Fran Marchette, from Florence, SC, is a volunteer with the South Carolina Region Disaster Services Team. She recently joined a disaster responder on a home fire call and renewed her commitment to giving back to her community through the Red Cross.
Story told by Nick Gibson
“I have sort of toyed with it. I hate to say I’m 68 years old, but I figured, ‘Well, how could I contribute the most?’” said Fran Marchette from Florence, SC, on how she decided to sign up as an American Red Cross Volunteer.
Fran recently moved to South Carolina after her husband passed away. She signed up to volunteer with the Red Cross Disaster Services Team and now helps to dispatch response volunteers to assist local families impacted by disasters.
“My husband was a career military officer, so we always gave back to the community and within the military community a lot. Since he has passed, I’ve been trying to find things to fill my time,” said Fran.
Red Cross Eastern South Carolina Chapter Executive Director Michael Hesbach presented Fran with a great opportunity. Michael invited her to train to become a Regional Disaster Duty Officer. Later, Michael encouraged Fran to respond to a local home fire during her training. She describes the experience as eye-opening, witnessing a home that was completely destroyed and displaced a family.
“The firefighters were still putting out the smoldering fire. It was basically out, but they were trying to make sure it didn’t reignite,” said Fran. “You could tell that the family is going to have a long road to recovery because they lost everything.”
Volunteers like Fran are trained in Psychological First Aid and many other essential skills to help comfort families in the immediate aftermath of a devastating event, like a home fire.
“The big thing with people who’ve had traumatic experiences is to listen to their stories and be as consoling as you can,” said Fran. “I feel that a lot of people don’t realize that there are a lot of things that they can do for the Red Cross, and it doesn’t take a lot of time to help their community.”
Fran encourages others to join the Red Cross as a volunteer and says there is a position in the organization to fit every skill set and interest. Learn more about the Red Cross Disaster Action Team at redcross.org/DAT
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