"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/26/2009 3:28 PM
 Welcome to the Weekly Worldwide Wrap-Up, in which we consolidate the major (and sometimes small, but interesting) international Red Cross and Red Crescent news into one list of bite-sized links for you… Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/25/2009 10:09 AM
 This morning dozens of people from all over the St. Louis metro came to the Red Cross to learn about preparing for a pandemic flu. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/24/2009 3:39 PM
 For everyone who contributed to and supported the Measles Initiative through the Chocolate Rose fundraiser…Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! While the final tally is still being counted, we now stand at close to $4000 dollars raised, or 2000 roses sold. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/23/2009 9:44 AM
 Unlike party-goers in Soulard, I did not spend my weekend partaking in Mardi Gras fesivities. Instead - I was searching the internet for interesting blog content for YOU! Here are some of the more interesting things I found: Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/20/2009 11:27 AM
 It's Mardi Gras weekend in St. Louis! The Red Cross wants to make sure you stay safe if you're headed down to Solard or any other festivities. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/19/2009 1:58 PM
It seems that nearly all the power is back in southeastern Missouri. It's been a little over three weeks since the bad weather first hit, and the Red Cross is finally winding down its operations. Here are just a few stats from the last few weeks (these are total numbers):
- Shelters opened: 30
- Shetler overnight stays: 6,686
- Meals & snacks served: 331,599
- Staff & volunteers: 226
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/19/2009 10:39 AM
Our thanks to the Oregon Trail Chapter in Portland for putting together a weekly list of international Red Cross and Red Crescent news. It’s all in one nice, easy-to-digest list. Enjoy! Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/18/2009 3:56 PM
The Oscars are this weekend – and so the folks at the American National Red Cross came up with a few fun takes on some “Best Picture” nominees:
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/17/2009 12:01 PM
 Even though our thoughts may already be of spring (at least mine are), we can’t escape the fact that it’s still winter. It's pretty cold outside, especially in the mornings/evenings. And according to the calendar, we won’t see the first day of spring for another month.
So what better way to keep warm than with a new pair of fingerless gloves from the Red Cross?
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/12/2009 1:25 PM
 March is Red Cross Month, and we’ve just learned of an exciting Red Cross exhibit at the Collinsville Historical Museum. Now through April 1 st, the museum is displaying artifacts, pictures, and scrapbooks of how the Red Cross developed in the Collinsville area, from 1917 to 1967. While there is no Collinsville Chapter now, it is exciting to see how these smaller chapters developed throughout the years. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/12/2009 9:57 AM
 For two days after the inauguration my husband Al, two stepdaughters and I toured the National Mall and the Smithsonian. After the museums closed on our last night in D.C. we walked to various monuments to take photos against the night sky. As we walked from the Lincoln Memorial, past the Vietnam War memorial, around the Washington monument towards the White House, Al and I discussed the week's events. Still invigorated and amazed by what we experienced on inauguration day we also discussed the new president himself. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/11/2009 11:37 AM
 Pop Quiz.
- Have you ever used the Internet? (Obviously)
- Have you ever searched for something on the Internet using a Search Engine? (Half of Internet users do it on a daily basis)
- Have you ever purchased something online? (I know I have)
- Have you ever searched for something in an online mall that donates a percentage of your purchase straight to the charity of your choice, and even a couple of cents just for using the search engine itself? (Can’t say I have)
Wait…you can do that?
