There is so much negativity today in the news and everywhere we look that it is always nice when we can pause to recognize good things that are happening in our community. I would like to take the opportunity to use this blog to highlight some of the positive events that are happening in Central Ohio.
This month, I would like to congratulate Ms. Sharon Stanley, my constituent from Circleville, OH, for being inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame for 2013. Each year, Governor John Kasich honors a handful of distinguished veterans with this recognition. Throughout her life and career, Ms. Stanley has been unwavering in her dedication and service to our great nation, and I commend her for this distinction.
Sharon Stanley was an Army nurse on both active duty and the reserves, and she continued to serve her community after retirement. From 2009 to August 2013, she served at the national level as Chief Nurse of the American Red Cross, where she led and trained Red Cross nurses in all areas of service, including disaster response and the National Student Nurse Program.
During her time with the Red Cross, Ms. Stanley was responsible for the volunteer management of over 15,000 Red Cross nurses and volunteer nurses. She also increased the presence of Red Cross volunteer nurses in both military hospitals and the health care system at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
But her service does not stop there. Ms. Stanley has been a part of the Community Health Resilience Initiative for the Office of Health Affairs and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Nursing, and she is directly involved with Wright State University in developing a national standardized program that will provide nurses with a certificate in Disaster Nursing.
In addition to her recent induction into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, Ms. Stanley was honored in 2013 as one of only five nurses from the United States to be awarded the prestigious Florence Nightingale Medal by the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva.
Ms. Sharon Stanley has improved the lives of countless service members and civilians. She is a hero by nature and a true public servant, and for that I respect and appreciate her. Ms. Stanley has rightfully earned her place in the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame, and I offer my deepest congratulations to her.
