Red Cross representatives emphasize the services the organization provides to Upshur residents

Monica Zalaznik
March 7, 2023

BUCKHANNON – Representatives from the Allegheny Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross highlighted the services they provide in Upshur County in honor of Red Cross Month.

Jason Keeling, on behalf of the American Red Cross Allegheny Highlands Chapter, attended the March 2 Upshur County Commission to ask commissioners to proclaim March Red Cross Month.

Pictured, from left, are Commissioner Sam Nolte, Upshur DHSEM Director Steve Wykoff, Red Cross representatives Dawn Onesto and Jason Keeling and Commission President Kristie Tenney.

“Red Cross Month is to recognize what we’re doing and the various aspects of our mission, which is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies,” Keeling said. “We do that through the power of our volunteers and the generosity of our donors, and we have a multi-prong approach to doing so.”

He highlighted their efforts to collect blood through blood drives at several locations in Upshur County.

“Last year in Upshur County, 300 units were collected at 11 drives, and multiple drives were held at institutions like West Virginia Wesleyan College, of which I am graduate, so it’s always nice to be back in Buckhannon,” Keeling said. “We also had blood drives at Buckhannon-Upshur High School and various area churches, and we’re really grateful to those who volunteer their spaces to aid in these efforts.”

The Red Cross also provides communication services for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. In 2022, the organization assisted 12 Upshur County families with those services.

“Primarily, that’s an emergency communication service; we’re actually chartered by the U.S. government, so if there is a stateside emergency, we are tasked to verify that and request that a service member be released for a time to address emergencies at home,” Keeling said. “We also provided 10 families with recovery services in the aftermath of a disaster.”

Home fires are the most common disaster the Red Cross responds to across the country.

“Our volunteers and staff are there to ensure our clients have their immediate needs met – shelter, clothing, food, replacement of lost medications, eyeglasses and emotional support,” Keeling said. “We seek to be the best part of what may be someone’s worst day and help them make a plan.”

Upshur County officials also completed 425 courses under the umbrella of the American Red Cross’s CPR and First Aid services.

According to the proclamation declaring March Red Cross Month in Upshur County, the American Red Cross responds 24/7/365 to nearly 60,000 disasters a year in the U.S., including local home fires. It provides 24-hour support to military members, veterans and their families; collects and distributes about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply; and trains millions of people in First Aid procedures, water safety and other life-saving skills every year.