Just wanted to share a very nice article from yesterday’s Estacada News about Margie Thom, one of our Chapter volunteers who got involved in Red Cross work right after Hurricane Katrina.

Here are a few good quotes…

ON WHY SHE VOLUNTERS: “We’ve taken psychological first aid classes that tell us what signs to look for in ourselves as well as our clients. I think one of the things that helps so much is, even when you see someone who has lost everything, you know you’re helping, and that gives you a lot of satisfaction. I think it’s a wonderful organization.”

ON WHAT SHE DOES: “I work in material support systems and usually handle transportation. What transportation does is acquire cars and trucks to move supplies, handle the inspections and deploy the ERVs [emergency response vehicles].”

ON WHY OTHERS SHOULD GET INVOLVED: “If we have the big earthquake some think we’re going to have, we could be shut off from outside help for a long time. We need local people trained to respond to a local disaster.”

ON FAMILY: “My daughter Cindy asked [my granddaughter], ‘What do you think about grandma going away all time?’ She said, ‘It’s OK.’ Cindy said, ‘Why, because she brings you presents?’ And she said, ‘No, because she tells me stories when she comes back.’”