Slatington-area woman helps Bahamas residents affected by Dorian

It takes a special person to give freely of their time, especially in the wake of destruction.

Enter Lauren Ganser, who recently returned home from her deployment to help survivors in the Bahamas affected by the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.

Ganser, of Washington Township, explained what it’s like to volunteer as part of the Red Cross emergency response team.

“As a Red Cross volunteer, we log our availability in our profile for the Red Cross,” Ganser said. “I had a time period which I was able to get away, and so when I was contacted and asked if I was willing to be deployed, I committed to the assignment because my schedule allowed for it.”

Ganser said she was initially notified of deployment on Aug. 31, and at that point waited to hear where the need was based on the unpredictability of the storm.

Once it was official that Ganser would deploy, she was sent to North Carolina, where the staffing center sent her to a shelter near Nags Head.

As part of her deployment, Ganser committed to 14 days, and tried to pack minimally and realistically.

“You prepare to be sleeping on cots or on floors, and perhaps not in the most ideal circumstances,” she said. “In this particular situation, I was housed in a staffing shelter upon my arrival, and then in the client shelter once I was assigned.”

Ganser described what it was like to volunteer under such dire circumstances.

“On a personal level, I feel that I have the ability and time to assist those who have suffered such tragic and emotional loss and be somewhat comforting in these situations,” she said. “My heart goes out to people who suffer such traumatic loss, and as a fellow human, it is in my nature to want to help.”

Ganser said she has previously volunteered in church ministries visiting the elderly and shut-ins, and also volunteered as a puppy raiser for the Seeing Eye dog program.

A former director who served 12 years on Northern Lehigh School Board, Ganser is married and has three grown children.

Employed by the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 in the behavioral health department, Ganser said she gained a lot from her time spent in the Bahamas.

“This experience was one that, though it arose because of an unfortunate circumstance, it allowed me to encounter very wonderful, unselfish and giving people from all over our United States,” she said. “I made wonderful friendships, which will continue to inspire me to be open to putting my own needs on hold to help those who have suffered great losses.”

Ganser encouraged others to follow in her footsteps.

“By doing this, it brings me a sense of purpose, knowing that even the most minimal act of kindness provides abundant strength when people are in their weakest moments,” she said. “I encourage others to seek out volunteer opportunities in their communities; they are surely not going to regret it.”