Cross Blog

Local media coverage depicts United Way cuts’ effect on Red Cross

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

United Way of the Central Carolinas cut local Red Cross services nearly $500,000. Of that, $171,000 was cut from Emergency and Disaster Relief. Because the Red Cross is not a government-funded agency and relies solely on donations from the community, the news of the cuts has been devastating.

“Our Emergency Services program, which took a 40 percent cut in funding from United Way, keeps people from becoming homeless because we can help them find a place to stay after a fire or flooding,” said Pamela Jefsen, CEO of the Greater Carolinas Chapter. “We don’t even want to think about what will happen to these victims of disaster when we start losing the ability to provide that help.”

WBTV, which has always been a champion of Red Cross services, ran a piece recently that captured the effects of this economy on our organization.





Read more about how the chapter is responding to cuts

Transportation Volunteers honored at luncheon

Monday, June 29, 2009

Photo caption: Richard Nice, a resident at Shads Landing, tells luncheon guests about how the Red Cross transports him to and from his critical dialysis appointments multiple times a week.

On Thursday, June 25, the wonderful staff and residents at Shads Landing, a retirement facility in Charlotte, held an appreciation luncheon for the Greater Carolinas Chapter Transportation Services Program.

Volunteers with the Transportation Services Program have been transporting several Shads Landing residents to and from their critical medical appointments - at no cost to the residents.

Cindy Brinson, manager at Shads Landing, thanked the Red Cross staff and volunteers, noting that the program has had a profound effect on the residents there.

Luncheon guests enjoyed a wonderful meal featuring filet, asparagus and raspberry white chocolate cheesecake.

“We could not do what we do without our wonderful volunteers,” said Sandra Peake, operations manager of the Red Cross Transportation Services Program. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

Learn more about the Red Cross Transportation Services Program and how you can get involved.
More pictures from Shads Landing

Metro DC Train Crash

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

From Red Cross Chat

As you’ve probably heard, there was a major Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority accident on Monday in Washington, D.C. Our local chapter responded quickly by touching base with the National Transportation Safety Board, supporting the emergency responders with food, water and blankets, and providing mental health assistance.

These accidents are quite rare, but there are a few simple steps you can take to prepare for this type of event. As our friend Amanda Ripley says,

“The more information you have given your brain before anything goes wrong, the better you will do. Translation: read the safety briefing cards and listen to the flight attendants. The National Transportation Safety Board has found that passengers who read the safety information card are less likely to get hurt in an emergency.”

Amanda Ripley also has some insights into the passenger’s activities after yesterday’s crash:

As is so often the case in disasters, people did remarkable things for one another. Survivors report fear, confusion and kindness–but not panic:

“In the moments after the crash, passengers made tourniquets out of T-shirts, struggled to pull debris off others and sought to calm the hysterical and the gravely wounded. Inside the worst-hit car, waiting on ambulances and the “jaws of life,” an Anglican priest led a group in the Lord’s Prayer. On the ground below, a civilian Pentagon employee told a wounded girl he wouldn’t accept her last wish — she was going to live.”

With these reports we urge you to get trained in CPR/AED so that if you ever find yourself in a position like the one yesterday, you can jump into action and use your skills to help others.

Do you really have to worry about lightning?

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

From Red Cross Chat

Another awareness week is currently upon us. This time it’s Lightning Safety Awareness Week.

Do you really have to worry about lightning? After all, people are always comparing life’s most unlikely scenarios to the likelihood of being struck, right?

Well, it turns out that more people are hurt by lightning than tornadoes or hurricanes, so you should at least educate yourself on a little lightning safety this week. And, you’re in luck. We’ve got tips for you.

• Run to a safe building or vehicle when you first hear thunder, see lightning, or observe dark threatening clouds developing overhead.
  
• Stay inside until 30 minutes after you last hear the last clap of thunder.
  
• Plan Ahead! Your best source of up-to-date weather information is a NOAA Weather Radio (NWR). Portable weather radios are handy for outdoor activities. If you don’t have NWR, stay up to date via internet, TV, local radio or cell phone. If you are in a group, make sure all leaders or members of the group have a lightning safety plan and are ready to use it.
  
