THE VOICE OF THE TOWNSHIP
Wayne Township Proud of Local Heroes of Gulf Disaster Relief Effort
By now we have all heard about the victims of the disastrous hurricanes that have ravaged our gulf coast. Many evacuees were sent all over the country. Some of them now reside in our community. I would like to take this time to acknowledge my second in command: Chief Deputy Trustee of Wayne Township Alan Stoller.
Al volunteered almost four weeks of his vacation time to do his part in helping the Red Cross address the needs of hurricane victims. Since he was a new volunteer, he was required to undergo orientation training classes and a shelter operations class before he could be assigned to a particular site. The Red Cross offered local classes around the clock and he quickly completed his training. Twenty minutes after finishing his training (4:30 September 7), he was given a list of supplies to pack and told to catch a flight to Houston, Texas at 9:00 am the next morning. Al wasn’t sure where he was going, but told them to send him where he was needed most. He was assigned to the Reliant Center floor in Houston to perform a variety of duties.
“When you put on the Red Cross vest, the job comes to you. This is the most multi-tasking I’ve done in a long time – there is so much to do, but it’s fairly organized,” Al said. “I went around looking for people who were sick or depressed and got them medical attention. I was showing people where clothes were found, explaining how the debit cards worked and making sure they all kept their hands washed.”
“We set up complete day care centers, a small hospital and over 200 computers. When we asked for food, water, clothing and bedding supplies, we got more than we could have ever used. The country really came together to quickly start a city- and that’s what it was, a city. Many of the city’s extremely stressed were assisted. It was amazing. It seemed like chaos but it was well run.”
“It’s sad that it takes a big catastrophe like this to bring the country together, but it is great to know that if the country needs to come together it can. If you have compassion and common sense, the Red Cross will give the tools to help out.”
Al demonstrated the leadership skills that he has used to help the Wayne Township Office to become a leader in helping those in need here and he was quickly promoted there to the position of shelter manager! I have never been prouder of any of my staff members than I am of Al. His selfless commitment to always do his best to help others is an inspiration to all who know him.
Al is only one of many local heroes who largely go unnoticed but there are so many more even just in the Wayne Township area of this great country.
The Nimble Needles, a talented group of homemade quilt craftsmen from Waynedale’s own Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, donated 20 of the most breathtaking hand sewn quilts to Wayne Township. They simply wanted to do “their part” and asked that quilts be donated to families relocated in Fort Wayne. These expensive quilts could have been auctioned off for hundreds of dollars apiece at a craft fair but all of these gentle souls agreed to give them to those who were in need.
I am not easily overwhelmed, but when I have the chance to witness such generosity and kindness of spirit, it makes a lasting impression on me. My job is to help the less fortunate every day but it always feels good to have one more shoulder pushing against the wheel. Many heroes go unrecognized. Now, you know a few more.
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