The American Red Cross was able to be there…thanks to the support from the Josiah W. and Bessie H. Kine Foundation
The Kline Foundation’s gift supports all areas of the American Red Cross’s Emergency Services.
Providing hope and comfort after a fire
Home fires are the most common disaster to which the Red Cross responds. On average, the Central Pennsylvania Region responds to a home fire every 17 hours. Although these fires don’t typically make the news as hurricanes or other large-scale events do, they are devastating for those who have suddenly lost their homes, possessions and sense of security.
Miriam Arocha and her five daughters and neighbors Shelva Lomax and her two daughters were among the 34 people helped that night by the volunteers of the American Red Cross.
Miriam Arocha said, “That night when I didn’t have a clue what to do or where to go, or just the next step, Red Cross arrived and it felt as though God answered my prayers at that moment in time. They helped us with all the things we needed that I never even thought of.”
Shelva Lomax said, “I never knew there were people out there to help you as much as they do when things happen to you and you have nowhere to turn. Red Cross helped my daughters and me so much and I’m thankful for that. Whenever they couldn’t help they pointed you in the right direction to go and had all the contact information that you need.”
Getting the Red Cross relief to where it is needed
When people need the American Red Cross during a disaster, help cannot wait. The American Red Cross’s fleet of emergency response vehicles, such as those pictures here are the cornerstone of getting out volunteers where they are needed quickly and safely. The Kline Foundation was been a forerunner of supporting the American Red Cross’s fleet of Disaster vehicles.
Supporting our service members and military families
The Central Pennsylvania Region gives support to active-duty military members, National Guard and Reserve members, veterans and their families. We provide pre-deployment briefings, called ‘Get to Know Us Before You Need Us,’ and connect families with needed resources when their loved ones are deployed.
During February, the American Red Cross Serving Central Pennsylvania holds its annual Totes of Hope Campaign to assist homeless veterans in Central Pennsylvania. The Veterans Administration Hospitals will be assisting the American Red Cross in distributing the Totes of Hope. According to Keisha Kerr, HCVC (Healthcare for Homeless Veterans) Coordinator at the Lebanon VA, “ Totes of Hope has made a tremendous difference in the lives of these Veterans, their hopes and spirits are renewed when they see the special note to them in the bag. They come to realize they are not invisible and society has not forgotten about them. With this new sense of hope they begin to realize there is a way out of their current situation.“
The Kline Foundation’s support allows us to maintain our ability to continue the Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Program.