• If camping, hiking, etc., far from a safe vehicle or building, avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top. Keep your site away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees. If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting.
  
• If you are camping and your vehicle is nearby, run to it before the storm arrives.
  
• Stay away from water, wet items such as ropes and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.

The National Weather Service estimates that 100,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States each year, and lightning is present in all thunderstorms. A cloud-to-ground lightning strike, the most destructive form of lightning, occurs when the electrical difference between a thundercloud and the ground overcomes the insulating properties of the surrounding air.

The danger may not be apparent; lightning has struck 10 miles away from the rain of a thunderstorm. In the United States, cloud-to-ground lightning strikes occur approximately 30 million times each year, most often in Florida and along the southeastern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Preparing the Americas

Thursday, June 18, 2009

From Red Cross Chat

Two weeks ago, we entered the 2009 Hurricane Season. With the threat of H1N1 lingering, we have a unique set of circumstances facing our nation.

The message of public preparedness has never been more timely than it is now.

• More than 2 million people around the world were affected by disasters last year.
  
• In the Americas alone, more people were affected by disasters in 2008 than any year in the previous decade.
  
• 15 million people suffered through floods and hurricanes.
  
• In 2008, the US saw its 2nd most active tornado season on record, 5th most active hurricane season, and a verybusy wildfire season
  
• In light of this trend, we brought together several experts to discuss hurricane preparedness in a H1N1 world.

  Here are a few of the remarks that came out of yesterday’s panel:

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  Red Cross Reunites Siblings Separated Since WWII

  Wednesday, June 17, 2009

  Photo Caption: Passing time before her sister’s plane lands in the Ukraine, Melania Babenko turns the fragile pages of a pre-war photograph album as her brother Arkadiy looks on. Forcedly separated during World War II, Melania has not seen her sister Eugenia Kawczak, who now lives in New Jersey, in more than 66 years. Photo by Aleksandr Kozachenko

  In 85 years of life, one would expect to have many fond memories to reflect upon. But nothing was as joyful as the day New Jersey resident Eugenia Kawczak reunited with her beloved and missing siblings with the help of the Red Cross.

  Until recently, Kawczak had not seen her 90-year-old sister, Melania Babenko, since 1943 when Kawczak was taken by the Nazis from their former home in rural Ukraine and transported to a forced-work farm in Würzburg, Germany.  After decades of unanswered questions and worst fears, the Red Cross amazingly found the sisters, now living oceans apart, eager to reconnect.

  On June 12, Kawczak and her daughter Nadija traveled to the Ukraine, where Babenko still lives, to see each other for the first time since the war broke out.  Sadly, this long-awaited reunion will most likely be their last opportunity to meet face-to-face, given their age and deteriorating health.

  “I’m so happy for my mother,” said Stanley Pasternak, Kawczak’s son. “She worked hard all her life. It’s something special in her older years to be able to relax and see her family.”

  Surrounded by four generations of relatives, Kawczak leapt from her wheelchair to embrace Babenko moments after the plane landed. Kawczak wept when she saw her brother Arkadiy, who she feared had also not survived the war.

  After the initial stream of tears faded, Babenko presented her sister and niece with bread and salt as part of a Ukrainian welcoming tradition. For the rest of the day, the emotional siblings stared at each other and held hands in silence, recalling distant memories and the bond they once shared.

  After their emotional reunion, the Catholic family plans to spend the next week in the Ukraine reminiscing about their shared youth and learning about each other’s adult lives. When Kawczak returns to the United States on June 20, the siblings plan to write letters and stay in touch by telephone.

  Red Cross Finds Hope in History
  Kawczak’s story represents one of approximately 1,500 post-war reunions coordinated by the American Red Cross in the last 20 years.

  In September 2008, Babenko visited the Ukrainian Red Cross to inquire about locating her sister, though she did not know where she might be now living – or if she even survived the war.  The Ukrainian Red Cross searched among post-war records and eventually passed Babenko’s request to the American Red Cross with information that her sister may have come to United States approximately ten years after they were torn apart.

  Through the diligence of volunteers working from the American Red Cross Granite Chapter, Kawczak’s son was found living in New Hampshire.  When contacted, he was happy to relay that his mother is in good health, living with his sister, Nadija, in Salem, New Jersey.

