Monday, October 8, 2018

From Resident to Red Cross Volunteer: A Conway Resident Gives Back


Story by: Barbara Weber, American Red Cross Volunteer

When Karin Krauss moved to Conway, South Carolina three years ago she had no idea she would one day be in the midst of a major American Red Cross disaster relief effort right in her home town.

After Krauss moved to Conway, she became friends with her neighbor, Karen Williams. Williams and her husband have been volunteering with the Red Cross for several years. They told Krauss how much they enjoyed the adventures they had traveling around the country providing food, supplies and comfort to people in dire circumstances due to disasters.

Karin Krauss, event-based volunteer, helps
unload meals from an emergency response vehicle.
So when Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas, dumping over 10 trillion gallons of rain and flooding the town of Conway, Krauss decided it was time to get involved. She was inspired to join the Red Cross efforts in helping the local residents impacted by the devastating flooding, just as volunteers from across the country arrived to help.

“I thought of a lot of people and how lucky we were at the other end of Conway that we didn’t get any of the flooding. I wanted to really see how I could go help out some of these people who didn’t have what they needed,” said Krauss.

Turns out, her help was needed, too. Williams told Krauss that the Red Cross was inviting volunteers to join the team, so she signed up to become an event-based volunteer. To date, more than 450 Red Cross disaster workers from all over the country have been in South Carolina helping shelter, feed and comfort people affected.

“When it really struck close to home I thought this is the time for me to really jump into this, so it just made sense,” said Krauss.

Krauss hands out a free, hot meal to a resident in need
after Hurricane Florence. 
Krauss hit the ground running by supporting the Red Cross mobile feeding efforts in Horry County. She tirelessly loaded supplies on and off Emergency Response Vehicles, working with Williams and her husband to deliver hot meals, snacks and water to fire stations, community centers, and neighborhoods where people had been unable to get out for days due to the extreme flooding. So far the Red Cross and its partners have served nearly 200,000 meals and snacks in South Carolina.

“Karen and her husband are wonderful helpful people, and to be part of this with them has been a real joy,” said Krauss.

Krauss is now an official Red Cross volunteer and is planning on moving forward playing an active role as a local volunteer. She said she didn’t realize all that the Red Cross does in addition to the major disaster relief efforts and is excited to learn more about the different services the Red Cross offers.

If you are interested in helping others by volunteering with the Red Cross please visit www.redcross.org/volunteer to find out more and to sign up.

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