TimesLeader.com

June 1, 2009

Retired educator aids in emergencies

Red Cross volunteer always ready to reach out to people facing a crisis.

RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent

When floods or other natural disasters strike, volunteers amass in large numbers to aid the victims.

Recently, residents in Fargo, N.D., fought back floodwaters with the help of 19-year veteran volunteer from the Lackawanna County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

June Ejk, a volunteer and instructor at the Lackawanna County chapter, traveled there to assist with the disaster in late March. And she found herself in a race against a cresting river that threatened lives, homes, buildings and infrastructure, said Charlotte Wright, Red Cross spokesperson.

The Gouldsboro resident spent two weeks working as a health services volunteer deployed to an American Red Cross shelter, Wright said.

The work involved assisting evacuees, many from assisted-living facilities. She even handled weighty sandbags that were used to stop the water, Ejk said. On a sad note, she consulted a family who lost a loved one when he was swept away in floodwaters while driving across a roadway.

She saw firsthand how people of all types step up to save their towns when crisis strikes and she was amazed by their community spirit.

Ejk was an educator for more than 30 years and served as principal at Mendham School District in New Jersey. She moved to Pennsylvania after retiring in 2006. That’s when she decided to continue her volunteer efforts with the Red Cross. She had one goal in mind – to help other people.

In addition to the Red Cross, she is a member of the Juvenile Conference Committee in New Jersey, Big Bass Lake Safety Committee and Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

“I have a passion for life,” Ejk said.

As a Red Cross volunteer, Ejk said she strives to “be there for people in their time of need” and to also share the blessings she’s received.

An important aspect of Ejk’s volunteer services is disaster preparedness.

She said she teaches disaster preparedness courses in the area and believes it is important to educate others and prepare them in the event they are faced with emergency situations. It is an important community service, the Red Cross offers, she said. She also serves as a volunteer emergency medical technician.

She benefits from her volunteer work in other ways.

Recently, Ejk used her life-saving skills she learned as a volunteer to save the life of one of her grandchildren, Melissa. The 11-month-old at the time was choking on a piece of cereal that required Ejk to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to save her.

Ejk said she encourages her family members to learn CPR for their own protection.

As long as she is able to volunteer, Ejk said she will continue to do so. And, as a dedicated educator, she still enjoys the process of learning and helping others learn about ways to be prepared when facing tough circumstances.

In her spare time, she reads and kayaks along the waterways of Northeast Pennsylvania with her grandchildren.

Wright said Ejk’s volunteering and dedication fits with the “fundamental principles” of the Red Cross to provide disaster relief on the local and national level.

Red Cross volunteers must be ready to go to the scene of a disaster, such as home fires, regardless of the time or location, to offer victims emotional support, assess their immediate needs and provide other “first responder” support, Wright said.

Anyone interested in becoming a Red Cross volunteer should contact Wright at 207-0112 or visit the offices at 545 Jefferson Ave., Scranton. Information is also available on the Web site at www.neparc.org.

June ejk

TOWN OF RESIDENCE: Big Bass Lake, Gouldsboro

OCCUPATION: Retired school principal

HOW MANY YEARS? 30-plus

CHARITIES, VOLUNTEER PROJECTS: Juvenile Conference Committee in New Jersey, American Red Cross instructor and volunteer, Big Bass Lake Safety Committee and Neighbors Helping Neighbors, volunteer emergency medical technician

FAMILY: Sons, Ken and Craig, and five grandchildren, Melissa, 14; Dan, 10; Joshua, 10; twins Katie and Christie, 6.

EDUCATION: Received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Kean University, New Jersey, and her Master’s degree from The College of New Jersey

HOBBIES, INTERESTS: Reading, sailing, kayaking, painting

Volunteer of the Week is a regular feature in The Times Leader Scranton Edition that recognizes individuals, businesses or other organizations for their volunteer efforts and contributions to their communities. To nominate someone or an organization to be considered for this feature, e-mail mondrako@scrantonedition.com or call 558-0113.