McCOMB – An effort to rebuild an American Red Cross presence inLincoln and surrounding counties is under way less than threemonths after the Brookhaven-based chapter disbanded.

South Central Mississippi Chapter Executive Director JaniceVannatta said the national American Red Cross has provided fundingfor the hiring of two part-time employees to operate in Brookhavenand McComb, and her chapter will be seeking to fill thosepositions. The announcement came during a meeting Monday night atthe First Baptist Church in McComb.

The two service center coordinators will oversee the Mid-SouthMississippi Service Delivery Area – which includes the counties ofFranklin, Lawrence, Lincoln and Pike – the former local chapterjurisdiction now under the direction of Vannatta’sHattiesburg-based chapter.

“This tells me that they believe in this area, in thesecommunities,” Vannatta said of the funding. “The nationalorganization recognized that this is a critical area, that havingstrength in this area is important.”

Vannatta said her chapter will soon begin advertising and takingapplications for the $15,000 per year part-time positions. Theemployees will be required to undergo Red Cross disaster trainingand will be qualified to teach the same courses locally to furtherstrengthen the organization’s volunteer core.

The positions are open to anyone with the heart of a volunteer,Vannatta said.

“These two employees will become valuable Red Cross assets,”Vannatta said. “The people that work for the Red Cross become partof the mission and will be engaged in a community effort to meetthat mission.”

The funding for the employees expires in June, Vannatta said.She did not elaborate on the situation after that date.

Vannatta said it is crucial that local communities be ready tosupport the Red Cross before that deadline arrives.

“The community needs to be engaged in the mission of the RedCross,” she said. “Without community support, the Red Cross doesnot exist.”

In order to bolster such support, Vannatta said the Red Crosswill be seeking involvement in the communities it serves in thefour counties. Red Cross members have already joined the chambersof commerce in Lincoln and Pike counties, and plans call for anincreased presence in churches, schools and civic groups andself-advertising such as entering floats in upcoming Christmasparades.

Efforts are also under way to build an advisory board to serveas a quasi board of directors for the service area and newemployees. Current and former Red Cross volunteers and concernedcitizens are encouraged to contribute to the board, which consistsnow of the same core that has been involved with the Red Cross foryears.

The organization is still attempting to acquire donated officespace in Lincoln and Pike counties to house the forthcomingemployees.

The long-term goal, Vannatta said, is to restore the Mid-SouthMississippi Chapter, which surrendered its charter in Septemberafter finding itself unable to pay more than $20,000 in debtincurred while rendering services beginning in Hurricane Katrina in2005.

“We’re making every effort to bring this service center backonline as an independent entity,” Vannatta said.

South Central Mississippi Chapter Community Programs DirectorRobin Mays said the Red Cross has received “tons” of support sincethe Brookhaven-based chapter closed, including the donation of1,200 toothbrushes from the McComb Youth Program and 700 comfortkits – which include various toiletries – from students atCopiah-Lincoln Community College.

Another large goal on Mays’ list is continued involvement withthe area’s hurricane shelters – most of which are churches. Shesaid she will be working to rebuild trust with some shelters thatfelt the organization’s response was inconsistent during HurricaneGustav in early September.

“The main thing is training,” she said. “We’re going to makesure everyone feels they have our support, and that begins withtraining.”

Mays said she will encourage the churches to form their ownsupport groups that include Red Cross involvement.

“We all have similar missions, and when it comes to shelters,working together is the best way,” she said.

Anyone interested in serving with or donating to the Red Crossin any capacity may contact the South Central Mississippi Chapterat 601-582-8151. The chapter’s Web site ishttp://www.redcross-scms.org/.