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/10/2009 2:12 PM
 In case you missed it, our own Maxine Hepper appeared on KMOV’s Great Day St. Louis this morning to promote the Lifeline service. Max did a great job of letting all of St. Louis know about this important device, that can save a loved one’s life! Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/10/2009 1:59 PM
Lifesaver Videos have arrived!! Slowly but surely, they are indeed here with the promise of more footage to come soon. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/9/2009 10:28 AM
 Their story made headlines nearly three years ago, but it’s still a topic that amazes anyone who hears it for the first time. What are the chances – a woman having a heart attack in her car – would nearly hit another driver, who happened to be an AED salesman? (Video included!) Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/6/2009 1:45 PM
 Well today is my last full day in Kennett. It started (as normal) with the morning EOC briefing. Today we learned the city’s power company was hoping to have two large residential areas back on. We also heard that a local radio station would rebroadcast an interview with a FEMA representative. We wanted to make sure it was playing in the shelter – so we had it on during lunch. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/5/2009 11:27 PM
Well today was my off from the shelter, but I still had to do my trips to the EOC. I found out that with the rain scheduled for next week the power company went into overdrive getting poles in places that might be an issue. Not much power was restored. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/5/2009 12:06 PM
The 2009 Measles Initiative is underway! Each year a disease that has been eliminated in the Western Hemisphere kills nearly 454,000 people globally. Of those, 410,000 are children under the age of five. Click here to learn more about the Measles Initiative and keep reading to see how you can help vaccinate a child. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/5/2009 10:27 AM
Our DAT team is out completing a damage assessment at a home in the 6700 block of Michigan in south St. Louis. It was an early morning fire, and according to news reports, it seems it started in the chimney.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/4/2009 3:44 PM
As things are starting to settle down, we are getting used to the normal schedule. Today we learned power has been restored to about 15% - 20% of the city of Kennett. We were also informed of a Wind Chill Advisory that had been issued due to having wind chills falling below zero. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/4/2009 1:22 PM
This week marked the 89 th birthday of Dr. Henry Heimlich, the American doctor who first advanced the practice of using abdominal thrusts to help a choking victim. In his honor, the Daily Press has created a Top 10 list of celebrities who were saved using the Heimlich maneuver. Cher is one... can you guess the others? Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/3/2009 6:40 PM
I planned to snag a few hours of sleep from about 4:30 a.m. - 7 a.m., but the sewer backed up. So around 5 a.m. I had to get up to get some portable spot lights for the port-a-potties that were out back before everyone woke up at 6 a.m. After settling down the clients and getting them used to going out in the cold to use the bathroom, I headed to the Emergency Operations Center for the morning briefing. We learned that power was restored to about 10% of the city and the power company is working to get the main transmission lines back up.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/2/2009 9:42 AM
 Millions of people tuned in to see the Steelers take the Superbowl last night (amazing game!) – but did you stick around afterwards to see “The Office?” I was falling off the sofa laughing at the Red Cross humor.
As the “Safety Officer” at Dunder Mifflin, Dwight wants to teach his co-workers a lesson in being prepared – by lighting a fire in a trash can! As everyone scrambles to get out of the Office, Dwight is shouting things like, “Fire! Stay calm everyone. What’s the procedure?” You have to see what happens:
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/2/2009 9:12 AM
Day Four has turned into the most interesting day so far, for no other reason than it started at 4 a.m. Sunday morning and will not end until sometime Monday evening. It started with the Red Cross staff moving from sleeping in the “Red Cross shelter” to the “Staff shelter,” which is hosting all of the linemen that are working. They get in about 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. and “lights out” at 10 p.m.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
2/1/2009 5:33 PM
Today started off at 5 am with a shelter meeting. We are still working on getting the shelter organized, and we are using the extra 5 volunteers we received to help get things running smoothly. After the meeting I headed over to the Emergency Operations Center for the morning "Command Briefing." There we learned that the majority of the city and county are still without power and the ice melting from the day before had caused some of the newly repaired work to fail again. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/31/2009 8:13 AM
After getting to bed around 4 a.m., the day started off with a 7:30 wake up call that the City Incident Command wanted to have someone from the Red Cross at their twice daily briefings. At the briefing, it was talked about moving our shelter from the Slicer Street Church to the American Legion where the city had set up an impromptu shelter when we reached our capacity late last night. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/30/2009 9:42 PM
