LEWISTON – The United Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross honored Mark Bastey on April 29 for his volunteer services to hospitalized veterans at Togus Veterans Hospital. Bastey joined the volunteer ranks after his retirement a year ago.

Jerry DeWitt, Veterans Affairs Volunteer Services representative, and Steven Hurd, voluntary service officer at Togus, presented Bastey, of Freeport, with a certificate of recognition at a service.

The Red Cross is a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its congressional charter and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement. It provides relief to victims of disasters and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

The veterans service program is an arm of the Armed Forces Emergency Services program, which provides emergency communication between members of the Armed Forces and their families in local communities.

The United Valley Chapter serves approximately 260,000 people in a four-county area in Western and Central Maine. The Armed Forces Emergency Services program of the United Valley Chapter provides volunteer services to hospitalized veterans from throughout the state with assistance from volunteers from other Maine Red Cross chapters.