Yesterday was a whirlwind of unexpected assignments - including a breaking news assignment to see the send-off of two OKC Red Cross volunteers who went to San Antonio to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Dolly.
My editors received the news release from the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma at 4:01 p.m. — and the send-off was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Luckily, I didn’t have much to do yesterday evening, so my editors threw a camera in my hand and sent me on my way.
I sped down I-235 toward downtown, managed to find the Red Cross offices and get there in time to get the story. I was able to do a video interview with the Red Cross director and then talk with the couple that was volunteering.
It turned out to be a really sweet story to do — and it gave me one more opportunity to practice juggling a notebook or tape recorder and a video camera:
Unfortunately, there happened to be a lot of news for today’s Oklahoman so, for whatever reason, my 10-inch story had to be drastically cut down for the print edition.
This is the first time at The Oklahoman that I feel disappointed that one of my story’s was cut… but I understand it’s not my decision to make - it’s my editors. And these moments happen to every journalist.
While the newspaper offers readers a few paragraphs on this Oklahoma City couple and the video provides more depth to those bits - this blog gives me an alternative medium to share the whole story with you, as it was approved by my desk editors:
Dean and Bunnie Morgensen drove to San Antonio Tuesday in a red-and-white emergency response vehicle, ready to assist if Hurricane Dolly hits southern Texas.
The Oklahoma City couple has volunteered with the American Red Cross for 31/2 years. They have been on nearly 20 trips to natural disaster areas across the nation.
“We have a passion to help people,” said Bunnie Morgensen, 71. “It’s about the hugs, and holding hands, you maybe cry a little bit with ‘em and tell them, ‘This too shall pass.’”
The Morgensens decided early Tuesday they wanted to go to San Antonio in case Hurricane Dolly took a turn for the worse, said Vince Hernandez, chief executive of the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma.
“As an organization, we want to be sure we’re poised and ready to help anybody that might be affected by the storm,” Hernandez said. “If you wait a little bit too long, it can almost be too late.”
The Morgensens’ last trip with the American Red Cross was to assist flood victims in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They volunteered for 16 hours a day for 22 days, handing out nearly 9,000 meals.
“That minute we spend … to see them and give them a little relief … even a few seconds makes a big difference,” said Dean Morgensen, 82.
Bunnie Morgensen said past disaster victims have called them “angels” for the work they do.
“But I don’t think so,” she said. “We’re just happy to be doing what we’re doing.”
As Dean Morgensen organized supplies in the emergency response vehicle, his wife held a piece of paper with a quote by author Kenneth Blanchard that summed up why they spend their time in disaster zones.
“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.”
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It’s the new world of journalism: being able to offer news content through a variety of platforms.
~ Kristen M. Daum, City Desk intern at The Oklahoman.
