Stories and photos by Kate Walters/American Red Cross
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” – Henry Ford
The first week of March American Red Cross volunteers had an opportunity to become better trained responders thanks to the partnership between Pikes Peak Community College and the Red Cross of Southeastern Colorado. Josh Baker who is the Vice President of Instruction at PPCC, has recently joined the Board of Directors for the local chapter. In keeping with the call to be a part of strengthening our community, he worked with Red Cross representatives to offer not only space but also incredible hospitality to the Red Cross team.
Brad Rice (r) and Darrell Kirby train Disaster Action Team volunteers
The American Red Cross offered 14 different courses over a 3-day period on the PPCC campus. Topics included an array of subjects such as Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Mass Casualty Incident Response Management and Sheltering Fundamentals and Simulation. The keynote speaker Bob Faw, a self-proclaimed practical optimist, provided inspiring insights for more effective volunteer service. Darrell Kirby, himself a volunteer serving as Red Cross Disaster Services Training Lead was in charge of the event. He is pleased with the outcome. “This was a great opportunity for our team which is spread throughout Colorado to come together and get to know each other. Several people mentioned that they enjoyed not only the training but also having the opportunity to put a face with the emails.” Said Kirby.
Paula Gregory trains volunteers to strengthen community partnerships.
Many thanks to the fantastic people who took great care of our Red Cross volunteers, both students and instructors. The dedicated staff at PPCC was remarkable. It requires a significant number of people to support an event like this. Patti Bauer, of Instructional Services made sure our immediate needs were met. Andrew Wynn from Facilities made sure classrooms were set up. The Campus Police made sure we had access to the classrooms every morning. Housekeeping made sure the classrooms were kept clean. When we work together we achieve success.
March is Red Cross Month and the Red Cross is preparing its volunteers for the upcoming disaster season and recommends that everyone take the time to prepare themselves as well. For more information about preparedness visit redcross.org/prepare. The first step toward preparedness is to download the Red Cross mobile apps Emergency and First Aid. Download these apps from your preferred app vendor or from the Red Cross at redcross.org/apps.