'Get to Know Us' program travels to Navy Resource Day

Navy personnel, new and old, received information regarding the Red Cross as a military resource at “Resource Day” held at the Navy Operation Center in Akron last Sunday, July 18.
A variety of vendors were set up all day to make military personnel and their families aware of all of the resources available to them. Resources included schooling, financial assistance, veteran and communication information.
“One of the most important things of the ‘Get to Know Us” program is that families need to have the reassurance of what route they take when they need to send emergency communications to a loved one serving,” said Melissa Seibert, military outreach manager at the American Red Cross Stark County Chapter.
“They learn what constitutes an emergency communication, who can send one and what happens,” she said.
According to Seibert, military personnel know that the Red Cross is involved in emergency communications but family members often are unaware but need to know before their loved one is deployed.
The Red Cross provided family members with wallet cards to carry with them and magnets to leave at home with spaces for them to write all of the critical information needed to send a message to active military personnel.
“It’s giving them the assurance that if they need to send an emergency message then they will have the exact information they need, no matter where they are,” said Seibert.
This assurance provides comfort for families, as well as for military personnel, that they can be in communication immediately, if need be.
The Red Cross also provided children’s information pack to military kids, whom Seibert lovingly refers to as “MKs”. Packs included crayons, patriotic coloring pages, disaster preparedness information, pencils, snacks and information on how to dial 9-1-1.
Service persons and their families left with the knowledge that the Red Cross, and other organizations, could provide them with necessary resources. The American Red Cross Stark County Chapter will be providing a psychological first aid course for military families to help them cope with pre- and post-deployment on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 9:30 a.m. until noon. All are welcome; if you are interested in attending this free course, please RSVP to Melissa Seibert by calling her at 330-453-0146 ext. 103.