Adairsville, Cartersville Residents Best Volunteers for Red Cross

Two Bartow County residents won awards from the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia for their volunteer efforts, and one of them is a two-time winner.

• Weyland Billingsley of Cartersville was awarded the Special Volunteer Service Award.
• Debbye Blalock of Adairsville was named the Chapter Volunteer of the Year.

The two were honored by the organization at its recent annual meeting and volunteer celebration at Grace Baptist Church in Rome. Also honored were Rita O’Neal of Summerville received the Emergency Services Volunteer of the Year Award, and Linda Bussler of Cave Springs, who received the second annual Spirit of the Red Cross Award. 

Weyland Billingsley has been instrumental in coordinating the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia's shelter resources and as the key volunteer during the recent deployment of its new volunteer management software.  He was nominated by his volunteer peers for this award.  

Debbye Blalock of Adairsville was named the Chapter Volunteer of the Year for her exceptional leadership in coordinating, motivating, and successfully managing the chapter's Client Assistance Team. This is her second award as the Volunteer of the Year.

Rita O’Neal of Summerville received the Emergency Services Volunteer of the Year Award for her leadership and compassion while serving on the local Disaster Action team – a team of volunteers that provides immediate on-scene response to local fires and other disasters.  "Rita continues to go above and beyond what is expected of her and she is a mentor to new volunteers in her area," according to the news release from Jeffrey D Putnam, the chapter's executive director.

Linda Bussler of Cave Springs received the second annual Spirit of the Red Cross Award.  This award is presented in honor of her dedication, goodwill and collaborative spirit in support of the American Red Cross of Northwest Georgia.  Bussler has been a volunteer since 1997 and has more than 30 disaster deployments in her history, including a total of 154 days deployed in support of the Red Cross relief effort following Hurricane Katrina.  She has also been involved with volunteer training, client casework, case review and as a public speaker for the Red Cross.