  “I couldn’t believe that after all these years, they found my sister,” Kawczak exclaimed.

  After the liberation of the work farm, Kawczak was placed in a camp for displaced persons in West Germany, operated by the U.S. military, and eventually immigrated to America.

  Her eldest daughter, Vera Elser, said of the initial phone call, “My mother would not believe it until she went to the Salem County Red Cross and saw the name of the village where they were born (on the inquiry form Babenko completed by hand in Poland).”

  After so many years of grieving their separation and living with unanswered questions, Kawczak did not waste time in contacting her sister.  “The day we went to the Red Cross we were given a telephone number, and as soon as we got home we called her right away,” Elser said.  “She was shocked and happy. ”

  With the help of the Red Cross, the sisters also discovered a brother also immigrated to America after the war.  Although he died several years ago, Kawczak recently connected with his daughter, who lives in New York.

  For more pictures of this reunion, click here.

  If you are a Holocaust survivor or an immediate family member of a war victim, the American Red Cross may be able to help. We have the resources to find answers to questions you’ve asked for more than half a century. To initiate your search, please contact your local American Red Cross chapter.

  You can help the victims of countless crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster, please do so at the time of your donation by mailing your donation with the designation to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243 , Washington, D.C. 20013 or to your local American Red Cross chapter. Donations to the International Response Fund can be made by phone at 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or online at www.redcross.org.

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  Local students make flowers to raise money for the Red Cross

  Monday, June 15, 2009

  A few dozen kindergartners from Myers Park Traditional Elementary School fidgeted in their seats, raising their hands to ask a question or playing with the handmade paper-flower crowns atop their heads. The children were eager to learn more about the American Red Cross, the nonprofit for which they’d recently raised $2,000.

  “Who do firefighters rescue first, pets or humans?” one young student asked Dan Ogburn, a representative from the Red Cross.

  “What is a paramedic?” asked another.

  “How long does it take you to get to work?” came a third question.

  These students are part of Irma Boyd’s class. Boyd has organized an annual fundraiser called the “Flower Fun Store” for the Red Cross for the past 18 years. Over the years, her efforts have brought in more than $20,000 for the Greater Carolinas Chapter.

  “Students and their parents make paper flowers and then sell them at a booth at the school,” Boyd explained. The flowers, bursting with color, are the size of basketballs, and the students enjoy showing them off to visitors. “The kids also learn a bit about mathematics and inventory management through the project.”

  On June 4, Ogburn visited the Myers Park school to teach the students about how the money they raised will be put to good use through the Red Cross.

  “This money is going to help people right here in our community,” he told them. “Unfortunately, sometimes there are houses that catch on fire. And because of your donation, the Red Cross is going to be there to help the families that live in those houses.”

  Boyd is very familiar with Red Cross services. In fact, it’s the reason she started the fundraiser. An earthquake in the early 1970s displaced Boyd and her family from their home. Red Cross Disaster Services was there to help. Later, the Red Cross was able to provide emergency communication between her family in the U.S. and her brother, who was serving in the military overseas.

  Boyd wanted to do something to give back to the organization that had been there for her family during troubling times.

  She began by showing her students clips of people who have been affected by major disasters. The students said they wanted to help, and came up with suggestions such as giving clothes or food, while the other students suggested donating money. And thus, the idea for the “Flower Fun Store” was born.

  During the project, students learn about what the American Red Cross does as well as some key safety tips. During Ogburn’s visit, one of the young students reminded her class that “we should use the back of our hand during the fire to check the door knob.”

  According to Boyd, this initiative will not only help the students academically but will also help them realize the importance of helping others.

  Boyd noted other classes in the school started doing activities to help other organizations after seeing the success of the “Flower Fun Store.” For example, the first-graders at Myers Park collected 508 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Backpack Program. Second-graders organized a drive for new or gently-used shoes for Soles-4-Souls, an organization created after the Hurricane Katrina.

  Boyd said in addition to the “Flower Fun Store” the kindergarten class also takes up the “Reading for the Red Cross” in which the children collected donations for the amount of time spent reading or being read to for one week. Greta Davis co-chaired the effor for this initiative, which has raised about $1,000 for the Red Cross.

