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Boys Town Receives 2008 Business Preparedness Award from American Red Cross
By Lesley Tourek
The American Red Cross Heartland Chapter Awards and Recognition committee honored Boys Town June 12 for making the community a safer place.
“It is a great pleasure to present our inaugural Business Preparedness Award to Boys Town, a committed partner in health and safety,” said Deborah O’Donnell Neary, Deputy Director of the Heartland Regional Chapter of Red Cross. “It isn’t just our chapter volunteers and staff who make Heartland great – it is our community partners, without whom we would not be able to fulfill our mission of humanitarian relief.”
Boys Town was applauded for their safety training programs and for their involvement in helping those affected by tragedies such as the shootings at Von Maur in December 2007. The Boys Town National Hotline offered counseling and referral assistance to those in need.
“We had more than 100 calls from individuals affected by the Von Maur tragedy,” said Ginny Gohr, Boys Town National Hotline Director. “When something like that happens, we’re prepared with trained counselors, contacts and agencies that are available immediately so we can offer those services to people who call in.”
Another important link in Boys Town’s partnership with The American Red Cross is Chief John Sing, Boys Town Safety Director and Fire Chief. “The Red Cross was very appreciative of the fact that we use their programs here at the Boys Town Home Campus and at all of our sites across the country,” said Sing, who trains more than 600 students a year and makes safety products available to Boys Town affiliates across the nation. “We take the safety of our children very seriously.”
To speak with a trained counselor 24 hours a day, seven days a week about a crisis, resource or referral, call the Boys Town National Hotline at 1.800.448.3000. To purchase books or DVDs on health and safety from the Boys Town Press, go to: www.boystownpress.org.
