A large crowd listens Tuesday night during the
American Red Cross’ HEROES campaign kick-off dinner.
(Staff photo by Chris Trainor)
There are some who think it takes special talents or certain physical skills to be a hero.
As it has done for four years now,
Greenwood’s American Red Cross is offering the opportunity for anyone to become a hero.
Red
Cross kicked off its annual HEROES campaign Tuesday night with a dinner at Inn on the Square in Uptown Greenwood. More than 100 guests filled
the dining hall to receive information about the Red Cross and this year’s efforts.
The HEROES campaign is a grassroots effort to
raise money and awareness for Red Cross. The agency has a goal of $20,000 for this year’s campaign.
Goals are met through a variety of special events, programs and word-of-mouth fundraising.
Chip
Stockman, president of Stockman Oil and state Senate candidate, addressed the crowd, stressing the importance of Red Cross and what it
offers.
Stockman relayed a story about an instance in 1988 in which his sister was involved in an apartment fire at the University of
Georgia. Stockman said the assistance provided to his sister by the Red Cross the night of the fire and the days after was invaluable.
“The
point I learned from that is you never know,” Stockman said. “You never know when it’s going to be a friend or a family member or you that
needs that help. We have to keep the Red Cross ready to help all of us whenever the need arises.”
Greenwood County Councilman Rhett Dominick also spoke, sharing his own experiences in dealing with Red
Cross. Dominick had a 102-year-old home he owned -- next door to the home he resides in -- burn to the ground last year.
Dominick
said the fire left a lasting impression on him, though not as lasting as the actions of the Red Cross following the blaze.
“The
firemen that night did a superb job in fighting that fire,” Dominick said. “But along with them, one of the people I remember being there
that night was (Red Cross operations center manager) Barbara (Turnburke). She was there taking care of the firemen and taking care
of us.
“It hits home hard when you’ve got something that you’ve worked hard to take care of, and by an accident on my part, it burns up.
“But the Red Cross was there.”
Walt Roark is a Red Cross board member and one of this year’s campaign chairmen. Roark, who is also a football coach at Cambridge Academy and
a fireman at Northwest Volunteer Fire Department, stressed the importance of HEROES fundraising.
“Red Cross is a wonderful
organization,” Roark said. “It’s tough to see this stuff first hand. As firemen, we see families go through a tragedy. Without the Red Cross,
we could not do what we are able to do.”
Besides assistance and supplies for victims of fires, Red Cross also provides support and canteen
services to firemen at scenes.
Clemson University football coach Tommy Bowden and USC skipper Steve Spurrier
are the regional chairmen of the 2008 HEROES campaign. As such, Turnburke selected three area football coaches to head up Greenwood’s
drive: Emerald High’s Mike Clowney, Greenwood’s Shell Dula and Cambridge’s Roark.
Anyone wishing to donate or participate in
the HEROES campaign can call Turnburke at 229-3102 or campaign manager Allyson Tesh at 271-8222.
Reprinted with permission of the Index-Journal
