Red Cross Ready

May is a special month for Operation Veteran and Caregiver Support. It was in the aftermath of the 2019 Memorial Day tornadoes that we found our mission as a non-profit organization, even if we didn’t feel ready to make the leap into the 501(c)3 world. It was in offering assistance to several Vietnam veterans and being able to improve their quality of life that the impact that we could have on veterans and their families became clear. In honor of those veterans, and the devasting natural disaster that brought us together, we host the Red Cross at our May Muster & Mingle. We started with a delicious dinner from Hickory River, donated by Corky and Shelia of the Tipp Center. They felt led to give this generous gift in honor of Memorial Day. We enjoyed pulled pork, smoked turkey, potato salad, green beans, and coleslaw.

After dinner, Patti and Nancy from the Miami Valley Quilters Guild presented a Quilt of Valor to Doug Hammond, an Army veteran. His wife Cathy was with him as he received his quilt. This is the third QOV presentation we have hosted at a Muster & Mingle, and it will never not make us tear up!

After the presentation, Marc from the American Red Cross took the mic. He spoke on natural disaster preparedness and how to stay ready for fires. He then moved on to the part of the evening that all the kids were excited about, the Hands Only CPR demonstration. Before getting into the hands on portion of the evening, Marc explained what to do before jumping to CPR.

• Call their name loudly
• Try to wake them (shake their shoulder, tug their feet, etc)
• Check the scene (is there any obvious reason why they are non-responsive : electric wires, rattlesnake, hula hoop?)
• Check for breathing
• Call 911 (if possible, have someone else call so you can move to CPR)
• Begin Hands Only CPR

After giving us proper instruction (dominant hand on the bottom, fingers of the other hand pulling back, arms locked), he turned on the metronome and we gave it a shot ourselves! It was a lot harder than it looked, but we gave it our best shot.

We had a great time at Muster & Mingle, and we hope you’ll join us soon! Our next Muster & Mingle is June 6th at the Piqua Center, formerly the Miami Valley Centre Mall. We will be hosting the Miami Valley Veterans Museum as they present ‘History in a Box’ on WWII, in honor of D-Day. You can find out more information about Muster and Mingle, and all of our upcoming events, here!