The Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross: Reaching Out through Innovative Community Service Programs

The wide range of humanitarian services provided by the American Red Cross extends well beyond natural disaster relief and blood drives. Some American Red Cross chapters maintain a strong presence in their communities by creating and administering a variety of Community Services such as homeless services, services for seniors, a support program for caregivers and transportation services tailored to the specific needs of local residents.

Braille Services

The Midway-Kansas Chapter currently utilizes dedicated volunteers to translate material into Braille for students in Kansas. Volunteers transcribe 12,000 pages of Braille each year, primarily for textbooks for students from kindergarten to the graduate level. They can translate English, Spanish, French and mathematics/science texts, and the materials are bound on-site. Once translated, the materials are registered with the American Printhouse for the Blind so that others can benefit from this service. The chapter provides training and certification for new volunteers in Braille transcription, a process that takes about one year.

Meals for Seniors

For the past 25 years, the Good Neighbor Nutrition program, operated by the Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross, serves seniors age 60 or older and currently provides 280,000 hot lunches yearly. The program offers social activities and serves hot, nutritionally balanced meals each weekday noon at 32 senior dining centers throughout the chapter's service area. A registered dietician develops the meal plans, and the meals are prepared at the chapter by a contract-caterer. The program is funded by the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging, the Kansas Department on Aging and contributions from program participants. In FY99, an average of 1,150 meals (843 congregate and 307 home bound) were served daily.

Transportation Services

The Transportation Services program provides free rides for seniors to medical appointments and Good Neighbor Nutrition meal sites. Eighty-five volunteers drive radio-equipped Red Cross vehicles; in a recent year they logged more than 250,000 miles transporting 1,300 individuals as part of this program. Transportation Services also helps deliver blood to hospitals throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma.

For more information on any of these and other Community Services programs offered by the Midway-Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross, visit their Web site or contact Beverly Morlan by e-mail at morlanb@usa.redcross.org or by phone at (316) 268-0864.