 Tens of thousands of Missourians are still without power tonight and I can assure you the Red Cross will continue to help until every need is met. Today, I drove with Nancy Bates, Executive Officer of Red Cross Emergency Services, from St. Louis to Cape Girardeau and further south to Sikeston, Missouri. Along the way we passed dozens of utility crews that were busy repairing downed electrical wires. Let me tell you, the damage from Tuesday and Wednesday’s storm is much more profound than anyone expected in this part of the state. It’s uncertain how long it will take before all the power is restored. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/30/2009 9:31 PM
 Thanks to the Red Cross and many partner organizations, individuals and families affected by the recent ice storms and snow have a safe place to stay and meals to eat. Over 115 Red Cross volunteers have worked around-the-clock, managing 36 shelters and serving over 3,934 meals and snacks in southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/30/2009 8:17 AM
After starting the day off in St.Louis we headed down Highway 67 to our assigned shelter in Kennett, MO (the home of Sheryl Crow.) As we entered the Mark Twain National Forest, we started seeing some ice on the trees, then it seemed like we crossed an invisible line. It was hard to believe what we were seeing -- miles and miles of power lines on the ground with the power polls broken in half and everything coated in two inches of ice. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/29/2009 11:12 AM
 I’m on the Chapter’s ERV (emergency response vehicle) heading to Cape Girardeau to provide much needed relief to the Red Cross volunteers and staff in southern Missouri who have been working around the clock for three days straight to meet residents' emergency needs. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/28/2009 3:41 PM
The past two days, squeals of delight could be heard from homes all across St. Louis as school closings flashed across the news. While seven inches of snow blanketed the city, children blanketed themselves before heading out to play. Luckily for the St. Louis community, schools and businesses are the only thing the storm managed to shut down. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/28/2009 11:06 AM
 Snowfall from the past two days may have closed down some 700 schools and businesses around the St. Louis area, but it hasn’t stopped the Red Cross! We have our Disaster Action teams ready to go should they need to help out anyone who’s home is affected by a fire. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/28/2009 10:14 AM
 As a Boy Scout Leader for my son’s troop, I enjoy watching these boys develop skills they’ll use the rest of their lives. But nothing could have taught them a better life lesson than an incident at Boy Scout camp this July.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/26/2009 3:51 PM
What an incredible afternoon here at the Red Cross. We held our Lifesaver Awards, where we get to recognize the incredible achievements of everyday folks who have managed to save a life. Today's ceremony was full of emotional stories. Here they are (with pictures!):
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/23/2009 11:22 AM
Yesterday, a colleague here at the Red Cross told me about something his wife heard on the radio: the theory that if you start having a heart attack and you are alone (say, while driving in the car) you can “cough” your heart back into a normal rhythm. It’s commonly called “Cough CPR,” although, it really isn’t anything like standard CPR, since it doesn’t involve chest compressions.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/20/2009 2:15 PM
 Thankfully, the bone-numbing blast of arctic air that lingered over St. Louis last week has moved on. No more breaking news alerts from broadcast weather people with warnings about falling temperatures and the deadly effects of extreme cold. No more homeless shelter workers on the news seeking donations of badly needed coats and blankets. No AAA trucks seeming to appear everywhere, jumpstarting battery after frozen battery. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/19/2009 2:18 PM
What a great turnout for our Day of Service event this morning with HOPE worldwide. I don't have the final totals yet, but I'd guess there were about 150 people that showed up to hand out fire safety information door-to-door. And with temperatures in the 20s, you know these people were dedicated! Here are a few pictures:
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/14/2009 4:12 PM
If you haven’t noticed yet, there’s certainly no way to ignore it this week. Winter is here and cold doesn’t even begin to describe it. It’s so cold my breath froze before I had the chance to see it. It’s so cold, I don’t think Snuggies even stand a chance. It’s so cold that…alright…my jokes are as miserable as the temperatures, but my tips to stay warm are right on target. So whether you are trying to keep yourself, your family, or your home warm and safe this winter, the Red Cross has you covered. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/12/2009 10:53 AM
One week from today, just hours before America inaugurates our first African-American president, millions of people will join Barack Obama in a national Day of Service – volunteering in thousands of different projects across the country. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., most of the country has a day off from work. But Obama and others are encouraging you to see it as a “day on” instead.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/7/2009 4:02 PM
Did you see the story on KSDK this week about the Collinsville referee who collapsed while on the court at a basketball game?
