American Red Cross plans to honor East Tennessee volunteers during National Volunteer Week April 22 – 26, 2013
The American Red Cross will observe National Volunteer Week April 22 – 26, with annual recognition events in Knoxville, Kingsport and Chattanooga. Events are planned at the Red Cross in Knoxville on April 19 and 22.
On Friday, April 19 at 2:00 p.m., a tree and rosebush-planting ceremony will posthumously celebrate the lives and honor the contributions of two long-standing volunteers. Betty Piper and John Yu were well-known for their many years of service to the Red Cross mission and to the local emergency services/disaster squad community. Both Piper and Yu played significant roles founding the American Red Cross First Aid Station Team (FAST) program. Current and past Red Cross Board Members and other volunteers will be invited to this special ceremony.
On Monday, April 22 at 11:00 a.m., the Red Cross will recognize the start of National Volunteer Week with a special event to present some of its top awards. Awards will be given for Volunteer Leadership and a Special Citation for Exceptional Volunteer Service. Recipients can either be an individual or a group of individuals that form a team. Starting this year, the Red Cross will also present a Youth Volunteer Award for exceptional volunteer service.
Keynote speaker will be Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett and Red Cross board member Lori Tucker, News Anchor of WATE TV will serve as emcee.
The Red Cross Office of Volunteers and Youth in Knoxville have accepted and judged the nominations submitted by local staff.
The Red Cross Tennessee Mountain Valley relies on over 2,000 volunteers and the generosity of donors to carry out its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies.
