Red Cross volunteers in South Dakota honor the tradition of providing care and comfort for injured service members
“It’s just such a wonderful feeling – it’s my privilege to help out,” says Judy Button, a Red Cross volunteer at the Military Treatment Facility (MTF) on Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City.
A retired operating room nurse and wife of an Air Force retiree, Judy jumped at the chance to help after learning about the need for volunteers at the MTF. Judy serves as pharmacy assistant.
“I do whatever it takes to make the pharmacist’s job easier – from unpacking boxes and stocking medications to removing outdated medications – I try to free them up, so our veterans and active-duty service members don’t have to wait long for their prescriptions,” she says.
Judy’s skills and medical knowledge learned from working in an operating room carry over to the work she does in the pharmacy. “It was nothing new to me – I asked a lot of questions, but they didn’t have to do a lot of teaching.”
The American Red Cross has a long history of helping members of the military community – from its start with its founder Clara Barton and her work during the Civil War.
“From the time a service member takes their oath to navigating life as a veteran and every step in between, we’re there to help with the challenges of military service,” says Richard Felix, a regional SAF program manager for the Red Cross in South Dakota.
Lesser known is the work done at military hospitals and care facilities across the country and around the world. Our work at the Ellsworth MTF honors this long-standing tradition.
The Minnesota and Dakotas Red Cross Region currently has six hospital volunteers at the Ellsworth MTF, several serving since the start in 2017. They support a variety of departments, including pharmacy, lab, and insurance. The partnership between the Red Cross and the 28th Medical Group at Ellsworth has been great, says Felix.
“Being able to support various departments within the MTF, and ultimately serving our military community, is special. Volunteers at the MTF are unsung heroes who dedicating their time and knowledge.”
Cheryl Lemley serves as a healthcare office assistant. “I’ve got a lot of institutional knowledge,” chuckles Cheryl. No stranger to military life, Cheryl was born in Germany where her father was stationed. She grew up as an “Army brat” and is a Navy veteran herself.
She’s a newer Red Cross volunteer, starting her service in June 2023. Cheryl spends about 8 – 12 hours a month working at the Ellsworth MTF.
“It’s one of my biggest joys in life to help military members, veterans, and their families navigate the complexities of Tricare and hopefully get better outcomes on their claims.”
She enjoys being a part of the Red Cross. “The Red Cross is there to help, just like I’m helping the military community – letting them know that their sacrifices haven’t gone unnoticed and trying to make things a little easier – it’s just an awesome feeling to lessen the burden for them.”
Efforts are also underway to establish a MTF volunteer program at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Once approved we’ll start recruiting volunteers.
Click here to learn more about our work supporting military members, their families and veterans. To become an SAF volunteer, click here.
American Red Cross Minnesota and Dakotas Region 