The Red Cross is celebrating Red Cross Month by having a major fund-raising event this weekend.

The fundraiser, called the Red Cross Campaign, will feature a number of booths around the area that will collect donations, said Karen Remen, director of the DeKalb County Red Cross chapter.

The booths will be located around DeKalb and Sycamore and will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Remen said. The booths will be occupied primarily by volunteers.

The Red Cross is a privately funded organization whose sole purpose is to help people in need, Remen said.

Working with and volunteering for the Red Cross affords volunteers the opportunity to see the inner workings of the Red Cross.

“Before my internship with the Red Cross, I had only heard about the Red Cross helping people,” senior marketing major Aresalm Betew said.

In Februrary, Betew sat in on a disaster assistance case for a local family whose apartment had caught fire.

“The fire left them with nothing,” Betew said.

The Red Cross provided the family with its most basic needs: toiletries, a place to stay, future housing opportunities, clothes from The Salvation Army and a few stuffed animals for the kids, Betew said.

“I felt a tremendous amount of pride for what we did for that family,” Betew said, “and they were really grateful.”

Betew said she became an intern for career experience, and she has enjoyed her time with the Red Cross.

She said she plans on staying with the Red Cross for the remainder of her college career.

Volunteer Don Polacek has been with the Red Cross for five years and works eight to 10 hours a week for outside activities such as health fairs.

Polacek worked as a training coordinator for the Red Cross for three years before doing volunteer work.

“I love the time I spend here,” Polacek said. “I feel like I’m helping other people by showing them what the Red Cross can do for them.”

As a training coordinator, Polacek set up Red Cross instructors with companies that would benefit from them. The instructors trained the companies in first aid, CPR and other Red Cross courses.

“If somebody has a heart attack at work, sometimes they need assistance before the first responders arrive,” Polacek said.

Volunteers are still needed to help occupy the booths for the Red Cross Campaign, Remen said.

Those interested in volunteering can visit the local chapter at 2727 Sycamore Road, Suite 2A or call 756-7339.