With the freezing overnight temperatures continuing in the Willamette Valley, Egan Warming Centers are providing shelter to anyone who needs it. This life-saving outreach requires a constant flow of volunteers.
Egan Warming Center Director Shelley Corteville is going on her fifth night of activation in the Eugene/Springfield area. Although you can hear the fatigue in her voice, she knows why she does it.
“When we open, we are saving lives,” Corteville says. “We are actively saving lives.”
So Corteville and hundreds of other volunteers open sites on freezing nights, cook meals, hand out mats and blankets and provide security as guests sleep.
“It’s a very wonderful thing to hear people snoring.”
Each night of activation requires between 350 and 400 volunteers. Cordeville says when the same people cover shifts, day after day, they get tired.
“If you’re a trained volunteer, please, please, please go to our website and sign up for a shift,” Corteville says. “We really do need you to help us save lives.”
In 2008, Army veteran Major Thomas Egan froze to death on the streets of Eugene. Now, volunteers are needed to operate the warming shelter service named after him. The next volunteer training is December 19th at First Christian Church in Eugene.
Notice: Egan Warming Centers will be open tonight (Friday) and remain on standby Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
