 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Chestnut Ridge Chapter Lower Burrell Office 1816 Lincoln Avenue 2895-A Leechburg Road Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650 Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania 15068 Phone: (724)-537-3911 Phone: (724)-337-6595 Fax: (724)-539-9502 Fax: (724)-337-6599 E-Mail: crcredcross@covad.net E-Mail: newken@redcross.nidhog.net |
History
In Latrobe, a chapter of the American Red Cross, was organized
following a meeting of 140 “concerned citizens” in the Latrobe High Gym
on April 4, 1917. That original charter bears the name of President
Woodrow Wilson. The publisher of The Latrobe Bulletin, Thomas M.
Whiteman, was elected chairman, Josephine Barnett, secretary and
Ralph Conrad, treasurer. The Chapter celebrated it’s 90th anniversary
in 2007, which is a remarkable achievement for a mostly-volunteer
organization dedicated to helping people in distress. Sometime ago, Mrs.
Barnett’s son mailed from Florida the chapter’s original faded minutes of
that historic organization meeting.
That Latrobe Chapter served Latrobe, Ligonier, Derry, Youngstown, and
the townships of Unity, Derry, and Ligonier and it still does.
During World War I the Latrobe Red Cross Chapter proved its mettle as
women in the community pitched in to hand-make 16,640 finished
garments; 18,311 knitted articles, 32,958 surgical dressings.
One thousand Christmas packages were assembled for “our boys in
uniform.” The 1918-19 Influenza Epidemic that killed 20 million people
worldwide hit this region also with Red Cross volunteers staffing
emergency hospitals in Elk’s Lodge and Holy Family School. The Red
Cross volunteers cared for those hospitalized and made home visits
during the chapter’s first major disaster.
Latrobe’s first Red Cross Visiting Nurse was the tall, indomitable
Margrethe Lovold who served from 1920 until 1946. Her comforting
presence and healing hands touched many lives in times of need and
she delivered hundreds of babies, known later as Red Cross Babies.
During her first year, Miss Lovold made 1,162 home visits and conducted
four “Well Baby Clinics” for 188 children.
The first paid director of Latrobe’s Red Cross was Isabel “Belle”
Donnelley who served in the post until 1945 when Mary Himes assumed
the role through 1958 when the executive director was Margaret G.
Smith, who after 20 years, passed on the leadership post to Nancy E.
Auman who retired in 1999 after serving 21 years in the post. In January
2002, Catherine Krofick became the present Executive Director. Early
offices were on the second floor of the building next to Strickler’s Drug
Store across from Dr. Dotterway. Later the office was moved to the old
City Hall on Main Street. During those years, front-line members were
Mrs. M. Rogers and Mrs. John S. “Martha” Lightcap.
When World War ** arrived the local unit of the Red Cross shifted into
high gear as 1,100 volunteers pitched in to help the war effort. 825,00
surgical dressings were assembled in Latrobe, 4,000 kit bags and more
than 5,000 were hand knitted sweaters, socks, gloves and helmet liners.
The Latrobe Chapter certified 185 volunteer Nurses Aides for Latrobe
Hospital who filled in while the RNs went off to the war.
The Red Cross frequently helps far-off servicemen contact family and
loved ones and provides communications for wounded and prisoners of
war; averaging 200 military cases each month. This valuable
communications link continued through the Korean War, Viet Nam,
Desert Storm to the present.
That is not to say the American Red Cross only acted during Wars for
their volunteers were in the forefront of relief efforts to help victims of the
1936 Flood, followed by another high water event in October 1954 as
Hurricane Hazel inundated Western Pennsylvania with other big floods
following in 1968 and 1995. Teams from the Red Cross served
hundreds of times during fires, plane and helicopter crashes,
earthquakes, tornadoes and other emergencies.
In 1946 the charter was renewed and signed by President Harry S.
Truman, renaming the unit as the Chestnut Ridge Chapter of the ARC.
The list of chapter chairman is a “Who’s Who” of this area starting with
Whiteman, George E. Anderson, Francis J. Harvey, Lewis M. Potter,
Chestner R. Gettermy, Jacob Rosenbloom, Harry W. Good, Edwin S.
Fritz, E. L. Friedman, James Gallagher, James R. Beatty, L.E. Moore, Jr.,
Ronals F. Buerger, Dave A. Snyder, Samuel R. Craig, Eleanor L. Paul,
Dallas G. Rayl, R. Thomas Okonak, Edwin P. Cover, Thomas W.
Thoburn, John A. Graziano, David Jeffris, Lester R. Sutton, Jr.
The Red Cross Today
2001 was a very busy year for the chapter. Volunteers and staff
assisted with 16 single family disasters including 14 fires, one tornado
and a home destroyed when a car crashed into it. Our primary goal is to
ensure that the immediate needs such as shelter, food and clothes are
provided to the people affected by the disaster. Once their immediate
needs have been met, we will begin to help them on the road to
recovery.