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
1/6/2009 5:51 AM
 What would you do? You’re home alone watching TV in the living room when you hear a window break at the back of the house and then footsteps. Or you just lost a loved one and want the comfort of knowing someone could be there for you at a moment’s notice if you had a medical emergency. Or maybe you want to give your mom and dad the independence of living in their own home, but ensure their safety at the same time. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/31/2008 7:18 AM
March 26, 1941. Women across the nation were knitting children’s suits, toddler clothing, men’s uniforms, and gloves and sweaters for the soldiers in World War II. One woman from St. Louis donated several of the original directions given to the knitters between 1939 and 1945. She even wrote a short letter about how she, her mom and two other ladies knitted toddler sets during the “Knitting for Britain” campaign in 1939 and 1940.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/22/2008 12:58 PM
 After rushing around every weekend this month to find presents for my family and friends, I took a few hours this weekend to volunteer with my fellow Red Crossers at Jefferson Barracks VA Hospital. We passed out stockings with word puzzles, socks, small toiletries and “canteen books” (money to buy snacks inside the hospital). It wasn’t much – but it meant the world to these guys. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/19/2008 10:37 AM
It’s official. We have less than a week left before the holidays begin and if you haven’t found your holiday spirit yet –I hate to point out the obvious- but you are running out of time. So whether you have gifts to buy, cookies to bake, or frigid temperatures to brave, I’ve discovered the perfect remedy to accompany any last minute holiday preparations. And as an added bonus- the discovery of your holiday spirit yields a donation to the American Red Cross. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/18/2008 12:40 PM
 A few weeks ago, I had one of the most fulfilling and memorable experiences of my life. I went with a group of Red Cross staff and volunteers to deliver gifts to veterans at John Cochran Veterans Hospital. Giving these individuals who served our country a small gift was extremely rewarding. Their faces lit up as they received their gifts. Everyone was so appreciative and thanked us sincerely. I can only hope for the same experience as we prepare to deliver holiday gifts to both John Cochran and Jefferson Barracks veteran hospitals next week. Hopefully we will bring a smile to their faces all over again. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/15/2008 7:19 AM
This week has been quite eventful. Part of what Red Cross is chartered to do is services to the armed forces. So for the holiday season the Red Cross Americorps NPRC members at other disaster staff have put together gifts for veterans at John Cochran and Jefferson Barracks. The gifts included fleece blankets, stockings stuffed with coupon books for the hospital canteen, puzzle books, among other items. After putting everything together Danae’, the other Americorps NPRC member, other volunteers and I took the blankets and will be taking the stockings tomorrow to pass out to the veterans. It’s great to give a little to men and women who have given so much. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/9/2008 7:15 PM
Now that we have Thanksgiving under our belts- loosened belts, for that matter- the Holiday season is fully underway. While that means, trees and cookies, family traditions, and friends, it also means shopping. And in my family, shopping has become quite the tradition of its own. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
12/9/2008 7:12 PM
 As another night shift with the Red Cross Disaster Action Team comes to a close, my team is happy we had an uneventful evening. This means there were no fires to respond to in the Greater St. Louis area. Quiet nights like this are few and far between during the winter months. But one thing that did surprise us was the number of carbon monoxide detectors going off (I stopped counting these alarms after the 10th). Now that the nights are growing colder, more people are starting up their furnaces and detectors are picking up on CO leaks. Let this be a reminder to all of us to take the time to check the batteries in our carbon monoxide detectors as well as our smoke detectors. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/18/2008 3:02 PM
Last week I watched a documentary called Kamp Katrina, directed by Ashley Sabin and David Redmon. The film is a gritty, raw, and painfully realistic look at the months following Hurricane Katrina and her devastating wrath. The story is told through the eyes of Ms. Pearl, an eccentric, yet compassionate local who opens her backyard to a dozen strangers left homeless by the storm. Together Ms. Pearl and the survivors establish a tent community that they dub “Kamp Katrina.” Focusing primarily on the residents and their self-destructive habits, we are invited into the community’s post-Katrina lifestyle. And with substance abuse, violence, unfair politics, and little visible assistance, it’s not necessarily someplace we want to be. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/14/2008 4:17 PM
Another exciting week in St. Louis has flown by. This past week has made me realize even more what a great privilege it is to be working with the Red Cross as the AmeriCorps preparedness member. It really opened my eyes as to how much the Red Cross affects people. One of my special projects this week was to purchase items to fill gift bags for 120 veterans that reside at our local veterans hospitals. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/14/2008 4:16 PM
As summer fell into the crisp days of autumn, and our clocks fell back an hour, I found myself falling into a long overdue list of chores last week. My first job - cleaning the basement. What seemed like a daunting task turned out pleasantly after rediscovering my old childhood book collection. There were Boxcar Kids and Bernstein Bears, nursery rhymes, and my personal favorite, the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. I loved those! In the books, everything was a chain reaction created by you. When you got to the end of a section you had a choice to make- either jump to a new page or continue reading- and you made selections all the way until you had chosen your own ending. They were practically different stories every time you opened the book.
Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/14/2008 4:15 PM
As Red Cross AmeriCorps National Preparedness and Response Corp members, Danae and I have the opportunity to work on service projects with other non-profit organizations in St. Louis area. This week we are setting up dates to work with Habitat for Humanity. We are excited to work with other volunteers from the St. Louis area in building a family a home! We will also be working in the ReStore, the resale store that Habitat has for items like household appliances. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/7/2008 4:04 PM
Vote for the American Red Cross!
On November 4, millions of Americans exercised their right to vote. We applaud you for making your voice heard.
Voting is fun, right?
Why not have some more fun and vote for the Red Cross on Facebook. With your help, we could win $50,000 from the Western Union Foundation . Oh, and don’t forget, you can vote once a day for the next 21 days.
We can’t do it without you so, take a minute and help us win!
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/6/2008 5:04 PM
On “Make A Difference Day”, Oct. 25, the nation's largest single day of volunteerism, more than 3 million people turned out to perform thousands of charitable acts for others. I had the opportunity to go to Jefferson Barracks Memorial Hospital with the St. Louis Area Chapter Youth Corps volunteers to play bingo with the veterans. Not only was it amazing to meet all of the veterans, but we had a great time playing bingo! There were around 15 veterans and five Red Cross Youth Corps and Americorps members spending time together that day. The other volunteers and I helped call out numbers, get drinks and cookies for the vets and played a few rounds as well. The winners got coupons to the hospital cafeteria. I think the veterans enjoyed having new faces around and spending time with us. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/6/2008 5:03 PM
Do you know that if a person stops breathing for ten minutes or more, it is almost certain that irreversible brain damage will occur if no one intervenes? Administering CPR during this critical time can make the difference between life or death – or the quality of life.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/3/2008 9:53 AM
When I was a kid, there was never a question I hated more -except maybe “why don’t you eat your vegetables”- than the infamously posed “What do you want to be when you grow up?” For starters, I knew I wasn’t going to grow up and if I did, I didn’t want to be known as a certain occupation. I wanted to do. And for me, the only thing I wanted to do with my life was make a difference in someone else’s. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
11/3/2008 9:32 AM
I have been working at the St. Louis Area Chapter for almost three months now as an AmeriCorps member. It’s truly been a great experience. One of my favorite job responsibilities is to teach disaster preparedness education to different groups around St. Louis. This is a free service of the Red Cross and last year the Chapter educated over 100,000 people! Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/27/2008 2:20 PM
My husband and I lived in University City during the flooding on September 14, 2008. We spent a week at Heman Park when the Red Cross set up shelter for the tenants of University City.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/27/2008 2:19 PM
 Hello, my name is Pamela Bowser. I was a victim of the flooding during Hurricane Ike. When I walked into your offices, I was afraid no one would believe my story. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/22/2008 10:02 AM
 A little over five weeks ago, I deployed on my first Red Cross national disaster assignment to the Red Cross Hurricane Gustav relief headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA. I checked in at headquarters and was then sent to an area 30 miles west of New Orleans. Being a RN, my professional expertise was called upon to help Red Cross staff and volunteers with their medical needs during their deployments. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/17/2008 1:19 PM
 After Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast, I volunteered to help at the American Red Cross national call center. At the call center, I was in a position to help the truly desperate people, the ones who weren’t able to make it to a shelter, who didn't know how to find food, or who had nothing but the Red Cross 1-800-Get-Info phone number to try to survive. They were usually the ones in the hardest hit areas, where delivering food and supplies door-to-door was nearly impossible because of downed power lines, flood waters and debris blocking the streets. In most cases, I was able to direct people to nearby resources like FEMA Points Of Distribution for food and water, Red Cross shelters, Red Cross feeding sites or other governmental and community resources. But there were some p
