For the City-Times

Wayne MacDonald of Stevens Point has been recognized as May Volunteer of the Month at the American Red Cross.

Wayne has been a volunteer since 1987 and serves in the Service to Armed Forces department. With ten years of Air Force experience, he felt he had the background to help other service members.

When a families’ beloved service member is away on deployment and they have an emergency back home, Wayne is part of a team that makes a phone call to the family to ensure they have resources and support network, should they need them.  Wayne also provides pre-deployment briefings to National Guard & Reserve units preparing for deployment, educating them on services provided by the Red Cross. Wayne is a leader and mentor to new Red Cross volunteers as well, teaching them the specific skill set needed to assist with military programs. “Wayne is always pleasant, works well with all types of people, is knowledgeable in the program and represents Red Cross professionally”, says Mary Liz Murphy, Services to Armed Forces Program Manager at the Red Cross.

Wayne’s  most memorable moment as a volunteer was, “welcoming home a Wisconsin National Guard unit  returning home from a deployment to Afghanistan, and being able to thank each service member for their service,” he recalls.

“Because of Wayne’s support of the Service to Armed Forces program, Red Cross was able to increase its presence in the Wausau and Stevens Point areas. This work has made a great difference in the lives of the military members and their families that we serve” says Mary Liz Murphy.

Right now, the American Red Cross has many volunteer opportunities, including becoming a disaster responder, supporting military troops, teaching life-saving first aid and CPR, and many more. Red Cross volunteers are united by their service and the feeling that in changing others’ lives, their lives are also changed. To learn more, visit www.redcross.org/volunteer  or contact Western Wisconsin Region at [email protected].

You can help people affected by disasters like floods, fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters. Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCrossWstrnWI.