Pennsylvania Daughter and American Red Cross disaster program specialist delivers a vital service to her community
by Lena Anthony
It happened nearly 50 years ago, but Edna Reinard recalls it as if it was yesterday. She and her brother were on the school bus en route to their home when a neighbor stopped the bus driver and summoned the siblings off. Their father had just died after suffering a massive heart attack at home, and their mother didn’t want them walking into the house unprepared.
“I knew he had a massive heart attack and there was nothing anyone could have done, but in the back of my mind, I always thought, what if someone had known CPR?” said Ms. Reinard, a member of Fort Augusta DAR Chapter, Sunbury, Pa.
That traumatic experience directed her life’s work—first as an EMT and now as a disaster program specialist for the Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross.
“The fact that we truly can make a difference in the life of someone who is having one of the worst days of their life is what keeps me motivated,” said Ms. Reinard, who has been with the American Red Cross for 39 years. “It does not matter if it is someone who needs blood, someone who has lost their home to a fire or flood, or kids we are teaching about fire safety, we are there to give people hope.”
Since disasters by their nature cannot be predicted, neither can Ms. Reinard’s workdays. When she is not responding to a disaster or aiding in recovery, she is helping prevent or prepare for them.
“A lot of people do not realize this, but one of the main things we do is preparedness,” she said. “Sadly, since the beginning of the year, Pennsylvania has been number one in the nation for the number of civilian fatalities due to a fire. We need to get people educated on fire prevention and what to do in case one happens. When people are better prepared, hopefully we save lives.”
Ms. Reinard started her Red Cross journey as a volunteer CPR instructor, then served as a blood services coordinator and executive director, and is now in disaster services. The team she leads is made up of volunteers.
“The work we do is not possible without volunteers,” she said. “And right now we need more of them. We need local boots on the ground as well as those who will travel to disaster sites or even work virtually from home. We need office workers. We need people to help with training and blood drives. No matter what anyone enjoys doing, we have a position for them.”
The connection between the American Red Cross and the Daughters of the American Revolution is not lost on Ms. Reinard. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was also a charter member of the DAR.
“It is cool to me that we have both of those in common,” she said. “What an amazing connection it is to have.”
Ms. Reinard joined the DAR in 2015, but it was on her radar long before. “Growing up, it was an organization that I looked up to,” she said. “I always wanted to join, but never had the slightest inclination that I had a Patriot.”
Now that she is part of the DAR, she said, it has more than met her expectations. “I didn’t realize how big of a service group it was,” she said. “But I’m up for the challenge. From road and creek cleanups, honoring our military, participating in parades, donating Christmas gifts to veterans and children in need, to cleaning cemetery memorials and honoring those who have gone before us, we stay active!”
When she is not answering the call for DAR or the American Red Cross, you’ll find Ms. Reinard spending time with her three grandchildren or on the small farm she and her son Michael own. “We have horses, sheep, geese, ducks, pigs, chickens and cats,” she said. “Watching the children grow and learn to serve others or tend to the needs of the animals is so very rewarding.”
