Cross Blog

Want to be healthier? Volunteer!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

By Jane Glenn Haas, Orange County Register
Volunteering can help you live longer.

People who volunteer “feel better all over,” says Chandra Torgerson, senior vice president and chief nursing officer for United Healthcare.

According to the UnitedHealthcare/VolunteerMatch Do Good, Live Well, survey of more than 4,000 seniors:

• 87 percent who volunteer say they are aging well, as opposed to 78 percent of those who don’t volunteer;
  
• 86 percent of senior volunteers feel younger than their age, compared to 72 percent of those who don’t volunteer;
  
• 69 percent say they feel good about getting older, compared to 59 percent of seniors who don’t volunteer.

Volunteering keeps you healthy, lowers stress level, gives you purpose in life, Torgerson says.

Q. All well and good to encourage people to volunteer, but not everyone wants to work at a church, a hospital or a school.
True. That’s why we encourage people to go to volunteermatch.org.
It’s a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities by connecting good people to good causes. We think it is the preferred volunteering recruiting service for thousands of participating nonprofits.

Q. And United Healthcare partnered with them?
Together, we surveyed more than 4,500 seniors and found that 68 percent of those who volunteered say they feel physically healthier, among other benefits.

Q. Do employers recognize the value of volunteering for their employees?
Some do - and more companies are recognizing it every day.
At United Healthcare, 70 percent of our own employees actively volunteered in 2009. It is part of our company commitment to volunteering to give our people some time off to help them in these endeavors.
We know they feel physically better all over and their stress level is lowered.

Q. You are trying to create a national movement?
Yes.
Go to dogoodlivewell.org. You will not only find the benefits of volunteering but also some helpful steps in identifying what type of activity would best suit your talents and passions.
We’re trying to contact as many seniors a possible. There is lots to do and we need lots of people to help us.

Q. Some other benefits of volunteering?
Our survey shows 92 percent say they have an enriched sense of purpose in life. They are more optimistic.
And here’s another benefit - a lower proportion of volunteers (31 percent) were identified as obese when compared to non-volunteers (36 percent).

Q. Volunteering as part of your diet?
Why not? 

Haiti quake survivor: I was the only one to make it out of the building alive.

On Wednesday, May 26, the Red Cross held an appreciation event in Charlotte for all those who supported relief efforts in Haiti.

Photo: Francois Adam shakes hands with Greater Carolinas Board Chair Mike Rash.

Francois Adam recounted visiting his family in Haiti on the day of the earthquake. He said he felt the restaurant start to shake, and before he knew it, the building was collapsing and he was the only person to make it out alive.

He was eventually transported to a hospital in Charlotte.

“I thank God, I thank America, I thank Charlotte, and I thank the Red Cross,” he said.

View more pictures from the Haiti donor appreciation event

Hurricane Preparedness Week

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

What’s the difference between a hurricane Watch and Warning?  When should I expect to evacuate if a hurricane is heading my way?  Which items are the most important for me to have in a disaster supply kit in case of a hurricane emergency?

These are all questions we want you to know the answers to in preparation for hurricane season. Hurricane season begins around the month of June and lasts until the end of November. More than 35 million Americans live in regions most threatened by Atlantic hurricanes.

This week (May 23 – 29) is Hurricane Preparedness Week, so we’re encouraging you to read, talk about, and take action to prepare yourself for hurricanes.

Whether you currently live in an area that is often hit by hurricanes or you’re planning a trip this summer, there are many resources online to help you prepare. Check them out and stay safe this summer!

§ American Red Cross Hurricane Preparedness Week

§ American Red Cross Hurricane Safety Checklist

§ NOAA/National Weather Service site for Hurricane Preparedness Week

§ FEMA Hurricane resources

§ National Weather Service Hurricane Center

Red Cross opening shelter for displaced families in Charlotte

Sunday, May 23, 2010

The Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross will open a shelter for families displaced by the three-alarm fire at Little Rock Apartments on Leake Street.

Up to 13 families will need the help of the Red Cross due to the fire that started Sunday morning. Red Cross volunteers will open the shelter at 6 p.m. at Philip O’Berry Academy on Alleghany Street.

In the coming days, volunteers will work with the displaced families on a case-by-case basis to assess their needs for further assistance.

This is the third fire in Charlotte the Red Cross this weekend. Friday night, two fires required Red Cross response, including a two-alarm fire that affected five families.

The Red Cross has also been on the scene of these fires to provide drinks and snacks for the Charlotte Fire Department and other first responders.

###
All Red Cross disaster assistance is provided at no charge to our clients and is made possible by the generosity of our community. You can help families like the ones affected by this fire by donating to the Greater Carolinas Chapter.

Click here to make a donation

It’s All There:  Disaster Online Newsroom

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Friendly reminder here that you can find out exactly what we’re doing on the ground in response to flooding in Tennessee, tornadoes in Yazoo City, and yesterday’s tornadoes in Norman, Oklahoma.

Just subscribe to the Disaster Online Newsroom. It’s all there out in the open. We keep it updated in as close to real time as we possibly can.  You can view photos and videos of what is being done to help the victims of these disasters. 

In addition, FEMA has set up a Facebook page to keep everyone updated on their available resources specifically around the Tennessee flood. We’ll be adding any information we can over there as well.

To date 1,764 Red Cross volunteers have housed 4,140 people in overnight stays, served 67,453 hot meals with 59 Emergency Response Vehicles, provided 1,888 mental health consultations, distributed 7,745 comfort kits, and provided 13,882 clean up kits.

