Cross Blog

Category: News

Charlotte Top-of-the-Week Rotary Club is Sponsor of the Month

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The American Red Cross, Greater Carolinas Chapter is honored that Charlotte Top-of-the-Week Rotary Club is our sponsor of the month.

The donation from Charlotte TOTW Rotary to our chapter will be allocated to local Emergency Services:

1) Local Disaster Relief - serving local families when displaced from their home due to fire, flooding, or other natural disasters the Red Cross provides them with food, shelter, emergency financial assistance (EFA), personal care, case work and attention. The Greater Carolinas Red Cross responds to on average one local disaster per day, serving thousands of clients a year.

2) Services to Armed Forces (SAF) Families of service members can receive around-the-clock communication networking that connects them with their loved ones. The Red Cross also traces family members and enables communication during war, civil unrest or disasters around the world.

Charlotte TOTW Rotary Club is an uptown Charlotte chapter of Rotary International. The club meets from 7:30-8:30 a.m. on Mondays at TASTE in Founders Hall, 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28255. Every Monday morning, members of TOTW Rotary gather to celebrate “service above self” and enjoy breakfast, networking and dynamic speakers.
Rotary is a worldwide organization of more than 1.2 million business, professional and community leaders. Members of Rotary clubs, known as Rotarians, provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious and open to all cultures, races and creeds. As signified by the motto, “Service Above Self,” Rotary’s main objective is service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.

Want to Learn More About Rotary?

Locating a club and attending a meeting is the best way to learn about Rotary. 52 clubs meet weekly in this District. Please visit the club page to locate clubs and meeting times near you. Another good thing to do is navigate through the Rotary International website to learn more.

If you are interested in becoming a Rotarian, please contact Mr. Chuck Sawicki, Rotary District 7680 Membership Chair at or 704-334-8202.

Interested in being our sponsor of the month? Contact Amanda Prothero at or 704.347.8238.

Volunteers enjoy Emergency Services Day at Carowinds

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Photos courtesy of Red Cross volunteer Darren Mulholland and the Charlotte Fire Department

The American Red Cross participated in the Emergency Services Day at Carowinds on Saturday, Aug. 20, at Carowinds. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and Charlotte Fire Department were also on-scene to help the Red Cross deliver severe weather safety tips and information.

First responders participated in a “celebrity” ride of The Cyclone, a roller coaster that celebrated its 30th anniversary that weekend.

Laura Crouse, from Charlotte, shared her harrowing experience with severe weather. She told the crowd of how high winds damaged the home where she and her husband and their five children live, and the Red Cross was there to help.

The Charlotte Fire Department recognized the Red Cross, among other responders, for the work they do in the community to help those affected by disasters.

Red Cross volunteer Pamela Brynarsky provided great severe weather tips and encouraged the community to have a plan and to be prepared in the event of inclement weather.

Red Cross volunteer Darren Mulholland had the Red Cross Emergency Communications Response Vehicle (ECRV) at the park.

“There’s nothing like driving the ECRV through Carowinds!” he said.

Click here for more pictures from the event.

How to participate in the Emergency Social Data Summit

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Over the past year we’ve noticed that you increasingly contact us at our Twitter and Facebook account with requests for emergency help.

We suspected we were not alone among disaster responders in receiving this sort of info so we conducted a survey that indeed proves you are increasingly turning to the social web for help.

Because of this, we’re gathering government, nonprofits, social technologists, and engaged citizens to begin evaluating the increased role of the public in disaster response in the age of the social web.

Please feel free to join us online for our Emergency Social Data Summit from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 12. There are several ways to do this:

1) Visit the NextGen website to see the event via ustream.  This ustream will be archived via The Emergency Social Data blog.

2) Via Twitter and #crisisdata hashtag.  We will be watching and broadcasting this hashtag all day and there will be an official Twitter chat at 1 p.m. EDT.

3) Add your contributions to the Crisis Data wiki.

We’re hosting this event to bring together government agencies, emergency management professionals, disaster response organizations, tech companies and concerned citizens to address how to reply to these digital requests for help more effectively. That means what you bring to this discussion is really important. So we’ve created a variety of ways we can all interact.

The case for integrating crisis response with social media

Web Users Increasingly Rely on Social Media to Seek Help in a Disaster

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A new American Red Cross survey shows many web users would turn to social media to seek help for themselves or others during emergencies—and they expect first responders to be listening.

The online survey asked 1,058 adults about their use of social media sites in emergency situations. It found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through a digital means such as e-mail, websites or social media. If web users knew of someone else who needed help, 44 percent would ask other people in their social network to contact authorities, 35 percent would post a request for help directly on a response agency’s Facebook page and 28 percent would send a direct Twitter message to responders.

Social Media in Disasters and EmergenciesWeb users also have clear expectations about how first responders should be answering their requests. The survey showed that 69 percent said that emergency responders should be monitoring social media sites in order to quickly send help—and nearly half believe a response agency is probably already responding to any urgent request they might see.

And the survey respondents expected quick response to an online appeal for help—74 percent expected help to come less than an hour after their tweet or Facebook post.

“The first and best choice for anyone in an emergency situation is to call 9-1-1,” said Gail McGovern, American Red Cross president and CEO. “But when phone lines are down or the 9-1-1 system is overwhelmed, we know that people will be persistent in their quest for help and use social media for that purpose.”

