of Fort Bragg and the American Red Cross.
"Everything you guys do here means a tremendous amount to Soldiers and their Families," said Salcedo. "I know you don't always have time to do what you do, but you make the time so you can be here. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
The Red Cross volunteers are a diverse crowd. A group filled with retired first sergeants and command sergeants major, military Family members, community members and individuals just looking for a way to give back to our nation's military.
"I do it because I love my country," said Sonia Dowless, who has volunteered with the Red Cross for five years. "I do it because I want to help. Since I can't join the Army, this how I show my love for my country and do my part."
The Red Cross is always looking for volunteers.
"Even if it's just four hours a month," said Salcedo. "That little bit just means so much."
To learn more about the Fort Bragg American Red Cross Station and how you can help, visit www.bragg.army.mil/directorates/redcross/.
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