Saturday, August 7, 2010

Why We Give: Ron and Julia Wensel

It's always fascinating to ask someone why they got involved with the American Red Cross. Sometimes they were affect by a disaster. Sometimes they were a member of the military. And, other times, they were inspired by someone who saved a life.

Our new blog feature, "Why we give," will tell some of those stories. These heroes help us provide disaster response, military assistance and health and safety training.

Ron Wensel has always known the power of a red cross.

During World War II, while living in San Antonio, he would frequently see military convoys passing through town bearing the red cross as a symbol of humanitarian service protected from attack.

Later, in 1954, while living in Waco, he saw the red cross on vehicles of the American Red Cross as they came into town to provide assistance after a tornado devastated the downtown area.

For Ron, the American Red Cross has always meant that reliable help was on the way. Recognizing how valuable that symbol was for any community, Ron and his wife, Julia, decided to become financial supporters of their American Red Cross.

“The Red Cross is there on the spot anytime people need it,” Ron says when asked why they give. “It can be fires, bigger disasters, Katrina, even worldwide like we saw with Haiti . . . it doesn’t matter. You can count on the Red Cross to be there. We wanted to be a part of that.”

More importantly, Ron says when he gives to the Red Cross he knows that his donation will have an impact in the community. “The Red Cross takes resources and stretches them. I know my money will be well spent and for the right reasons.”

Because of individuals like Ron, the American Red Cross is able to help nearly 200,000 people across North Texas prevent, prepare for and respond to disasters every year.

Will you join Ron and Julia in supporting your American Red Cross? Become a part of a life-changing experience by making a gift today!

Your donation will turn heartbreak into hope when disasters strike down the street, across the country or around the world.

No comments:

Post a Comment

The American Red Cross-North Texas Region does not moderate comments prior to posting, and we gladly welcome your comments — supportive, dissenting, questioning or otherwise. In general, we do not delete or censor comments unless they:

· contain excessive profanity
· contain harsh or offensive language
· use flaming or threatening language
· are abusive
· are off-topic or an inappropriate tangent
· are blatantly spam
· promote or advertise businesses
· personally attack the blogger or other commenters

While the American Red Cross-North Texas Region seeks to inspire, educate and excite its readers, this blog is a resource for the community and inappropriate comments will not be allowed. Participants who violate this Comment Policy may be blocked from future access and/or commenting on this blog.