Mercer chapter to be satellite of Trumbull's
The director stressed this is not a merger.
By MARY GRZEBIENIAK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SHARON, Pa. -- The Mercer County Red Cross is no longer an independent chapter but has become a satellite of the Trumbull County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Officials promise that local operations will continue and said they are looking for a new, more visible location in Sharon.
Christinia Gargas, director of volunteers and public relations for the Trumbull County Chapter, said Monday that the reason for the change is to reduce Mercer County's administrative costs and increase the number of people served.
The Mercer Chapter has been without an executive director for nearly a year since the resignation of its former director who took another job.
Gargas said the Mercer chapter's governing board is now an advisory board, which will provide four members to sit on the Trumbull Chapter's governing board. That board will serve as the governing body for both counties.
Two Mercer County advisory board members, Gary Rose and John O'Malley, already were named to the board. The other two seats will be filled soon, Gargas said.
Trumbull County will take over administrative functions of the Mercer office, including accounting, information technology and human resource management.
Will maintain services
Trumbull County's executive director, Cheryl Oblinger, said, however, that Mercer County's Red Cross will continue to provide the same services through an office in Sharon, its two full-time employees will be retained, and each county will do its own fundraising. She stressed that this is not a merger.
Gargas said a more visible site is being sought to replace the current Mercer County Chapter located at 247 S. Oakland Avenue, Sharon. The building, which has served as the Mercer County Red Cross office since the early 1980s, is "tucked away in a neighborhood" and has too many steps to provide easy handicapped accessibility, she said.
Another effort is under way to identify sites in Grove City and Greenville areas where Red Cross health and safety training programs can be taught, Gargas said. She said the Red Cross has not had a presence there.
New programs will also be introduced, including "family caregiving," which provides instruction on caring for the elderly, and new product lines, such as first aid kits and automated external defibrillators, will be promoted in order to increase revenue.
Seeking more volunteers
Another goal is to increase the number of volunteers in both counties, which are needed in a broad spectrum of areas ranging from local preparedness and teaching CPR to office help, Gargas said.
Although previously the only relationship between the two counties' chapters was that they were next-door neighbors, last July Mercer made the initial move to join the governing boards and made it official in October, Gargas said. A two-year agreement has been signed by both counties and either can renew or cancel it when it expires.
Funding for the Mercer and Trumbull County Red Cross comes from the United Way, direct contributions, special event proceeds, interest income and fees for training programs. To volunteer, call Lesley Kaluzne at the Mercer office, (724) 981-3205, or Gargas at the Trumbull office, (330) 392-2551.