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/17/2008 1:16 PM
Last month, Private First Class Ja’mel Bryant, 22, was killed in a vehicle accident near Baghdad. To honor Private Bryant, and to show support to his family during this difficult time, the American Red Cross lined the entrance of Jefferson Barracks Park while Private Bryant was transported through the cemetery entrance to his final resting place. In order to give you an idea of the impact that this service has on families, I wanted to give you a brief account of my experience that day. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/13/2008 3:30 PM
 Now that I am back from my recent deployment to Louisiana and have had some time to think, I wanted to share one last experience with you. I've been with the Red Cross for nearly four years now and have worked on at least ten disasters. Each disaster assignment I serve on provides me with lessons I'll always remember and memories I'll never forget. Each experience is different, yet each teaches me that no matter what part of the country I might be in, there are certain truths that unite us. This time, that lesson was taught by a client I met when I was serving on an ERV during the Hurricane Gustav relief efforts - a four year old girl named Angel. Angel's family was affected by both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike. Their trailer in the bayou took a bea
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/13/2008 3:26 PM
When I wrote last, I had been on deployment for one week in West Wego, Louisiana, helping at a kitchen during the Hurricane Gustav relief effort. The "kitchen" was actually a parking lot filled with five refrigerator trucks, six trucks filled with cans known as "the pantry", and countless small tents set up for the site manager, meal preparations and a small meeting room. It was a big operation! I have to say that the next week went by just as quickly as the first. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
10/6/2008 1:14 PM
 This year the Red Cross has responded to a groundbreaking number of disasters. How can I tell? I’m in charge of a 95,000 square foot Red Cross warehouse that ships disaster supplies to affected areas – and we have been busy! When I first joined the Red Cross in January 2007 the first few months were relatively calm compared to the past year. I would say the long hours of going into the warehouse at 8 a.m. and not leaving until midnight began in October 2007 with the California wildfires. Since then, being busy has become a habit at the warehouse as the Red Cross continued to respond to wildfires and winter storms throughout the end of 2007. Then 2008 began with even more winter storms, flooding in multiple states (in April, June and September) and most recently Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/29/2008 11:39 AM
On Sunday, September 14, I woke up to 18 inches of water in my first floor apartment. There was no time for me to grab much – just a few clothes and a pair of shoes. My family is all out-of-town, but luckily a co-worker offered me a place to stay until my daughter arrived late that night.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/25/2008 7:55 PM
I have been a volunteer for the St. Louis Area Chapter’s Disaster Action Team (DAT) for several months now. You can usually find me on the Wednesday or Saturday night shift working from 4:00 to midnight. Often the night crew will respond to at least one fire, but sometimes there are none. No matter what, the DAT members make sure we have our trucks – and ourselves – prepared to respond at a moment’s notice. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/20/2008 12:38 PM
 Hello all, I have a few minutes to give you an update. The shelter I was working in is now closed because all sheltering needs have been met in that particular area. Now I am supervising the Back Data Entry Unit at Baton Rouge Headquarters. I have really enjoyed this job. It works like this: caseworkers are now meeting with families on an individual basis to assess their needs following the hurricane. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/20/2008 12:37 PM
 My wife Sheila and I have been in Bay Town, Texas, not far from Galveston, for a week now. I can easily say that this assignment is the most challenging that I have experienced as a Red Cross volunteer. The community still has no electricity or running water. Gas lines continue to be 3-5 miles long. The Red Cross is going to be here for a long time to come. We're needed here and I hope that the people who live in these communities aren't forgotten. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/19/2008 1:34 PM
