Craven County community leaders agree - what appeared to be a simple act of kindness will impact residents in their rural community for years to come.
Recently, a small group of volunteers, including staff from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC) and the American Red Cross, local residents and emergency personnel spent hours renumbering more than 100 Craven County mailboxes. Volunteers replaced worn mailbox numbers with new reflective ones so emergency personnel could identify them more quickly during medical emergencies.
“This will save lives,” said Sue Shaver, president of the Harlowe Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary. “When our volunteer firefighters go on a call, they frequently can’t find houses because they cannot see numbers on mailboxes.”
The community has rural and soft shoulder roads and is prone to flooding. If an emergency vehicle misses a house, the turnaround distance can be up to three miles, delaying access to critically needed emergency services.
“It’s hard for people here to volunteer and do this because they have to work,” American Red Cross worker Lyle Bailey said while relabeling mailboxes. “So, it takes people from Blue Cross NC and the American Red Cross to help.”
Harlowe is in rural Craven County and is home to many. The town is located right outside Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point.
The idea for this project originated after Blue Cross NC county engagement team member Johnny Jernigan learned that Harlowe emergency services workers and local mail carriers were having issues navigating the area. Many residents who live in the area receive health insurance as federal employees.
“We heard about this during a grant writing workshop where volunteer firefighters and County Commissioner Sherry Hunt brought this to our attention,” Jernigan said. “We immediately set up this event so that we could address a critical need for this community.”
Jernigan contacted Blue Cross NC FEP Business Operations Advisor Yokasta Crouse who said the project aligned with the company’s mission.
“At Blue Cross NC, our mission is to improve the health and well-being of our customers and communities,” Crouse said. “This project is a way for us to give back to community members while also helping our postal workers who have trouble locating houses when delivering mail.”
Craven County leaders said they will continue the project to smaller rural roads this fall based on recommendations from the fire department.
“What this project says to our residents is that Blue Cross NC and others are here for us to make it a safer and better place to live,” Shaver said.
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