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Lifelong Red Cross Volunteer Affected by Florida Hurricanes
Written by
Gena Gates and Stacey M. Winston
, Special to RedCross.org
Wednesday, November 03, 2004 — ORLANDO, Fl. – When asked to describe herself, lifelong American Red Cross volunteer Verdelle Sebring Medlin said, “I’m a jolly person who never stays angry for long.”
This positive attitude is characteristic of countless Red Cross volunteers throughout history and is a trait that Verdelle relied on when Hurricane Jeanne struck her hometown of Sebring, Fl., in September. After 68 years as a Red Cross volunteer, Verdelle became a disaster relief volunteer and a hurricane victim at the same time.
Red Cross volunteer Verdelle Sebring Medlin (right) helped with hurricane relief efforts in Florida, even though she was also affected by the storms. |
No stranger to hurricanes, Verdelle experienced her first storm as an infant in 1926. The windows of her home shattered from the destructive winds, and her mother snatched Verdelle from her crib amid shards of glass. More than 70 years later, she experienced a hurricane’s fury again – when Hurricane Jeanne made landfall on Sept. 25, 2004.
As the storm approached, Verdelle was both a resident and volunteer at the local Red Cross shelter, helping to ensure the safety and comfort of other evacuees even while her own home was in the path of danger.
Yet, such selfless acts of service are reoccurring throughout Verdelle’s history as a Red Cross volunteer, beginning with walking door-to-door collecting donations with her aunt, who was the Red Cross chapter manager in Sebring, when Verdelle was just a child.
Verdelle has a long family history in Sebring. Her grandfather came from Wales and founded the town of Sebring, Ohio. Later, he moved to Florida and founded the city of Sebring in 1912.
As a teenager, Verdelle became a Water Safety Instructor for the Red Cross, a role she continued into adulthood. Later, she also became a CPR Instructor and disaster relief volunteer. She earned a degree in Physical Education from Stetson University and eventually received her master’s degree in Hospital Recreation from New York University. Afterwards, Verdelle put her education to work for the Red Cross.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Verdelle served as a Hospital Recreation worker with the Red Cross on military bases around the world. During the Korean Conflict, she served in Korea and Japan, managing recreation programs at US military hospitals.
In 1955, Verdelle transferred to a base in San Juan, Puerto Rico where she met her husband. It was also in San Juan that Verdelle met a lifelong friend and one whom she credits helping to save her life, Red Cross staffer Eloise Waite.
Waite played a substantial role in leading Verdelle to what is now 50 years of sobriety. As a result of her experience, Verdelle began helping others as a substance abuse counselor in the Sebring area.
Verdelle continued her Red Cross involvement back in the US, becoming involved in Red Cross chapter management in Sebring during the 1970’s. She served on various local committees during the following decades and eventually acting as Chair of her chapter Board of Directors.
But when Hurricane Jeanne struck less than two months ago, Verdelle’s home was severely damaged, and she found herself on the recipient side of Red Cross services for the first time.
Verdelle received emergency assistance from the Red Cross, which helped her prepare to move into a new home. “It’s strange to be on the receiving end of the generosity of the Red Cross,” said the lifelong Red Cross volunteer.
Like thousands of others helped by the Red Cross after the storm, Verdelle is grateful that help was there when she needed it. She continues to faithfully volunteer two days a week at the Sebring office of the Polk and Highland Counties Chapter of the American Red Cross.
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