A Volunteer's Tale: Wendy Frost, RN
I've read your mission statement and I fully support it, count me in.
I was the Red Cross rebel and got my wrists slapped for doing something that wasn't in my job description, if you can believe that. As I said in my blog, my assigned job was Staff Health, but my duty was doing outreach in Pearlington. When I got there no one was going out into the community, and the shelter was a joint effort between the Red Cross and another group. Dr. Marsha was in the free clinic and when I asked her what I could do to help she told me: "See all this stuff piled up under the awning? It needs to go out there to the people. There are people still too depressed, too sick and too old to come in for help."
So that is what I did every afternoon. I loaded up that Red Cross van and drove the streets of Pearlington handing out supplies. I assessed people and made referrals to the clinic, providing transportation if necessary. I gave out Gatorade like it was water and work gloves and masks. When I visited the other distribution centers in the morning and the workers in the warehouse if I saw something the people in Pearlington needed, I would beg or borrow and hand deliver it that afternoon. I worked out trades that would have made Radar and Klinger proud. In those days you wouldn't believe what you could get for a case of Depends!
Larry and Beth Randall know me, I got them a portable shower and treated Miss Teetee's infected bites on her ankles because she wouldn't go to the clinic. Sam and Lyn Bailey are also friends. I acquired a screen tent for Sam so he could have some relief from the relentless biting black flies.
I made friends with a Mississippi Gaming Commission agent while he was volunteering down there and with my slide show we were able to adopt five families for Christmas and help them with Easter. You just tell them "Nurse Wendy" said hi, they'll remember.
And I'll never forget. Please include me in C.O.D.R.A. and I hope to meet you someday,
I'm sure it will be in our second home - Pearlington.
Wendy Frost
I was the Red Cross rebel and got my wrists slapped for doing something that wasn't in my job description, if you can believe that. As I said in my blog, my assigned job was Staff Health, but my duty was doing outreach in Pearlington. When I got there no one was going out into the community, and the shelter was a joint effort between the Red Cross and another group. Dr. Marsha was in the free clinic and when I asked her what I could do to help she told me: "See all this stuff piled up under the awning? It needs to go out there to the people. There are people still too depressed, too sick and too old to come in for help."
So that is what I did every afternoon. I loaded up that Red Cross van and drove the streets of Pearlington handing out supplies. I assessed people and made referrals to the clinic, providing transportation if necessary. I gave out Gatorade like it was water and work gloves and masks. When I visited the other distribution centers in the morning and the workers in the warehouse if I saw something the people in Pearlington needed, I would beg or borrow and hand deliver it that afternoon. I worked out trades that would have made Radar and Klinger proud. In those days you wouldn't believe what you could get for a case of Depends!
Larry and Beth Randall know me, I got them a portable shower and treated Miss Teetee's infected bites on her ankles because she wouldn't go to the clinic. Sam and Lyn Bailey are also friends. I acquired a screen tent for Sam so he could have some relief from the relentless biting black flies.
I made friends with a Mississippi Gaming Commission agent while he was volunteering down there and with my slide show we were able to adopt five families for Christmas and help them with Easter. You just tell them "Nurse Wendy" said hi, they'll remember.
And I'll never forget. Please include me in C.O.D.R.A. and I hope to meet you someday,
I'm sure it will be in our second home - Pearlington.
Wendy Frost
Wendy has now joined C.O.D.R.A. - check out her blog and her slide show!
posted by Jon White @ 1:52 PM
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