Red Cross honours volunteers
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman Islands Red Cross (CIRC) recently hosted its 15th annual appreciation event, “The Henris”, to recognise the achievements of CIRC volunteers throughout 2018. “The Red Cross is an organisation built on volunteer work and community engagement,” said director Jondo Obi in a press release.
“This event first started as a way to recognise the tremendous work done by volunteers during Hurricane Ivan and since then has become an annual event which celebrates our volunteers and the work they’ve put in in the passing year.”
The event opened with a presentation by Governor Martyn Roper, who thanked the volunteers for their hard work and their contribution to the community.
Herfer Hyde and Grace Bryant then received long-service pins for 15 years of service.
Special recognition was awarded to CIRC youth volunteers Amy Wagner, Ashlee Wagner, Kerry-Ann McField, Kareisha Nelson, Dalton Nelson Jr and Dreshna James.
Carolina Ferreira, deputy director and child protection & sexuality education programme manager, summarised the work done last year, the press release stated. The multi-agency group Protection Starts Here (PSH), which celebrated its sixth year, went international in 2018, hosting workshops on child abuse in the US and the Czech Republic, and going to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to assist with developing a Darkness to Light training programme.
First aid training manager Peter Hughes thanked volunteers for their hard work in covering 58 events over the course of 2018. The first aid programme trained more than 900 people in life-saving skills, and certified 24 in basic water safety, with five trainers also added, including a Spanish-speaker.
Thrift shop manager Remy Imperial noted the store, which assisted 135 vulnerable clients, visited the districts 15 times as part of the Community Outreach Programme, and provided pick-up services more than 100 times to assist donors.
Disaster manager Eddie Sepp Tinling-Miller provided an overview of the work done in the field of preparedness and response. In 2018, 52 new Community Emergency Response team (CERT) members were trained as well as 32 new National Intervention Team members. Youth awareness was also highlighted as CIRC joined Hazard Management Cayman Islands in engaging with 14 schools throughout the island.
The Red Cross, together with the Cayman Cadets, also organised Operation Aftershock, which simulated a two-day disaster. This exercise will be repeated in 2019.
In thanking everyone who donated their time to the CIRC over the last year, volunteer and resource manager Samantha White-Smith said, “The Cayman Islands Red Cross is privileged to have a strong, thoughtful and committed group of volunteers. As a volunteer, you bring so much to the organisation: skills, experience, friendship, vision, leadership, inspiration and advice…Tonight, we take this opportunity to thank you and celebrate all that you do.”
For more information, call 925-2251, email vrm@redcross.org.ky , or go to the CIRC website
Category: Community, Service Organisations