A prime example of this was the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack
when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a strip mine near Shanksville
in Somerset County around 9:45 AM. The Disaster Action Team arrived
at the tragic scene by 11:00AM and provided much needed food and
drinks to workers at the crash site. Eighteen chapter volunteers served
at the crash site for the better part of the next month.
Three more volunteers traveled to New York City to assist with the World
Trade Center holocaust. When disaster strikes, help must be immediate,
which is why Red Cross maintains a Disaster Relief Fund where financial
donations are always welcome.
The Latrobe Chapter’s 85th year began as Latrobe’s Red Cross Chapter
occupied its own spacious building with easy off-street access at 1816
Lincoln Avenue, Latrobe, PA. Thanks to generous support, the first
phase of the Capital Campaign met its goal. This drive, directed by
Catherine Krofick and Kristina Dulashaw-Swank, was bolstered by broad
support from foundations, individuals and businesses across the
Chestnut Ridge Chapter jurisdiction. The chapter was able to purchase
a large one story building, which was completely renovated to provide
easy access, office and classrooms, a board room, plus storage areas.
The new home of the Red Cross in Latrobe began life as a super market
and later became a restaurant/night club. Ample free parking is a big
plus thanks to a large parking area in the rear. Financial support
continues to be priority as the chapter hopes to create a building and
maintenance endowment.
The Chestnut Ridge Chapter maintains a busy training schedule
teaching a variety of courses including CPR, first aid, life-guarding, water
safety and babysitting. Nurse Aid testing is held weekly at the new
headquarters. The newest addition to the Health and Safety Program is
Pet First Aid.
One of the American Red Cross’ major programs provides blood services
across the nation. Representatives of the chapter organize and staff the
frequent blood drives. The blood drive program is an instrumental piece
of the success of the Chapter.
Together, each of the services work as a spoke to a wheel and together
they help to drive the Chapter to future success.
In August of 2007 the Chestnut Ridge Chapter welcomed a new
Executive Director, Marlene Petro.
The Chestnut Ridge Chapter has also expanded by annexing with the
former New Kensington - Vandergrift Unit in January 2008. The former
New Kensington-Vandergrift unit serves the communities of New
Kensington, Arnold, Lower and Upper Burrell, Vandergrift, East
Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Washington and Allegheny Townships and
Oklahoma Borough.
It is from this strong foundation of success and leadership that the
current staff and board of directors will continue to move this chapter to
the next level and continue to provide excellent services to the
businesses and community members in our jurisdiction.
In Latrobe, a chapter of the American Red Cross, was organized
following a meeting of 140 “concerned citizens” in the Latrobe High Gym
on April 4, 1917. That original charter bears the name of President
Woodrow Wilson. The publisher of The Latrobe Bulletin, Thomas M.
Whiteman, was elected chairman, Josephine Barnett, secretary and
Ralph Conrad, treasurer. The Chapter celebrated it’s 90th anniversary
in 2007, which is a remarkable achievement for a mostly-volunteer
organization dedicated to helping people in distress. Sometime ago, Mrs.
Barnett’s son mailed from Florida the chapter’s original faded minutes of
that historic organization meeting.
That Latrobe Chapter served Latrobe, Ligonier, Derry, Youngstown, and
the townships of Unity, Derry, and Ligonier and it still does.
During World War I the Latrobe Red Cross Chapter proved its mettle as
women in the community pitched in to hand-make 16,640 finished
garments; 18,311 knitted articles, 32,958 surgical dressings.
One thousand Christmas packages were assembled for “our boys in
uniform.” The 1918-19 Influenza Epidemic that killed 20 million people
worldwide hit this region also with Red Cross volunteers staffing
emergency hospitals in Elk’s Lodge and Holy Family School. The Red
Cross volunteers cared for those hospitalized and made home visits
during the chapter’s first major disaster.
Latrobe’s first Red Cross Visiting Nurse was the tall, indomitable
Margrethe Lovold who served from 1920 until 1946. Her comforting
presence and healing hands touched many lives in times of need and
she delivered hundreds of babies, known later as Red Cross Babies.
During her first year, Miss Lovold made 1,162 home visits and conducted
four “Well Baby Clinics” for 188 children.
The first paid director of Latrobe’s Red Cross was Isabel “Belle”
Donnelley who served in the post until 1945 when Mary Himes assumed
the role through 1958 when the executive director was Margaret G.
Smith, who after 20 years, passed on the leadership post to Nancy E.
Auman who retired in 1999 after serving 21 years in the post. In January
2002, Catherine Krofick became the present Executive Director. Early
offices were on the second floor of the building next to Strickler’s Drug
Store across from Dr. Dotterway. Later the office was moved to the old
City Hall on Main Street. During those years, front-line members were
Mrs. M. Rogers and Mrs. John S. “Martha” Lightcap.
