KELOWNA, BC – World Red Cross Day celebrations took place in Kelowna, where the local branch launched a campaign to build a full service disaster operations centre in the Okanagan.
The Kelowna office on Adams Road will be renovated once $3 million is raised. The campaign is already half way there.
“We’ve been in Kelowna for over 100 years but we’ve been in several small locations our volunteers have been moving from location to location,” says BC/ Yukon Red Cross Director Kimberley Nemrava.
“This was an opportunity to come together and to really solidify our resources and find a space and renovate a space where we can turn it into full service training space and operation centre.”
The money raised will also train more volunteers. With 500 currently on call in Kelowna, the agency wants to double that to 1,000.
The extra volunteers will help the Red Cross medical equipment loan program expand its hours.
Funds raised will help train them and renovate the operations centre.
“The equipment and the walls will be mobile so that we can take them to other areas,” says Nemrava. “We’re going to have pre-positioned disaster goods, mobile generators and some vehicles so that we can assist in disasters.”
The Red Cross has been operating in Kelowna for more than 100 years.
“The needs of this community are growing so now it’s time we helped Red Cross to ensure we’re all ready when disaster strikes,” says Anna Hunt Binkley, Building for Humanity Campaign Chair.
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