Advertisement Sometimes I get directives. This one was from Irene Rhodes of Onalaska, Wis., a 77-year-old widow who has endeared herself to the American Red Cross. Not that she set out to do this. It’s just Irene doing good deeds and the Red Cross’s Scenic Bluffs chapter in La Crosse letting me know about this spunky, very caring lady, and inquiring, “Couldn’t you tell others about her?” Well, indeed I shall.
It’s apparent that Irene is among many Red Cross volunteer stars who repeatedly give of themselves to help heal the wounds left in the wake of disasters.
After recent heavy rains swelled regional waterway banks, Irene once again put on her angel wings, this time heading to Viroqua, Wis., to assist in assessing the needs of flood victims in Vernon County. Her stay at the processing site was extensive. She lent her services until the site closed last Thursday.
Irene explained: “I listened carefully to what had happened to their homes, their possessions. I would try very hard to determine how they could be helped. Maybe they needed cleaning supplies, or food, shelter, clothing. Then I would connect them to a case manager.”
If they needed cleaning assistance, help was available through the 211 volunteers system or Vernon County Emergency Management in Viroqua.
Sometimes Irene would work with the Viroqua food pantries (Good Shepherd Lutheran and Living Church of Christ churches). If they were closed when food was needed, there was no need to wait. Irene would contact the churches and go get food for the recipient(s).
Some needed well-water testing kits. Irene would take their names, addresses and phone numbers. The only expense to those in need would be the stamp to send in the state-funded kit. The party would get a call from the public health service when the results were known.
There is much more to the Irene-Red Cross connection. When Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana in 2005, Irene called the Red Cross and prefaced the conversation “with my age” in case “I was too old to serve.” Retired from St. Francis Hospital (now Franciscan Skemp Healthcare) in 1993, this licensed practical nurse quickly learned that age doesn’t matter. Soon she was headed to Baton Rouge, La., for three weeks of extraordinary service.
In Baton Rouge, she called people who had filled out a form for assistance. “I listened, and helped determine if they qualified for Red Cross aid. I am a people person. I have two good ears and broad shoulders. I desperately wanted to help them any way I could.”
From the widespread Katrina heartache, Irene continues to be haunted by the hardship of a Louisiana woman who was receiving chemotherapy but couldn’t get from her home to receive treatment. She had mold and mildew in her home. She had no relatives, no place to go. “I asked what I could do.” The woman answered: “You can pray for me.”
Irene found a nearby chapel and prayed for the woman each day. “She wanted so little; it was the least I could do for her.”
Katrina devastation and Vernon floodwater experiences are exclamation points in Irene’s storied life of doing good deeds. It’s impossible to place a value on new friends she has gained because she chooses to listen. “You can make life so much better by being there for those facing hardships and listening to them. And those hugs are really nice.”
Working with the Red Cross is very rewarding, Irene said. “It’s such a worthwhile organization and the time you spend in its service goes very fast.” She is a helper with the Red Cross bloodmobile every other month. “I do whatever I’m asked to do: take blood pressures, work in the kitchen, assist with recognizing those who have reached certain donor gallon levels. I’m very flexible.”
The recruiter emerged from Irene as she continued her praise of the Red Cross. “I understand volunteers are needed. Don’t let your age stop you. I have proven that this is not a problem.
Contact Larry Olson at larry.olson@lacrossetribune.com or address mail to him at La Crosse Tribune, 401 N. Third St., La Crosse, WI 54601.
