In celebration of National Red Cross Month, the Lisbon History Center has an exhibit through the month of March highlighting the local connections to Red Cross and their emergency service.
The exhibit features some of the detailed accounts of former residents Dot and Gene Hinman, who were longtime Red Cross volunteers.
Becky Bunting, member of the Lisbon History Center, also has a long connection to red Cross.
“I worked since 1998 as an instructor and member of Red Cross, helping with CPR and first aid training programs,” Bunting said. “I did that from 1998 until roughly 2017.”
Bunting said that the exhibit goes back to the early 1900s, when each community had their own Red Cross organizations for emergency responses locally.
The exhibit features many of the pins and ornaments offered to Red Cross members, as well as previous training materials.
The Hinman’s service is also detailed in numerous binders people can flip through to see the different disasters the duo responded to across the country.
“The Hinmans donated their Red Cross supplies to the history center years ago,” Bunting said. “When I was going through the basement in early February and saw the Hinman box, it sparked my brain to Red Cross Month coming up, and realizing we’ve had ties with numerous people locally, including the Hinmans and Opatz families.”
Bunting presented that to board members, including Eric Yarborough and Linda Nost.
“I was excited we were able to share some of the collection we have from Dot and Gene, former Mount Vernon residents who were volunteers with Red Cross in many emergencies and calls to action,” Nost said.
The Hinmans service took them to large scale disasters like hurricanes on the coasts, but also in helping locally when it came to the numerous floods that have happened in eastern Iowa.
The Lisbon History Center is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m., and the exhibit will be up through the end of the month of March. If you can’t make it during those hours, contact the history center at 319-455-2714 to schedule a private appointment.
Lisbon History Center member Becky Bunting highlights some of the small pins from her collection as a a Red Cross member.