We will connect family members at midnight on Christmas Eve
Friday, September 25, 2009The birth of a baby. The loss of a loved one. A medical emergency. When major events happen in our lives — celebratory or solemn — we need family members to know. ...
For the brave men and women serving in the U.S. armed forces, the Red Cross is there to relay such urgent news to loved ones.
Indeed, as part of its mission to support military members and their families, the Red Cross offers emergency communications services to all branches of the armed forces — 24 hours a day, 365 days a year — anywhere in the world.
“We will connect family members at midnight on Christmas Eve,” says Harley Jones, who serves as the Red Cross Central Illinois Chapter’s director of emergency services.
Whether a service member is on a mission, in training, transferring between bases or on a ship at sea, he or she knows that the Red Cross will deliver notification when something important happens back home.
More importantly, Red Cross-verified information assists commanding officers in making decisions about whether to grant emergency leave.
Recently, the Red Cross Central Illinois Chapter formed a Service to Military Families Committee. Led by a volunteer and former military member, the committee will provide in-depth follow-up and referrals to people who use Red Cross emergency communications.
Reaching out
The Central Illinois Chapter currently helps link about 40 military families a month, including those who have relatives serving with the Peoria-based Air National Guard 182nd Airlift Wing.
But such services aren’t limited to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines based in the immediate area. In fact, says Jones, “We’re trying to reach military members and their families who aren’t connected with local units, who live in the community, and tell them about all the resources available in central Illinois.”
For example, a central Illinois mother whose son is based out of state can rely on her local Red Cross to get in touch in a crisis.
To get the word out, the Red Cross and several of its community partners recently hosted an outreach event in Tazewell County. More than a dozen military families came, including a couple expecting a child and a military mom.
“I’ve wanted to educate myself so I can support my son better, and now I have so many contacts and resources nearby,” said one local woman. Her son is in stationed in Anchorage, Alaska.
Relaying urgent news isn’t the only way the Red Cross supports the armed forces. Recently, your local chapter distributed more than 40 “comfort kits” to soldiers getting ready to deploy. Kits contain useful personal items, such as toothbrushes, tissues and shampoo.