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Red Cross Volunteer Celebrates Two Decades with the Organization
JUPITER, Fla. (July 1, 2009) — North Palm Beach resident Harold Praeg, 82, marked his 20th anniversary of service with the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross on June 30, 2009. Praeg, a U.S. veteran who spent 22 years in the Navy and served in three wars, volunteers with the Red Cross on a regular basis in a Service to Veterans leadership position. Praeg began volunteering with the local Red Cross’ North County Service Center in 1989, the day after he retired from Grumman Aerospace in Stuart after a 23 year-long career with the company.
Praeg began his volunteer career with the Red Cross by driving veterans to the VA hospital in Miami before there was a VA hospital in northern Palm Beach County. He boasts a Red Cross resume full of service to the organization in various capacities, including both locally and nationally. Praeg was appointed to a National Services to Military Families committee, which he chaired for four years. He served an additional four years as one of only four deputies of the country-wide group. Currently, he serves as the local chapter’s liaison to the VA hospital, linking interested volunteers with opportunities to serve. The team Praeg coordinates there logged 2,064 volunteer hours in 2008.
Praeg has been deployed to over 15 national disaster assignments, caring for the immediate emergency needs of people from all walks of life. Praeg had a volunteer presence at Hurricane Andrew in Miami in 1992, a typhoon in Guam in 2002, and several large scale disasters in between. Pledging a minimum of two weeks of volunteer availability during each large-scale disaster he’s participated in, Praeg’s selflessness and commitment to the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross is evident. He has served the organization in many other capacities including logistics, damage assessment, building and repair, administration, and communications as an amateur radio operator.
To commemorate Praeg’s two decades of unwavering service to the Red Cross, the organization’s staff and volunteers honored him at a lunch. Praeg’s own personal attitude makes him the quintessential Red Cross volunteer. He took his own area of expertise and identified a fit with the organization. “When I saw chaos, I thought, ‘I can work in that kind of situation.’ I’ve been trained to run toward, not away from disasters,” said Praeg of why he first became involved 20 years ago.
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About the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross:
For over 90 years, the American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter, which includes Glades, Hendry, Okeechobee and Palm Beach counties, has provided relief to victims of disasters at home and abroad, taught lifesaving skills, and supported military members and their families. The American Red Cross, a charity and not a government agency, depends on voluntary contributions of time and money to perform its humanitarian mission. To learn more about the work of the Red Cross in communities, or to make a donation, please call 561-833-7711 or visit our website at www.redcross-pbc.org.
