Did you know that there are still 45 Oregonians on the ground helping with relief efforts for Hurricane Ike?

One of them is the Oregon Pacific Chapter’s Saundra Romero, whose co-workers pitched in to support her volunteerism.

Saudra had only had one week of vacation, not enough to cover a typical 3-week Red Cross deployment. But her co-workers at Umpqua CDC came together to donate an extra 40 hours of vacation time. “I think it’s wonderful that they stand behind me, especially since I’m their only tech person. This gives them an opportunity to support the Red Cross through me.”

Based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Red Cross disaster relief headquarters, Saundra provides computer and phone support for other workers.

This isn’t the first time Saundra has received this kind of community support. Back in 2005, citizens of Roseburg came together and raised five weeks’ pay to support Saundra while she assisted victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.