By: Stephen Crawford, Volunteer Writer

Partnering with Louisiana State University for the LSU AgCenter’s AgMagic event, American Red Cross volunteers were at the ready last week to provide first aid support to more than 10,000 elementary school students, teachers, and parents on hand to learn about Louisiana agriculture.

Dividends from the week’s work inside the John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum may not show immediately, but this "blue skies" work is foundational. It pays off well after the important job of being ready to administer first aid and care to thousands of young visitors is done.

Burk Hughes, disaster programs manager for the Capital Area-West chapter, said the importance of a Red Cross presence at events like AgMagic should not be understated.

“The Red Cross strengthens its relationship with perhaps the biggest community partner in the Capital Area, and develops new partners like the Louisiana Railroad Safety Commission and 4-H,” Hughes said.

These events also provide meaningful opportunities for volunteer development, allowing teams to practice Incident Command System (ICS) concepts in a controlled setting. This prepares Red Cross teams for the harder calls that will undoubtedly come.

“We’re providing meaningful volunteer engagement in a large-scale public setting,” Hughes said.

American Red Cross volunteers support LSU’s AgMagic by providing round-the-clock first aid and helping facilitate hands-on learning for more than 7,000 students from across the state.

The need to connect with communities under blue skies makes the Red Cross presence and visibility at events like AgMagic all the more necessary. The mission to alleviate human suffering doesn’t change, even if the response is mostly bandages and some grown-up concern.

However, events like AgMagic are unique opportunities for the Red Cross to supply critical information to a large number of people. During the week, students from 16 parishes had an exciting hands-on Louisiana experience, learning just how important the industry is to the state.

Along with a new appreciation for agriculture, students will return with Red Cross emergency preparedness information their families can instantly use to make homes safer. They will also take home information to share with their families about finding their own volunteer opportunities with the Red Cross.

For the Red Cross volunteers, hands-on experience administering care in low-pressure environments is essential training for doing the work amidst more chaos. It’s also a platform for the Red Cross to be seen as a fixture, not simply an agency that responds during catastrophes.

“Community resilience is built not only during disasters, but through consistent, trusted presence at community events,” Hughes said.

As the need for Red Cross services continues to rise, the need for a robust volunteer workforce goes up too. As disasters become more frequent and intense, the Red Cross cannot meet the needs of the community without dedicated volunteers and generous donors. Find ways to help at redcross.org/Louisiana.