Webinars Provide Additional Value to Members

by ARCRA President Jim Hamilton September 1, 2020

Thanks to some great work by Harold Brooks and the Advocacy & Education Committee, ARCRA has been offering webinars for our membership since last Fall.  The turnout to the webinars has been very good, along with feedback from attendees.  The topics have been varied, including Red Cross International Services, Red Cross Disaster Services, Retirement and Recent Tax Law Changes, Strengthening our Psychological Resilience during the Coronavirus Pandemic, and a Red Cross Biomedical Services update. These webinars are a relatively new program, and our goal is to continue with additional topics that are timely and informative to retirees.  In addition, these webinars are opportunities to hear from leaders in the Red Cross family providing updates on Red Cross work.  We encourage you to participate either by logging in through the webinar link, or if you prefer to listen in by phone, a call-in number is also provided.  If you have missed the last couple of webinars, you can read summaries by clicking here.  In addition, if you have ideas for future topics, please email us at admin@arcretireeassoc.org.

We hope that if you haven’t yet participated in a webinar that you put these events on your calendar.  And, if you have participated, that you continue to join us for these valuable learning and sharing opportunities.  Look for email invitations with the log in address and phone number to join the webinar.

Our next webinar is:

November 13 at 2pm EST
Topic: Celebrating the Red Cross Donut Dollies

We will take a look at this proud part of the history of the American Red Cross.   We will hear about the experience of the Donut Dollies in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Linda Pelegrino served as a “Donut Dollie” in Vietnam in the early years of that war.  She says it was a life-changing experience.   She said she was young and well trained and so focused on her responsibility to the service member that she does not remember feeling any fear about being in a war zone. 

There was a lot of competition for these jobs.  The young ladies were required to have a college education and they were carefully selected.

Donut Dollies, Maxine Powell Taylor-WWII, Shirley Hines Atkins-Korea and Vietnam,  and Debby McSwain-Vietnam,  will join Linda to share their experiences.  The webinar will be hosted by Sue Richter.

-JIM

Complete information about the webinar, the presenters and panel can be found by clicking here.