LEWISBURG - Northumberland County is once again reunited in its affiliation with the American Red Cross.
After years of separation - the Sunbury area and upper end in the SUN Area chapter, the rest in the Schuylkill and Eastern Northumberland County chapter - all of the county is now in the SUN fold as of April 1.
Based in Lewisburg, the chapter gets its name from its three counties - Snyder, Union and Northumberland. Besides the two former Northumberland County chapters, the new SUN is also comprised of two other former chapters.
"We are a month into the merger and things are being handled in a more streamlined manner," said chapter director Tom Szulanczyk.
He called the move successful.
"When we had the four smaller chapters, we found
that we were duplicating our efforts across the board," he said. "The merger allows us to reduce our overhead and be more responsible with our donor dollars."
'Seamless' transition
Since April 1, Szulanczyk has made a few visits to the eastern end of the county to speak with business and community leaders, and also the volunteers who respond to help in recovery from floods, fires and other disasters.
He said the transition has been seamless.
"Nothing distinct happened on April 1 in our minds. We just keep going forward and will show that people can depend on us in times of need," Szulanczyk said. "People don't have to notice that our volunteers changed chapters, just that they are still providing the services the American Red Cross is noted for."
In the past, splitting of chapters in Northumberland County caused some confusion as to which local chapter people should donate to in times of crisis. That problem has been remedied, too, Szulanczyk said.
"People have been very generous with their donations, which is the only source of income the American Red Cross receives to continue its work," said Annie Smith, chapter communications coordinator. "Donations come from all over, but if a person wants to be specific with their donation and where it goes, which is very important to those in small communities, we will honor those wishes."
To donate or contact the local chapter, write to SUN Area Chapter American Red Cross, 249 Farley Circle, Lewisburg, PA 17837. Call 524-0400; fax 524-0462.