The Red Cross commissioned the survey in advance of an Emergency Social Data Summit set for Thursday, August 12, in Washington, D.C. The meeting, convened by the Red Cross, will bring together thought leaders and experts in the government, social media, emergency response and the non-profit sectors to discuss better ways to handle information that flows through the web during disasters.

“The social web is creating a fundamental shift in disaster response—one that will ask emergency managers, government agencies and aid organizations to mix time-honored expertise with real-time input from the public,” McGovern said. “We need to work together to better respond to that shift.”

The Red Cross survey also found that among web users, social media sites are the fourth most popular source for emergency information, just behind television news, radio and online news sites. More web users say they get their emergency information from social media than from a NOAA weather radio, government website or emergency text message system. One in five social media users also report posting eyewitness accounts of emergency events to their accounts.

(Editorial Note: Please contact the Red Cross media team at (202) 303-5551 for more information about the Emergency Social Data Summit or to speak with an expert about the survey.)

Online Survey of 1,058 respondents representative of the U.S. population aged 18 and older. Survey conducted on July 22-23, 2010 by Infogroup | ORC.

Storms and fires keep Iredell County volunteers busy

Friday, August 06, 2010

On Thursday, American Red Cross volunteers were called to four separate incidents between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m.

The initial call was to a tree falling on a house on Spicewood Circle in Troutman. As Emergency Services volunteers headed to that scene, another call came in from a working house fire in the Cool Springs area. Two volunteers quickly headed to the scene of that emergency.

When volunteers arrived at the Troutman tree falling, county emergency management was on the scene and requested the Red Cross to go to a four-unit apartment fire on Stockton Street in Statesville and to another house fire on Knoxview Lane in Mt. Mourne.

Therefore, an additional two volunteer teams were dispatched - and all were on site and working with the clients as needed by 6:15 p.m.!

The Red Cross ended up assisting four families with assistance for food and shelter. The work done Thursday night in Iredell County is a testament to the dedication of our Red Cross volunteers!

Red, White and Vroom!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Our friends at Red Cross Racing want to make sure you know that you can win a 2011 Ford Fiesta by entering the Red, White and Vroom Sweepstakes.

To say thank you to all of our committed blood donors, the American Red Cross and Red Cross Racing are giving away a brand new 2011 Ford Fiesta, thanks to a generous donation by the Ford Motor Company.

Make sure to fill out all fields in the entry form and good luck from the Red Cross Racing team!

Volunteers help 150 people beat the heat

Monday, July 26, 2010

The American Red Cross, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools opened a cooling station over the weekend as the National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the Charlotte metropolitan area. Nearly 150 people sought cooler temperatures at First Ward Elementary, where Red Cross volunteers provided cold drinks and snacks.

Heat safety tips

Red Cross volunteers respond to two-alarm fire

Friday, July 23, 2010

MEDIA ADVISORY

Volunteers from the Greater Carolinas Chapter of the American Red Cross responded to a two-alarm condominium fire on Kilborne Drive in Charlotte this morning. Three units were affected.

Red Cross disaster action team volunteers provided three families with assistance for food, shelter, clothing and other immediate needs. The Red Cross will continue to work with these families on a case-by-case basis.

Red Cross volunteers also provided drinks and snacks for the Charlotte Fire Department and other first responders on the scene of the fire.

All American Red Cross disaster assistance is provided at no cost to our clients. You can help victims of disasters like this fire by making a contribution to the Red Cross. 

Raising money with the Flower Fun Store!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Year after year, the Red Cross supports our community. Year after year, Irma Boyd supports the Red Cross. 

This year marked the 19th Anniversary of Mrs. Boyd’s Flower Fun Store fundraiser at Myers Park Elementary School for the Red Cross. Inspired by her personal experience with the Red Cross in the 1970s when an earthquake displaced her family, Mrs. Boyd and her kindergarten class design and sell paper flowers with proceeds going to the Red Cross.

The fundraiser taught the students about the basics of running a business and in the process, they learned about the basics of helping protect their community by supporting the Red Cross. The students heard firsthand from Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers about how their money will help support families who lose their homes to disaster. 

More than $1,000 was raised for the Red Cross, and DAT volunteer Jim Privie presented a Certificate of Appreciation to the class as the students enjoyed, appropriately enough, Lifesaver candies marked with “You are a life saver” on the wrapper.

As the students took turns wearing official Red Cross volunteer vests, it wasn’t hard to imagine them growing into those uniforms and filling the role of a key Red Cross volunteer in the near future.

Mrs. Boyd is not only an inspiration for the Red Cross, she is an inspiration for these hard-working kindergartners who are already helping serve the Red Cross mission of helping prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Volunteers respond to three-alarm fire

Monday, July 12, 2010

At 5:42 a.m. on Saturday, July 10, 62 firefighters from the Charlotte Fire Department responded to reports of a fire at the Devonshire Court Condominiums at 8124 Termaine Court in East Charlotte.

Ten Red Cross volunteers were quickly on the scene to provide snacks and drinks for the firefighters and other first responders. The Red Cross also met with the families displaced by the fire to provide assistance for basic needs as well as provide comfort.

Eight apartment units were affected; of those, six were occupied. The Red Cross provided assistance for food, clothing and shelter for the families in need.

“The building was pretty much destroyed,” said Red Cross volunteer Gene Judd.

Want to help victims of disasters such as this fire? Click here or call 704.347.8352.

Check out the video from News 14