Photo By Sgt. Maj. Shelia Fourman | Third Army American Red Cross volunteer Katharine Bates, a Petty Officer 1st Class,...... read more read more
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait—Every minute of every day, a service member needs a way to deal with the stressors of being deployed. The American Red Cross, which is known for giving blood to those in need offers many other services to troops. The ARC here provides a relaxed environment for deployed service members to kick back and relax while volunteers provide the helping hand.
“As of Aug. 10, Third Army has 45 registered volunteers here,” Sandra Chambers, Camp Arifjan ARC station manager said.
The volunteers make all things possible with their willingness to help service members in times of need; whether it is a family emergency, need to get away or to stay in touch with loved ones.
Being one of the largest suppliers of blood throughout the world today, the ARC has had more than 4 million blood donors to give blood within the 720 locally supported chapters.
Although the ARC here does not except blood from deployed service members or Department of Defense employees, they do offer different services to help service members cope with deployment stress such as the pet therapy program, video games room and even snacks.
The pet therapy program offers many troops who are missing their pets a chance to interact with animals. Third Army currently has one six-month old Border-Collie and Labrador mix, Luka, who travels around Kuwait.
“I know what it’s like being deployed and I have been deployed as an employee of the Red Cross several times,” Chambers stated. “I also had three brothers that were deployed during wartime operations and I know how hard it is to be away.”
Staffed with more than 700,000 volunteers and 34,000 employees nation-wide, the volunteers clearly outnumber the employees. Most volunteers here help manage the facility by conducting administrative paperwork, pushing Red Cross messages to troops, maintaining volunteer hours and updating Camp Arifjan’s ARC social media sites.
“I have been employed with the ARC for 33 years and I started off in disaster relief services,” Chambers said.
Volunteers make up the majority of the staff. Most service members who volunteer are more stable workers due to the year-long deployments, and with ARC employees being stationed all over the world they return home about ever four months, Chambers added. The demands for volunteer help in a wartime environment like this are highly encouraged.
Several years ago, Third Army established four Red Cross stations in the Middle East to support wartime efforts and the Third Army mission. Within the last year, two stations in Iraq were closed due to the drawdown. Volunteers here are in high demand and are needed for daily operations.
With help from deployed service members volunteering here, it helps take some stress off the limited staff.
“We receive about 10 to 20 Red Cross messages a day,” Chambers said. Volunteers help pass the messages along to loved ones who are currently deployed, she mentioned.
“Volunteering is something that I always wanted to do,” Katharine Bates, a Petty Officer 1st Class and a volunteer assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistic Support Group and a Eugene, Ore., native. “I really enjoy helping people.”
With Third Army service members continuously volunteering with the ARC, it allows service members to focus on wartime efforts by being ready tonight, sustaining the fight and continuing to shape future missions throughout Third Army’s area of responsibility.
| Date Taken: | 08.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2011 07:19 |
| Story ID: | 75359 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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