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100 Years of the Red Cross in Iowa

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/
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The American Red Cross in Cedar Rapids during the 2008 flood

In the spring of 1916 war raged in Europe and tensions rose in the United States. In response, some far-sighted Iowans decided it was time to bring the Red Cross to Iowa.

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe hosts a discussion on the history of the American Red Cross, the work of its volunteers, and the mission of the Red Cross in Iowa today. Volunteer Nancy Kintner remembers an experience she had in Cedar Rapids during the 2008 flood recovery.

"In a disaster, all of their belongings end up in the street," Kintner says. "Front end loaders were coming in and taking all of these people's lives into the garbage trucks. It's so traumatic, and one little girl wanted to save a toy from the pile of rubble...and she couldn't do that because it's contaminated. The Red Cross was there, and I was there, and we were able to give her a Mickey Mouse and a toy that she could take with her to the shelter. Her mom just cried, because she had something that she could give to her two-year-old daughter."

"I just have a passion for it. Somebody needs to do it, and I'm glad I was born to do it," Kintner adds.

Nebbe also talks with a couple of this year's Heroes of the Heartland, Joe Hogan who founded the non-profit Train to Inspire, and Trey Rice of Grimes, who saved a young boy from drowning. 

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Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa