Sherman Democrat
July 4, 1976 Section D, pg. 8 RED CROSS ANSWERS DISTRESS CALL Denison - Citizens of Denison realizing the humanitarian needs of the community organized a Chapter of the American National Red Cross on April 24, 1917. First board chairman was John Revell. The chapter working under the revised Red Cross Congressional Charter of 1905 for Service to Military Families and Disaster, and as a neutral organization, began helping servicemen and their families in the community. Volunteers began to establish a nursing program too. As soon as war was declared, people turned to the Red Cross for assistance which the local chapter was not prepared to give. Red Cross volunteer workers met the emergency as efficiently as possible, however, and carried on until an organization was formed capable of handling the growing war demands. At this time volunteers also began to develop programs in water safety, first and the Junior Red Cross. The increasing needs of the community led the chapter to organize county-wide March 22, 1932. Offices were established both in Denison and Sherman in 1957 and a full-time executive secretary and personnel for Denison and Sherman offices were employed to make Red Cross work available to the servicement and their families living in this area. By 1942 programs in homes service were available as well as a camp and hospital committee with volunteers known as Gray Ladies giving hours of aid to the Perrin Air Force Base hospital and other area hospitals. Nurses' aid then had 26 volunteers in Sherman and 12 volunteers in Denison. The chapter had a production room where volunteers were able secure yarn and knit garments for use with the soldiers. The Junior Red Cross was busy making scrapbooks, games and crossword puzzle books for army hospitals and Perrin AIr Force Base hospital. The home nursing committee was preparing layettes for the soldiers' wives. In the service to military families cases being served were death notices, wires concerning illness of either soldiers or their families, allotments and allowances, prisoners of war, soldiers missing in action, inquiry services, loans, AWOL, birth messages, farm discharges and gifts of money to relatives from soldiers. Grayson County Chapter officially combined the two offices in 1961 when the movement was made back to one building. Land was purchased and a brick chapter house to meet the needs of the chapter and community was constructed at 2527 Highway 691, half-way between Sherman and Denison. Some programs have remained fairly stable with little adjustment during the years. However, some have been dropped and other added. With the government's need for help with the Vietnam Refugees, the Chapter joined in 1975 to help some 3,000 other chapters and field directors in Red Cross overseas to help establish these refugees in the United States. A need for training persons to help with cardiopulmonary resuscitation was developed and by the spring of 1975 the chapter began to train volunteers both in the course offered and train instructors to teach the nine-hour course. Also in the summer of 1975 the American Red Cross made available to volunteers in the chapter a chance to retrain in advanced lifesaving, basic rescue and water safety, and water safety instructors. Also in the summer of 1975 a course in sailing was taught in the county for the first time. The youth services program was begun in March of 1976 and at the present time the chapter has 125 qualified instructors with som 150 volunteers. There are courses in first aid in basic first aid for junior high and middle school age students, multimedia first aid, standard first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Five review courses in first aid are also offered and instructors are trained in teaching the courses. Ten water safety courses are offered from beginning swimming to advanced lifesaving, advanced swimmer and qualifications as instructors. Water safety also includes boating courses and handicapped swimming will be taught in the chapter for the first time in the summer of 1976. The youth services program has had a pilot project completed in the elementary school in a new health and safety course and will be made available to other schools. The disaster program is being organized with volunteers working with the community across the county in training how to help in case of disaster. The chapter is able to service immediate needs in a single disaster and disaster action teams are being formed to help with larger disasters. The present home nursing program includes home nursing, a programmed course offered to high school homemaking classes, mother and baby care, mother's aide, and training for nurses for disaster. The humanitarian purposes of the Red Cross have remained, but the content and the scope of Red Cross programs have continued to change as the demands of the times have prescribed. Thus the people are assured of an effective means by which they might give help to one another in the many fields in which the Red Cross is active. The United Way of Grayson County is the financial supporting agency of the Grayson County Red Cross. Dr. Mack R. Broiles is the present chairman of 17 board members from throughout the county. Denison History Copyright © 2024, TXGenWeb. If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable,please send me a message. |