THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 11, 1996 TAG: 9610090137
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 59 lines
Robert J. Weaver couldn't have picked a busier time to begin his new career as executive director of the Portsmouth/West Chesapeake chapter of the American Red Cross. Weaver stepped into his new shoes last July just as Hurricane Bertha was threatening the area.
``It gets you into what's going on real quick,'' Weaver said.
Weaver, a retired commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Integrated Support Command in Portsmouth, hoped for another career after leaving the military in June. But he wasn't willing to accept just any position, and he and his wife, Barbara, wanted to remain in Chesapeake.
``My position here isn't that big of a jump from what I was used to,'' he said. ``I still get to go home at night and feel good. This is definitely a feel-good kind of business.''
As executive director of the Red Cross chapter, Weaver is responsible for heading a staff of eight full-time employees and some 200 volunteers.
The Portsmouth/West Chesapeake branch of the Red Cross covers Portsmouth, Western Branch and Deep Creek. The nonprofit group provides aid and humanitarian services to those in need including victims of fire and natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. In addition, the Red Cross provides armed forces emergency aid, continuous planning for disaster preparedness and health and safety courses.
Weaver is especially proud of the retired volunteer senior program.
``We match interested seniors with any number of groups that need volunteers,'' said Weaver. ``It's a way to keep seniors active and help the community at the same time. As far as I know, we're the only branch that has this program.''
The retired volunteer senior program has more than 453 workers enrolled.
Weaver's crossover from the military to the Red Cross seemed a natural step to the former commander. In 1989, he was stationed in San Francisco when the infamous World Series earthquake hit. As a deputy base commander, Weaver had to see to it that his base, which, as he put it, was little more than a landfill after the quake, was up and operating just 12 hours after the shimmying started.
``Everything pretty much just folded up and collapsed,'' he said.
Weaver's experience in handling such disasters proved beneficial when he started his job at the Red Cross. Within weeks, Hampton Roads had to face two serious hurricane threats, and the hurricane season still has a few weeks to go. After that, the region has to prepare for the coming winter months.
``We see more fires around the holidays and last year, the cold weather was so bad we had to open shelters,'' Weaver said.
In addition to seasonal challenges, the Portsmouth chapter has to deal with, on average, one family fire a week and numerous military emergency situations.
Weaver isn't just interested in seeing that the community is prepared for hurricanes or other disasters. With a region as diverse as Portsmouth and Chesapeake, Weaver wants to make sure the Red Cross is providing the region with the services it needs. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
``This is definitely a feel good kind of business,'' says Robert J.
Weaver, Red Cross chapter executive director. by CNB