Warrenton resident William Dennager reads every piece of fan mail he gets - which is a lot - but he's not a movie star or an author. He's a volunteer with the American Red Cross.
Hundreds of elementary school students have sent Dennager - whom they affectionately call "Mr. Bill" - letters thanking him for teaching them about disaster preparedness.
Dennager will visit 10 to 15 elementary schools throughout St. Charles County four times this school year to teach the American Red Cross's "Be Ready Program" on earthquakes, tornadoes, fires and winter storms. He's also presented to seniors at Lakeview Estates in Warrenton.
Brad Farber, supervisor of the St. Charles County Service Center and Dennager's boss, said he gets a kick out of how much fan mail Dennager receives and even displays some of the letters at the service center.
The 67-year-old retiree received an even bigger thank you Friday for his presentations when he was awarded the Community Disaster Education Award during the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter and the St. Charles Service Center's Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon.
Dennager said he appreciates the recognition, but wants to emphasize it's not just him.
"It's not an individual thing, its a community thing. That's the strength, people partnering with each other no matter if they're from Wentzville, St. Charles or Warrenton," he said.
Dennager joined the Red Cross in 2005 at the encouragement of his wife Nancy, 65, also a Red Cross volunteer. The couple also are volunteers for the Warren County Community Emergency Response Team and have traveled to Atlanta to provide disaster relief after a 2004 hurricane swept through the area.
If it wasn't for citizens like the Dennagers, programs like CERT and the Red Cross wouldn't be as effective, said Mike Daniels, director of Warren County's Emergency Management Agency.
Dennager received the award because last year he helped the Red Cross teach more than 20,000 school children about disaster preparedness, Farber said. This year the program has already reached more than 13,000 school children.
What makes Mr. Bill so unique is his ability to connect with children on an individual level, Farber said.
"They hang on his every word," he said.
Rachel Damlow, second-grade teacher at Twin Chimneys Elementary School in O'Fallon, echoed Farber's observation, describing Dennager - who visited her class Tuesday - as patient and understanding with children.
"He's very good at getting the message across so they understand it," she said.
She said her class gets excited when Mr. Bill visits.
Dennager brings stuffed animals that act as mascots for that presentation. For tornadoes, there's Twister Turtle. For fires, there's Cool Cat. For winter storms, Ready Rabbit. And earthquakes, Disaster Dog.
"Twister Turtle, Ready Rabbit will help ease that tension. That way, they feel more comfortable learning about the different disasters," he said.
Dennager is not the only volunteer to give such presentations, but Farber said he is the volunteer schools request by name on a repeat basis.
"That's another real indicator of his effectiveness and ability to reach children and adults," he said.
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