 It's about 9:00 a.m. and I am getting ready to crawl into my bed to grab a few hours of sleep. Since last Sunday, I have been working the overnight shift from 8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. at the Red Cross emergency shelter in University City. While our guests are sleeping, I am awake, regularly checking on them to make sure they are okay, making coffee and snacks in case someone needs a late night snack, and I'm around in case one of our guests needs someone to talk with. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/17/2008 7:05 PM
 Whew--this is a big relief effort--all I can say is that Red Cross will be here for a long time. It's day eight for me at the Joint Field Office (JFO) here in Austin, Texas--I'm not sure when I'm coming home to St. Louis (don't say that to my 6-year-old :). I'm serving as the National Public Information Officer (PIO) at the JFO. The JFO is set-up by FEMA to bring all leadership of the fifteen relief arms of FEMA together in one location--while Red Cross is a charity, not a government agency, in the spirit of partnership the Red Cross is invited to be here too. My job is to coordinate information between FEMA and Red Cross. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/17/2008 2:14 PM
 My damage assessment partner and I are traveling through Texas lowlands right now and we just passed an incredibly flooded section of land. If we got out of the car and walked down into the field, the water would be well above our heads! Right now we are traveling from Houston, Texas, to the Orange County, Texas, Red Cross Chapter where we will receive our next assignment. Since we are only a few minutes away, I have to make this quick. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/17/2008 2:13 PM
 I’m back at the shelter in University City today. Last night, the Red Cross provided 15 people with a safe place to stay. My wife, Lois, was here serving meals and snacks, and offering warm blankets and comfort kits. When I arrived this morning at 8 a.m., most of the guests had left for work or were on their way to check their flood-damaged homes. The water came so fast and swift that people in its path had no time to prepare. Now, the waters have mostly receded and people are going back to clean up. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/15/2008 10:47 AM
 I arrived at the University City Red Cross shelter this morning at 8. I’m helping with the daily operations and making sure the guests’ needs are met. It’s pretty slow right now. The five guests we had last night returned to their homes to assess the damage. But we’re still open, ready to help people in need. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/15/2008 10:45 AM
My wife Lois and I are currently volunteering at the Red Cross shelter in University City. We are tasked with managing the shelter and making sure all the guests are well taken care of. Yesterday’s storm was very powerful and hundreds of homes were affected across the area. We weren’t sure how many people would show up at the shelter so we were prepared with dozens of cots, comfort kits, meals and snacks. There are several other volunteers and staff on-hand to make sure everything goes smoothly.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/12/2008 3:33 PM
Becky White and I are currently at the staff shelter in Baton Rouge, resting up and waiting on Hurricane Ike to pass. We woke up about 5:30 a.m. this morning to the sounds of the shelter manager saying we were under a tornado warning. At about 9:00 a.m. I walked over to the coffee shop to grab a cup of coffee.
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/12/2008 3:32 PM
The last week has been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to write. Let me fill you in on my experiences responding to Hurricane Gustav. One week ago, I entered a vacant Wal-Mart building in Baton Rouge, LA, to find it filled with Red Cross staff and volunteers. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/11/2008 9:47 PM
While working the overnight shift from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. at a Red Cross shelter just outside of Baton Rouge, LA, I looked around at the about 200 people sleeping—they were 200 reasons I was in Louisiana helping after Hurricane Gustav left hundreds of thousands without power. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/11/2008 7:13 AM
Two days ago, my wife and I were two of the several hundred volunteers assigned to help the ongoing preparations for Hurricane Ike’s expected landfall in Texas this weekend. We were originally deployed to Orlando, FL, but when Ike changed paths, we did too. Read More »
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"By St. Louis Area Chapter Web Team on
9/9/2008 9:43 AM
My husband Jim and I are volunteers with the St. Louis Area Chapter. We were activated for Red Cross disaster relief assignment on Saturday. We were assigned to Florida and arrived in Orlando late Saturday night ready to help with any and all Red Cross sheltering. Read More »
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