After years of pestering, Angelia Patton finally gave into her friends and decided to join the Red Cross in Meridian.

“I’m going to be helping military families,” Patton said. “I come from a military background. I respect all members of the military because they serve our country.”

Patton joined because of the example of friends Gary Robertson and Teresa Robertson, who have volunteered with the Red Cross for five years.

“They always seem so busy and active,” Patton said. “It’s in my heart and I want to do my part.”

The American Red Cross held an open house for volunteers on Tuesday, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Meridian Red Cross office at 1815 Highway 39 North, Suite C, just behind the Citizens National Bank on the intersection of 19th Street and Highway 39. 

About a dozen volunteers, new and old, gathered for a small barbecue and ice cream at the Red Cross recruitment activity. 

“We’re a volunteer-based organization,” John McFarland, the executive director of the Southeast Mississippi Chapter of the Red Cross, said. “But they’ve got the be trained volunteers.”

McFarland, whose chapter oversees 28 counties, said the Red Cross had 320,000 workers across the country and 97 percent were volunteers. But volunteers must learn the skills for their position to make them effective. 

“We have training on driving our big emergency response vehicles, how to use the equipment, damage assessment, case workers” McFarland said. “We also keep in touch with other, local nonprofits. For example, if someone loses their wheelchair in a fire, we don’t provide wheelchairs. But we know who does.”

McFarland said volunteers can work in the office, with technology, as fundraisers or even apply for administrative positions. 

“We had one volunteer who worked with a bank,” McFarland said. “She said she wanted to something that doesn’t have anything to do with banking or finance.”

Most volunteers interested in disaster training will return to the Red Cross for a Disaster Cycle Services Overview, which McFarland said would help volunteers decide how they wanted to serve. 

One area McFarland said the Red Cross could use more volunteers was in rural counties. 

“In more rural counties it’s harder to come up with volunteers,” McFarland said, adding that each county had a least one volunteer. “But last year our chapter responded to 531 house fires. If you’re the only volunteer in the county, you’re getting calls in the middle of the night to drive 30 miles for a house fire.”

By the end of the month, McFarland said he hoped to have most volunteers trained or scheduled for trainings, and planned to have monthly volunteer recruitments.

“We often do these with large groups but it’s nicer to have this smaller setting,” McFarland said. “At most there’s a dozen people, so you can do more one-on-one.

Working in the office, Teresa Robertson and her husband Gary have helped other volunteers join the Red Cross.

“I like to help other people,” Teresa Robertson said. 

“We came in right after the Louisville storm hit,” Gary Robertson said.

Gary Robertson cleans and cares for the vehicles the Red Cross uses, making sure they’re prepared to leave at a moment’s notice should disaster hit. 

When asked why he joined, Gary Robertson only said, “The Lord told us to.”

Their service made Patton’s choice a no-brainer.

“I should have joined a long time ago,” Patton said. “I’m going to try to get my husband to come too.”

On Wednesday, Patton planned to attend another training session to learn more.

“If I have to come on roller skates, I’m coming,” Patton said. “And I can’t even skate!”

Those interested in volunteering with the Red Cross should visit redcross.org/mississippi and click on the volunteer section or call the Meridian office at 601-485-5151.