STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More Local News

• Marco City Council to move forward with budget decisions
• Marco Police Chief Carr wants officers out of their cars
• Vandalism case solved: Teens arrested in connection with 25 incidents

Share and Enjoy [?]

The American Red Cross, Collier County Chapter, will celebrate 80 years of humanitarian service next year.

As the county plans to honor volunteers who show up in the face of disaster to offer a compassionate “helping hand” to victims in time of need, a diminutive handful of volunteers from Marco Island offer a ponderous thought to a community left, seemingly, unaware: Are people fully prepared to handle an unfortunate, disastrous event in paradise?

The City of Marco Island currently has no organized, local group of Red Cross volunteers. That means, no Red Cross disaster relief plan for Islanders.

According to David and Shirley Totos, a Marco Island couple who began volunteering for the Red Cross two years ago, in the event of an extreme emergency situation, locals could find themselves waiting for “disaster relief” to make the trip down 951 from Naples.

“It would be terrific if we didn’t have to rely on other Red Cross groups because if a disaster strikes, everybody gets spread out thin,” explains David Totos, one of just a few Marco Island Red Cross volunteers.

File photo

Donna Koenig, a volunteer for the American Red Cross, readies 10 shelter kits at the Collier County facility on Immokalee. The Red Cross was getting ready, just in case, for 2004's Hurricane Ivan by repacking their kids which contain all of the important paperwork and supplies they need while commanding a shelter.

“Marco could be at the end of the waiting list, because we don’t have our own volunteers to handle a disaster. Thank God it didn’t happen to us, hopefully it won’t happen to us, but I’d sure like to be prepared. On Marco, we’ve been blessed. But I’ll tell you, if a tragedy hit, people would just come apart at the seams. If you’re not trained, you know, you need that organization,” Totos confirms.

Without local group meetings, Red Cross volunteers are currently forced to drive to Naples for training and certification. In coming weeks, the Totos plan to meet with the Marco Island Community Emergency Response Team to discuss working in conjunction with them, to hold monthly meetings on the island. The idea is for the Red Cross and CERT, which is a group of citizens trained to recognize, respond and recover from a major emergency or disaster, to work with the Red Cross, in establishing a stable disaster relief plan for the city.

The Totos imagine using the community room at the police department for meetings- depending upon the gathering of willing volunteers.

“I don’t think people realize that we need more volunteers. Not to scare people, but if someone would ask, ‘Why do we need Red Cross on the island?’ I would say, ‘Why do we need a police department? Why do we need a fire department?’ It all ties together. We’re a community. 15,000 full time and 35,000 seasonal residents. That’s a lot of people! All it takes is one event that the police and fire department can’t handle. That’s what the Red Cross is for — to support them,” says Totos.

The Red Cross needs a variety of volunteers. Candidates may perform tasks like answering phones, filing, fundraisers, stocking emergency items, organizing shelters or helping pets. Volunteers can chose how much time they want to dedicate and what they want to do to help. The Red Cross implores medical professionals to participate.

“It would be a plus to have a medical person on the island involved. The things we’re going to are disasters. If you get there and someone’s hurt or bleeding and you aren’t in the medical field, you can only do so much,” says Totos. “But it’s not always blood. It’s just helping out in any way people need helped out. That’s why it’s been around in Collier County for 80 years. Because it works! The Red Cross is good at what they do. People believe in it. Especially people who have been helped by them.”

And now, with the 80th anniversary celebration just around the corner, the Collier County Chapter of the American Red Cross is searching for 80 sponsors, willing to return the favor.

“Eighty sponsors for the 80th” is being offered to local companies, willing to partner with the Red Cross, for a sponsorship fee of $5,000. Sponsors will receive promotional initiatives encompassing three major events: The 80th Anniversary Celebration, the 2008 Heroes Campaign and the 2008 Golf Tournament.

Dinner on the lawn at the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club is slated for March 8. The line-up includes music from the era, lawn games, and food reminiscent of 1928, the year the Red Cross formed the Collier County Chapter, with headquarters in Everglades City. Sponsors will receive recognition from the podium, logo placement on all printed materials such as invitations, posters, flyers, event programs, recognition in the Chapter’s newsletter, company name and direct link on the local American Red Cross Web site, the Red Cross “good neighbor” award, two complimentary tickets to the celebration, a photo and logo in the North Naples Journal, a full front-page color ad at the close of the 2008 Heroes Campaign, one round of golf for a foursome in the golf tournament and free Red Cross training in First Aid/ CPR for up to ten employees.

For more information on the “80 sponsors for the 80th” program, call MaryLee Conner at 596-6868. For more information on volunteering for the Marco Island Red Cross, contact Jerry Welty at 596-6868.