The American Red Cross of Upstate South Carolina serves Greenville, Abbeville, Anderson, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, and Pickens Counties.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Volunteer Rhonda Hunt teaches life-saving skills

When Rhonda Hunt was 10 years old, she watched wide-eyed as emergency personnel attempted to revive her grandmother using CPR. Unfortunately, her grandmother did not survive, but Hunt decided then that she wanted to learn how to save lives.

"It was something I always wanted to have the knowledge to do, even as a kid," she says. "You often wonder what impact you might have in trying to save a life."

Today Hunt is a health and safety professional with Michelin North America. She also uses her knowledge to benefit the Upstate Chapter of the American Red Cross by serving on the health and safety committee and training other volunteers about safety, life-saving techniques and emergency preparedness.

Hunt initially became involved with the Red Cross through her previous employer, Fluor Corp., where she was in charge of emergency response. Hunt says when she moved to Michelin, the company encouraged her to stay involved.

"It's something I need to know for my employer. But then I can also pass that training on to my community and my church members," she says.

Hunt's most memorable experience was about two years ago when she was asked to stand in as the temporary health and safety director for the Pickens County chapter of the Red Cross. There, she says, she felt the full impact of what classroom experience can mean to real people when she worked with families who had lost their homes to fire.

The volunteers under her not only provided shelter and basic necessities to the victims, but also emotional support and comfort kits with teddy bears for the children.

"They are just so compassionate," she says.

Hunt spends between two and 10 hours a month at the Red Cross, depending on if she is teaching a class. She hopes she never has to use her life-saving skills on someone but says it gives her confidence knowing she can respond.

"I've had to respond to several emergencies, but I've never actually utilized CPR or resuscitation in saving someone's life. But it's always in the back of your mind, 'What if?' " Hunt says.

Having the skills to respond to an emergency is the main reason Hunt believes people should get involved with the Red Cross.

"It is very important that more people in the community be trained and able to respond," she says, using the example of Hurricane Katrina as a time when there were not enough trained volunteers to take care of all the needs.

"And you never know when you might become a recipient of Red Cross services," she adds. "The things that we've been blessed with are only temporary and can be taken away in the blink of an eye. That's what continues to stay in my mind."