It started with an announcement made by an instructor – and the next thing Nicole Sisson and Courtney Shearer knew, they were helping head up the ISU Red Cross Club.

Last semester, Sisson and Shearer, junior and senior, respectively, in kinesiology and health, heard about the club in a class and decided to join. This semester, they are serving as the co-presidents of the club.

“We were both looking for a club or organization to get involved with,” Shearer said.

Both Sisson and Shearer wanted the organization they found to be related to their major, and they also wanted a chance to serve others. Now leading the club, Sisson and Shearer want students to have a chance to get involved and feel like a part of the ISU community.

“That’s the main goal – to get students involved,” Shearer said. “With more students involved, we can do more.”

Kathryn Sanftner, senior in kinesiology and health, is working as an intern at the of the American Red Cross Lincoln Way Chapter. She has also worked to make the ISU Red Cross Club more active than it had been. Red Cross clubs at Iowa State have come and gone, but Sanftner hopes this one is here to stay.

The club strives to promote the services offered by the American Red Cross, which it are affiliated with. While the Red Cross is known for its blood drives, disaster preparedness and relief work in the United States and abroad, Sanftner said it offers much more than that. She said people aren’t often aware of the classes and services the Red Cross provides to the community.

The ISU Red Cross Club was approved as an official organization this semester, and the leaders have hit the ground running by promoting the club on campus and working with the Lincoln Way Chapter.

On March 22, the club will be a part of CPR Saturday at the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is hosted in conjunction with the Lincoln Way Chapter.

The club is also hoping to hold blood drives in the future. Sisson and Shearer are actively working to make the club’s name known by participating in campus events like Relay for Life.

“We’re trying to get involved with Veishea,” Sisson said.

Sisson and Shearer hope the club will continue to expand and be able to do further serve the Iowa State and Ames communities.

“Hopefully, we just keep getting members,” said Sisson. “Hopefully, we’ll get the word out that the Red Cross Club is back.”

The club anticipates growing in the semesters to come and sees the current semester as a chance to set goals and a focus.

“Right now, we’re setting a good foundation for next year,” Sanftner said.

To learn more on the ISU Red Cross Club e-mail:

[email protected]

A little history

On Feb. 29, President Bush gave the annual proclamation declaring March “American Red Cross Month.” The celebration was inaugurated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943, but the history of the Red Cross goes back further than that.

In 1881, a determined and innovative Clara Barton led the way in establishing the American Red Cross. Her inspiration came from the International Red Cross, based in Switzerland. Barton also had seen the ravages of battle when she served as a nurse in the American Civil War. During her 23 years of service with the Red Cross, Barton would lead several missions to help people in need – from the victims a Michigan forest fire to hurricane survivors in South Carolina and Texas and people in the Spanish-American War.

After Barton left, the Red Cross continued to grow and become active at the local community level, and its name became synonymous with disaster and war relief.

Today, the organization still helps in the aftermath of disasters such as Sept. 11 and Hurricane Katrina. It also maintains a presence in communities by educating people about how to prepare for disasters and providing training to equip people with skills like first aid and CPR.

CPR Saturday

Learn CPR and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator)

What: With a $10 fee and a training session, you can become certified in CPR.

When: Saturday, March 22 – Sessions 9:30 a.m. to noon or 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Where: Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave.

Questions: 232-5104