After this week’s tornado that ripped through Hempfield Township, a lot of local media has been running donation drives to support the Red Cross.
Not to nit-pick (but I will): you’re mispronouncing it.
The Red Cross chapter is the Westmoreland-Chestnut Ridge Chapter. Not Chester. Chestnut Ridge. I cringe every time I hear it said wrong.
I know Westmoreland County isn’t as glamorous as Allegheny, or as “interesting” as Fayette, but here’s a short history lesson. The Chestnut Ridge is an area of the Laurel Highlands, named after the American Chestnut trees that once grew there. When the Saint Vincent Basilica was built, the wood used was American Chestnut. After the building of the Basilica, a blight hit the tree species, and very few remain today in mature form, and the species is still in danger of extinction. This makes the Saint Vincent Basilica pretty much priceless, which is crazy to think about.
Anyway, click below to donate to the Red Cross and help the families in Westmoreland County affected by the tornado.