Red Cross volunteers continue to meet these same challenges in response to various floods and tornadoes across the south and the country. If you would like to help support the Red Cross mission please donate at redcross.org

Red Cross response to severe weather

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

According to CNN, forecasters warned that another round of severe weather may hit Oklahoma on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after a storm system spawned multiple tornadoes and left five people dead.

The American Red Cross is on the alert as people in the Midwest prepare for the possibility of more severe storms and tornadoes today, while continuing to help with clean-up efforts across those southern states inundated with flood waters last week.

Check out the Red Cross tornado safety checklist.

Thunderstorms:

• Before a thunderstorm, pick a safe place in your home for family members to gather, away from windows, skylights, and glass.
  
• Listen to local news or NOAA Weather Radio for emergency updates. Watch for signs of a storm, like darkening skies, lightning flashes or increasing wind.
  
• Protect your animals by ensuring that any outside buildings that house them are protected in the same way as your home.
  
• Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are likely to occur. Many people struck by lightning are not in the area where rain is occurring.
  
• If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be in danger from lightning. If thunder roars, go indoors! The National Weather Service recommends staying inside for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder clap.
  
• Do not take a bath, shower or use plumbing.

The following information shows our total service delivery across Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee since the beginning of the severe weather events in April:

Shelters opened: 55
Shelter Overnight Stays: 5,219
Clean up kits:  13,797
Comfort kits: 8,863
Meals served: 91,192
Snacks served: 101,031
Emergency Response Vehicles on the ground: 87
Mental Health Consultations: 3,457
Health Services Consultations: 3,677
Total Red Cross Workers: 2,595 (2,368 volunteers)

Iredell volunteers making a difference in Nashville

Monday, May 10, 2010

From the Statesville Record & Landmark
By Chyna Broadnax

When Vicki Campbell and Steve Lord heard about the flooding in Tennessee, they knew they wanted to help.

They found that opportunity through the American Red Cross Greater Carolinas Chapter, which sent both Campbell and Lord to Nashville last week.
The volunteers left Iredell County on Thursday and will spend the next two weeks serving meals and distributing relief items and supplies to individuals displaced by flood waters.

“I wanted to be able to help,” said Campbell, who works at Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Statesville and lives in Mooresville. “It’s very gratifying but a lot of hard work.”

The team will provide food and supplies to individuals who have taken refuge in a shelter in Centerville, just outside of Nashville. They are transporting and serving nearly 400 meals outside of the Emergency Response Vehicle each day.
In addition to meals, Lord and Campbell are providing those in need with other supplies, such as eating utensils, snacks, plates and more.

Campbell said volunteering in the area is a “direct way to help people.”
The hours are long and the work is emotionally and physically taxing, she said, but it’s worth it.

“What keeps you going is knowing no one else is doing it,” she said. “It’s very gratifying.”
Lord, a Statesville resident, has volunteered with the Red Cross for 10 years, including during Hurricane Charley in Florida in 2004.
“It’s the right thing to do,” he said. “It’s Americans helping Americans.”

Campbell, who also volunteered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, was encouraged to represent Red Cross because she knows they’re making an impact.
“You do it because you know it helps people and they’re grateful,” she said. “It’s very meaningful work.”

National Nurses Week - Thank you nurses!

The following message is from Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American National Red Cross:

May 6-12 is National Nurses Week, a time to recognize the incredible contributions nurses make to their communities. Nursing and the American Red Cross just seem to go hand-in-hand, because service is at the core of what we do. 

Last year at a ceremony celebrating 100 Years of Red Cross Nursing, the National Nursing Committee gave me a wonderful surprise and honor: an Honorary Nurse Pin, the second of its kind. That pin symbolizes a tradition of nursing service that stretches back to the earliest days of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Network and the founding of the American Red Cross.

I wear my honorary nurse pin with tremendous appreciation for today’s Red Cross nurses. Nurses like Diana Whaley from Rockwood, Tennessee, who used the experiences of 23 disaster responses to develop disaster training for public health nurses. The training was so successful in the Knoxville area that the Tennessee Public Health department is providing it to all of their nurses.  In fact, many of these same nurses are working in Red Cross shelters today, helping families affected by this week’s record flooding in Tennessee. 

When I put on the nurse pin, it also reminds me that future generations of Red Cross nurses will be needed to fulfill our mission. The Red Cross is actively recruiting student nurse volunteers, introducing nursing students across the nation to the rewards of volunteering. Beginning this National Nurses Week, I ask you to involve student nurses in your area. Help them to help people in need, become part of today’s global nursing network and find out how good it feels to wear the Red Cross emblem.

Red Cross nurses, thank you for your strength, your dedication and your service.

Tennessee Flooding Inspires Stunning YouTube Video

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

From Mashable

You don’t see YouTube() videos like this very often, and as one commenter put it: “This video so captured the heart of this story… if it doesn’t move someone, they should check their pulse.”

Between May 1-2, Middle Tennessee received the greatest amount of rainfall in recorded history. It left us with several casualties, millions of dollars in damage and an indelible mark on our city. This video shows but a small sample of the destruction and mayhem wrought by this disaster.

If you would like to help those affected by the flooding and other disasters, please visit www.redcross.org.

In the wake of the devastation cause by recent domestic disasters, including the tornadoes and flooding in the southern US, mGive has once again donated their services, enabling the Red Cross to accept text donations for the Disaster Relief Fund.

Customers of participating wireless carriers can text REDCROSS to 9-0-9-9-9 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Donations will appear on customers’ monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance. Message and data rates may apply. Depending on the carrier, individuals can donate two or three times per month.