Red Cross celebrates new vehicleDate: 3/14/2011 SPRINGFIELD — On March 1, The Pioneer Valley Chapter hosted a reception to celebrate the unveiling of its new Emergency Response Vehicle. The addition of the new vehicle expanded the chapter's fleet to four vehicles that will be used to deliver immediate emergency assistance to those affected by disaster in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.
The event was well attended by sponsors, board members, staff, volunteers, members of the community and city officials including Mayor, Domenic J. Sarno.
"These vehicles are the heart of our response operation on scene," Rick Lee, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Chapter, said. "The true beneficiaries will be the hundreds of people affected by disaster every single year in our hometowns."
The Pioneer Valley Chapter provides disaster relief services to cities and towns from the Connecticut border to the Vermont border. The addition of the new vehicle will allow the chapter to situate a vehicle in each of the three counties served, ensuring faster disaster response time and greater ability to meet the disaster related needs of all of our friends and neighbors throughout the Pioneer Valley.
A leadership gift from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) provided the foundational support to launch a campaign to purchase the new Emergency Response Vehicle.
Beyond MassMutual's leadership support, the procurement of the new vehicle would not have been possible without the support of the following contributors who made gifts of $1,000 or more: Westfield Bank, Easthampton Savings Bank, PeoplesBank, TD Charitable Foundation, United Bank Foundation, Westfield Gas & Electric, Pearson Realty Corporation, NewAlliance Bank, and OMG Inc. Leadership support was also provided by Dan and Jane Roulier and an anonymous donor. The chapter staff and volunteers are also grateful for the many special gifts that were made from local individuals and businesses.
Additional components of the fundraising campaign include communications equipment; disaster response supplies; repairs, safety enhancements and maintenance for current vehicles; an ice machine for Franklin County territory; disaster supplies storage and transport trailer; and portable generator. The total campaign goal is $140,000. To date, nearly $120,000 has been committed allowing the chapter to purchase the vehicle and begin the process of enhancing communications equipment to better communicate across the breadth of the chapter's three-county territory. They continue to work to raise the remaining funds to cap off the disaster services capacity building campaign. Community support is welcome.
For more information about the campaign or to make a contribution, contact Paige Thayer at thayerpa@usa.redcross.org or 233-1003.
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