Jill Washburn at Rocky Mountain College in Billings served with the Ameican Red Cross for MLK Day. The article was published in the Billings Gazette! Way to go Jill, we're incredibly proud of you and your accomplishment! Here is an excerpt from the article:
"Debt, layoffs and discouraged volunteers made the past decade a difficult one for the American Red Cross of Montana.
Financial problems, including a debt of more than $200,000 in the mid-2000s, led to the closure of offices and staff layoffs statewide. The Billings office closed in September 2008. A number of volunteers left after receiving news that the physical office was closing.
Two years later, CEO Rod Kopp said things were starting to look up.
After running in the red since 2000, the organization ended the most recent fiscal year in the black.
Volunteer numbers have tripled over the past two years. Kopp said the Red Cross is now functioning with about 300 volunteers statewide, with 20 of them based in Billings.
“It's exciting to see the turnaround since that happened, and to see the level of service that we have,” Kopp said. “We have a pretty good depth of experience with our volunteers.”
To handle the debt that had been plaguing the organization for years, Kopp called for a organizational restructuring that closed offices around the state.
Before the closure of the Billings office, there were seven offices statewide. Now there are three — in Bozeman, Great Falls and Missoula.
The goal is to reopen an office in Billings by the end of 2011, Kopp said..."
To view the entire article. Click HERE!
Keep it up Jill!!!
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