When World War ** arrived the local unit of the Red Cross shifted into
high gear as 1,100 volunteers pitched in to help the war effort. 825,00
surgical dressings were assembled in Latrobe, 4,000 kit bags and more
than 5,000 were hand knitted sweaters, socks, gloves and helmet liners.
The Latrobe Chapter certified 185 volunteer Nurses Aides for Latrobe
Hospital who filled in while the RNs went off to the war.
The Red Cross frequently helps far-off servicemen contact family and
loved ones and provides communications for wounded and prisoners of
war; averaging 200 military cases each month. This valuable
communications link continued through the Korean War, Viet Nam,
Desert Storm to the present.
That is not to say the American Red Cross only acted during Wars for
their volunteers were in the forefront of relief efforts to help victims of the
1936 Flood, followed by another high water event in October 1954 as
Hurricane Hazel inundated Western Pennsylvania with other big floods
following in 1968 and 1995. Teams from the Red Cross served
hundreds of times during fires, plane and helicopter crashes,
earthquakes, tornadoes and other emergencies.
In 1946 the charter was renewed and signed by President Harry S.
Truman, renaming the unit as the Chestnut Ridge Chapter of the ARC.
The list of chapter chairman is a “Who’s Who” of this area starting with
Whiteman, George E. Anderson, Francis J. Harvey, Lewis M. Potter,
Chestner R. Gettermy, Jacob Rosenbloom, Harry W. Good, Edwin S.
Fritz, E. L. Friedman, James Gallagher, James R. Beatty, L.E. Moore, Jr.,
Ronals F. Buerger, Dave A. Snyder, Samuel R. Craig, Eleanor L. Paul,
Dallas G. Rayl, R. Thomas Okonak, Edwin P. Cover, Thomas W.
Thoburn, John A. Graziano, David Jeffris, Lester R. Sutton, Jr.
The Red Cross Today
2001 was a very busy year for the chapter. Volunteers and staff
assisted with 16 single family disasters including 14 fires, one tornado
and a home destroyed when a car crashed into it. Our primary goal is to
ensure that the immediate needs such as shelter, food and clothes are
provided to the people affected by the disaster. Once their immediate
needs have been met, we will begin to help them on the road to
recovery.
A prime example of this was the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack
when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a strip mine near Shanksville
in Somerset County around 9:45 AM. The Disaster Action Team arrived
at the tragic scene by 11:00AM and provided much needed food and
drinks to workers at the crash site. Eighteen chapter volunteers served
at the crash site for the better part of the next month.
Three more volunteers traveled to New York City to assist with the World
Trade Center holocaust. When disaster strikes, help must be immediate,
which is why Red Cross maintains a Disaster Relief Fund where financial
donations are always welcome.
The Latrobe Chapter’s 85th year began as Latrobe’s Red Cross Chapter
occupied its own spacious building with easy off-street access at 1816
Lincoln Avenue, Latrobe, PA. Thanks to generous support, the first
phase of the Capital Campaign met its goal. This drive, directed by
Catherine Krofick and Kristina Dulashaw-Swank, was bolstered by broad
support from foundations, individuals and businesses across the
Chestnut Ridge Chapter jurisdiction. The chapter was able to purchase
a large one story building, which was completely renovated to provide
easy access, office and classrooms, a board room, plus storage areas.
The new home of the Red Cross in Latrobe began life as a super market
and later became a restaurant/night club. Ample free parking is a big
plus thanks to a large parking area in the rear. Financial support
continues to be priority as the chapter hopes to create a building and
maintenance endowment.
The Chestnut Ridge Chapter maintains a busy training schedule
teaching a variety of courses including CPR, first aid, life-guarding, water
safety and babysitting. Nurse Aid testing is held weekly at the new
headquarters. The newest addition to the Health and Safety Program is
Pet First Aid.
One of the American Red Cross’ major programs provides blood services
across the nation. Representatives of the chapter organize and staff the
frequent blood drives. The blood drive program is an instrumental piece
of the success of the Chapter.
Together, each of the services work as a spoke to a wheel and together
they help to drive the Chapter to future success.
In August of 2007 the Chestnut Ridge Chapter welcomed a new
Executive Director, Marlene Petro.
The Chestnut Ridge Chapter has also expanded by annexing with the
former New Kensington - Vandergrift Unit in January 2008. The former
New Kensington-Vandergrift unit serves the communities of New
Kensington, Arnold, Lower and Upper Burrell, Vandergrift, East
Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Washington and Allegheny Townships and
Oklahoma Borough.
It is from this strong foundation of success and leadership that the
current staff and board of directors will continue to move this chapter to
the next level and continue to provide excellent services to the
businesses and community members in our jurisdiction.
| Chestnut Ridge Information |
| Lower Burrell Office Information |
