Harrison County approves $5,000 for Red Cross disaster services, proclaims March Red Cross Month

The Harrison County Commission voted March 5 to provide $5,000 to the American Red Cross Allegheny Highlands chapter for disaster cycle services and adopted a proclamation recognizing March 2025 as American Red Cross Month.

The contribution and proclamation were requested by Michelle Duas, a community volunteer with the Allegheny Highlands chapter, who spoke to commissioners about local Red Cross activity in 2024 and the chapter’s ongoing needs. "We are here today to ask for the county commission support," Duas said during her presentation, asking the commission to fund disaster cycle services.

Duas told the commission that, in 2024, the local Red Cross collected about 1,189 units of blood at 42 drives across Harrison County and provided 17 case services to service members and families through its Services to the Armed Forces program. Local volunteers delivered 150 care packages to the Clarksburg VA and installed roughly 400 free smoke alarms in the county; disaster teams assisted 21 Harrison County families in 2024, which Duas said represented a 33% increase from 2023. She also reported 922 local completions of CPR/first aid training and 41 completions of a Red Cross aquatic safety course.

Commissioners approved the $5,000 request during the meeting after Duas’ remarks and then read and adopted a proclamation noting the chapter’s local activities and urging community support for the organization’s work.

The commission approved the funding and proclamation by voice vote; the meeting record does not list a recorded roll-call tally or the name of the motion maker for the funding request.