  “It’s great to see young people such as these students realize the importance of helping their neighbors,” Ogburn said. “The Red Cross is truly grateful for everything Mrs. Boyd and her class do.”

  Posted in: Blogging | Comment

  Day of Service

  Wednesday, June 10, 2009

  St. Mark’s Catholic Church performed a day of service for organizations in and around Mecklenburg and Iredell counties on June 6.

  The group opted to help wash cars at the Greater Carolinas Chapter. About 10 adults and 15 youth went to the Lake Norman office. They started at 9 a.m. and washed, vacuumed, cleaned the windows and inside of five transportation vehicles, two disaster vehicles, the disaster trailer and even cleaned the old ambulance and got it ready to sell on eBay.

  They also inventoried all the health services classroom material, counted and cleaned up all CDE material making it easier to get to and find.

  We are so thankful for all the work this group did. Groups like this help the Red Cross carry out its mission. Thanks to these wonderful volunteers.
  

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  It’s About Community

  Tuesday, June 02, 2009

  From Red Cross Chat
  By Wendy Harman, American Red Cross.

  I’ve been reading with interest Sarah Hall’s recent guest posts on Sean Stannard-Stockton’s Tactical Philanthropy blog. Her analysis centers around how women become effective philanthropists and what makes them engaged.

  I mention these posts here because this week we’re hosting our Tiffany Circle Summit for women donors. These are women from all over the country who have invested $10,000 in the American Red Cross. The women have a packed schedule of events this week, and their impact over time has been felt throughout the organization.

  With the Tiffany Circle, we are engaging women in many of the ways Sarah Hall is discussing.

  Sarah Hall mentions 6 principles of Women’s high-engagement philanthropy. If you’re a woman and a budding or established donor/philanthropist, do you identify with these principles?

  1. Women are passionate about their cause and they often come to it through an intense and meaningful personal experience.

  2. Women act as connectors as well as grantmakers, linking partners, allies, advocates, and grantees. Building relationships and networks is a key component of women’s philanthropy.

  3. Women are willing to start at the beginning, allowing their energy for the mission to propel them through the earliest learning stages. They become deeply engaged in the process of learning, are willing to be perceived as novices, and tend to be open not only to ideas, but to getting things done in unconventional ways.

  4. Women’s philanthropy combines rigor with intuition. At an Association of Small Foundations lunch workshop in Los Angeles last week the attendees, all women, talked about how they balance due diligence with intuition, especially intuition about a grantee’s leadership qualities. “You can’t use metrics alone,” they said. “You have to use your judgment about people.”

  5. Women are not only willing to mentor and share, they seek opportunities to do so. They engage the community of other philanthropists, grantees, and partners, and share their stories to inspire and guide others.

  6. Finally, women use their philanthropy to enrich family life and promote connection—within the family, with the larger community, with the world. So their family philanthropy is not only a means to pay a debt to society and reinforce a family’s personal values and culture, but also a way for their children to have a direct experience of giving to the larger community, an experience that helps them become more fulfilled adults.

  To find out more about our local Tiffany Circle, visit http://redcrosshelps.org/index.php/tiffany-circle/.

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  Assistance League donates much-needed backpacks for children

  Monday, June 01, 2009

  Pictured (from left) are John White, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteer; Rick Schou, Red Cross Emergency Services Director; Wendy Way, Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteer; Renee Reese and Laura Royster, who are both with the Assistance League.

  The Assistance League of Charlotte donated backpacks filled with school supplies to the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross. The donation came as part of the League’s “Operation Bookbag,” in which they provide the bags for children whose families have been victims of home fires and other disasters.

  Each year, the League donates these packs to the Red Cross to distribute them to local school-aged children. Often, when a family is displaced, children lose their school supplies. Having these packs enables them to get back into school quickly.

  The presentation was good timing, since the chapter recently ran completely out of these backpacks.

  “We’re so thankful to have partner agencies like the Assistance League of Charlotte,” said Rick Schou, director of Emergency Services for the Greater Carolinas Chapter. “These packs are going to help local children return to a semblance of normalcy after being uprooted from their homes.”

  The Assistance Leauge of Charlotte is a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families through community-based philanthropic projects. To learn more about them, visit charlotte.assistanceleague.org.

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