From left: Guest speaker, the executive officer of the Monash Ronald McDonald House, Jennifer North, Berwick Upper Beaconsfield Red Cross unit president Wendy Keogh, treasurer Helen Hardiman, secretary Pam Sparrow, and regional delegate Jennie Coventry.BERWICK Upper Beaconsfield Red Cross Unit raised $173 for the Monash Ronald McDonald House by passing the hat around at its annual meeting in the RSL Hall on Friday morning.
The collection was in response to hearing about the house from its executive officer, Jennifer North, who was guest speaker at the meeting.
Ms North told moving stories about families staying at the house while children have been in the Monash Children’s Hospital at Clayton.
Accommodation is available at a small rental for people desperately in need of somewhere to stay when their children are admitted to the hospital.
This type of interest and generosity is just one small facet of the contributions by thousands of Red Cross volunteers who perhaps too often dip into their own pockets to boost the amount of money they raise.
The unit also raised more than $11,000 during the year and helped with the Black Saturday bush fires and the Red Cross Blood Bank.
President Wendy Keogh noted the sadness of Black Saturday caused by the horrific fires.
I have the highest respect for these people, who make themselves available, and give their time at a minute’s notice when disaster strikes.
The strength of Red Cross comes from those who sit and wait in readiness.
And during those times when all is calm they are quietly and persistently working to raise money to support the work of Red Cross.
Whether that work is to be the first to hand a sandwich and cuppa to an exhausted fire fighter or to provide a set of clothes to a family in the early hours of the morning, because a house has been destroyed by fire.
