Cross Blog

Category: Volunteer

Students’ posters raise Red Cross awareness

Friday, May 08, 2009

Written by students from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
In March, a class from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools held a poster contest to raise awareness about the Red Cross prior to a student collection fundraiser.

The grand prize - a Red Cross book bag we stuffed full of treats, games, books and school supplies - was a great incentive and generated quite a response from our student body. The photos of the prize winners represent a small fraction of the entries we received. Our panel of three judges, our art teacher, media specialist and a classroom teacher had a difficult time choosing the best - there were so many creative, artistic entries!

Student Ariany said, “It made me feel good to make a poster so people will understand that others need to help. One person can only do so much, but a large group like the Red Cross can help a lot of people. I wish people were more generous.”

Dalton said, “I chose to make a poster not just for the prizes, but I also wanted to help people who have problems.”

Fernando said, “I felt happy to make the poster, and I did my best work on it, for people who need help.”

Sara said, “I entered the contest for two reasons: only 2 percent was for the prizes the other 98 percent was I really wanted to do something to help people.”

Sara was our most productive entrant; she was the first to turn one in the day we announced our contest then she continued to turn in multiple entries (a total of 12)!

Pictured are some of the students with their posters.

Welcome, Serve America Act

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

This post originally appeared on April 8, 2008, on the fabulous Oregon Trail Chapter’s blog, Cross Blog.

President Obama is expected to sign the Serve America Act into law today.

Jump up and get down!

Why are these AmeriCorps*VISTA members so excited? No, Jump Around is not playing in the background. Although, I’m sure most of these people can appreciate House of Pain and the strange catharsis that early 90’s hip hop can provide. This is just an excitable group, but in terms of national service there’s a lot to be thrilled about right now. During the closing days of March, Congress passed the Serve America Act that will lead to enormous improvement and expansion of national and community service programs throughout the country.

While rumors are flying that service will become mandatory, no need to worry it’s all on a volunteer basis. If President Obama signs the bill, as he’s expected to do [today], one of the headlining changes is an increase from 75,000 to 250,000 enrollees in the multitude of programs the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) offers such as Americorps and VISTA.

Read more about how this will affect the Red Cross.

Subscribe to Red Cross Chat.

Why I want to marry the Red Cross

Thursday, February 12, 2009

This morning on our trails around the Internet we found a blog post by Kindlingarden with the title, “Why I Want to Marry the Red Cross.” It doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Especially Valentine’s Day week.
Unfortunately, she’s posting this because her house burned down. Her kind words are quite revealing, though, so we thought it would be appropriate to share them with you here.

Why I Want To Marry the Red Cross

I used to think that The Red Cross only showed up if there was a disaster of biblical proportion to be dealt with and throngs of people in crisis to soothe, shelter, and feed.
Well, they also show up when your house burns down.
They not only show up, but they VOLUNTEER to show up.
If I could marry an organization, (and polygamy was legal in my state), I would marry The Red Cross.

As the firefighters fought fiercely to subdue the blaze consuming our house and now also the neighbors’ roof, my husband and I lay on the carpeted floor of a neighbors’ house across the street.
We were trying to stay calm as various police, fire inspectors, EMTs, and friends came in and out.
In the midst of all the chaos, a soft-spoken diminutive old man entered the room. He said he was from The Red Cross and showed us his credentials. He sat with us for over an hour through almost constant interruptions. Somehow, he managed to get all of the vital information he needed. We were in such shock, that it was almost a comfort to answer his questions.
After he had ascertained that we’d be staying with friends as opposed to going to a hotel, he announced that he was done.
He handed us a debit card from the Red Cross worth $500.
Before I could thank him properly or even get his name, he had vanished.
Talk about your everyday heroes! Who was that unmasked man?

That debit card was a life saver. When you have lost 98% of all your material possessions, it is a remarkable thing to be able to buy food for your pets, a pen, a notebook , shoes, (I had left the house barefoot), and much more.
When you have lost all of your stuff, it is a great gift of dignity to be able to buy your own underwear.
I urge you to make a donation to The Red Cross. You never know when you will be on the receiving end of their amazing services.

Get involved with your Red Cross

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

As the holiday season approaches, there are many of us looking for ways we can help others during this time of giving.
The Greater Carolinas Chapter has a variety of ways you can help others in our community: you can give your time, blood or money.
Any donation you make directly helps your neighbors.
Volunteer
The Greater Carolinas Chapter, like every other branch of the American Red Cross, relies heavily on its volunteers. In fact, volunteers at this chapter outnumber staff by a ratio of almost 30 to one. That means our mission is largely carried out by people right here in our community.
To find out how you can be a part of the Red Cross, visit our volunteer information section.
Give Blood
The Carolinas Blood Services Region collects blood on a daily basis, which is provided to hospitals. Each pint of blood collected can be used to save up to three lives. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. The overwhelming majority of people who need it would die without it. Healthy, generous donors are the only source of blood. Quite simply, there is no substitute for blood.
Blood is needed for emergencies, surgeries, and for people who have cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell anemia and other illnesses. Every donation makes a difference in someone’s life.
Find out how you can help save lives.
Make a donation
The American Red Cross does not receive government funding—we operate solely on the generous donations of people in our community. As good stewards of our donations, we ensure that money goes toward helping people right here in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties through one of our various programs.
When you make a donation to the Greater Carolinas Chapter, you are investing in your community.
You have the ability to change lives—start with your own.