3:47 p.m., April 25, 2007--The American Red Cross Club at UD, chartered last spring, has had a banner first year offering students all sorts of volunteer opportunities and earning praise from the off-campus organizations it has served.

It's next big event will be a CPRathon, where members will aim to certify at least 100 people at the same time in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, April 28. The event will take place in the Multipurpose Rooms of the Trabant University Center.

Cost of the CPR training is $20. Register online at [http://www.redcrossud.org], or stop by a kiosk in the Food Court in the Trabant University Center that will be open from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. this week.

The club was formed by Patrick Riley, AS '07, and Nikhil Paul, EG '10. Paul has a long history with the Red Cross and is a first aid and CPR instructor. He also is on the board of directors at the Delmarva Red Cross, which supports the student club. The club also is affiliated with the American Red Cross.

Nine members of the club spent Saint Patrick's Day volunteering at the Emily P. Bissell Hospital, a long-term care facility near Wilmington. “While there, we played games and talked with the elderly. You could see that some just wanted to talk to someone. Others loved to play games with us. It's definitely something that we will do again,” Jeff Thompson, volunteer coordinator for the club, said.

Gene Danneman, volunteer resources coordinator for the hospital, said club members were “happy, upbeat and absolutely wonderful with our residents.”

Other club activities include fundraising events, CPR and first aid training and other volunteer events. Helping others is the backbone of the club and that is accomplished through an Adopt-A-Highway program, partnering with Habitat for Humanity to rebuild houses, supporting local soup kitchens and working at call centers.

“We had a big volunteering event called 'Delaware's Top Model' that raised $1,200 dollars for disaster victims,” Thompson said. “We volunteer for Special Olympics, the Boys and Girls Club and Emmanuel Dining Room.” Thompson said. “We also provide tips every month to help students and are starting our own Disaster Action Team. Anytime a disaster strikes, we will work with other campus groups who want to help through the Red Cross."

For more information, visit [www.redcrossud.org].

Article by Beth Thomas