The Red Cross Angels auxiliary celebrated their successes of the 2022-23 year with a special luncheon speaker - an American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces worker who served the military oversees. 

Ela Landegger, a Red Cross Angel and Board Chair of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross, introduced guest speaker Susan Eccher at the recent Red Cross Angels officer installation event.

Speaker Susan Eccher told of her experience at a military base in Poland – arriving just days before Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.  Eccher, who has been involved with the Red Cross for 23 years as a volunteer and an employee, said the hardest thing was leaving her children and family for six months.

“I got a cot in a tent with 100 others,” she said, adding her responsibilities included setting up a canteen, providing communications to the service personnel, recruiting volunteers, and keeping morale up by offering games, yoga classes and other activities.

“Every knows when the Red Cross lady is upset, things must be really bad,” she said. “The amazing people there kept me going.”

She said, “We were able to grow the canteen for snacks, personal supplies, coffee and more.,’ she said, adding “sometimes we had a random bowl of snacks and candy. We brought smiles for that little bit of kindness.”

The event, at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club, also included the installation of 2023-24 officers. New officers installed were Joan Rhyne, president; Jaclyn Walker, vice president; Cheri Roland, recording secretary; Nancy Watkins, corresponding secretary; Sylvia Fernandez, treasurer. Rhyne said her goals are for Angels to be proactive; have all members serve at least once a year on a project; and grow the organization’s membership.

Outgoing president Anne Cloar, 2021-2023, was honored with a donation to the American Red Cross.

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