The Holocaust left questions for millions of people. Thousands of them have turned to the American Red Cross for help finding answers to one of the most important of those questions -- the fate of relatives.

The organization opened its Holocaust and War Victim's Tracing and Information Center in 1990 in response to the former Soviet Union's decision to release thousands of new records to the International Committee of the Red Cross, said State College Red Cross chapter director Virginia Brown.

The State College chapter has received only one request to utilize the national organization's service, she said. She said the local response has been extremely limited, but added that she is not surprised.

"Because the program began only a few years ago, I think a lot of people don't know it's available," she said. "But many of the people who still have questions have experienced frustration with searches in the past and just want to put it behind them."

She said for most, filling out the simple form that begins the search is emotionally difficult, adding that the organization keeps the names on the requests confidential to avoid adding any additional pain.

For many people, the only way to get on with their lives is to learn the fate of their relatives and friends, said Leni Uddyback, public relations assistant for the Central Maryland Red Cross chapter, the tracing service's headquarters.

"After all these years, even a notice of deportation or death is a tremendous relief and a blessing," she said.

Gladys Murray, a coordinator at the Centre County Library and Historical Museum, said the resources are not locally available for an individual to attempt a search on their own.

"No one I know around here has the kind of records you need to do that. You'd have to look in Europe," she said.

The American Red Cross volunteers work with the International Tracing Service of the Red Cross in Germany to find some answers.

Over 14,500 inquiries have been made in the hopes that the newly released records would shed new light on the fates of many, Uddyback said.

But Brown said the search can take months -- maybe even years.

"This isn't something where you can just walk in and expect an answer next week. It's a long, hard wait," she said, adding that the State College family has not yet seen any results from their search.

Uddyback said so far the service has been able to confirm about 350 deportations to concentration camps and about 300 deaths.

But some stories have a happier ending. Uddyback said in 200 cases, people have been found alive.

"In November we had a case where a brother and sister were reunited and we brought them to the center to be introduced to the volunteer who brought them together," she said. "It was breathtaking -- there was not a dry eye in the place."