Lately there have been many house fires in the area. Last Friday was no different; another family lost their home and all their belongings. Sometimes we feel so helpless assisting these people as we supply them housing, clothing, and food. We cannot bring back the lost memories which were in photographs or a special drawing made by a child. We see many tears shed and the fear of not knowing what comes next.

As someone with serious iPhone envy, I’ve paid attention to some of the cooler applications, or “apps” as they are called, that have been released. There’s an app to find a house to buy; an app to determine if the picture you are hanging is level, and even an app to help you lose weight. But I was still surprised when I saw a headline today about an iPhone app to learn CPR.

It was developed in the Seattle area, and although I can’t view it (‘cause I don’t have a iPhone) it apparently contains short 1-2 minute videos instructing someone how to perform CPR.

Chances are, you’ve seen at least a few of the ad nauseum commercials and public service announcements about the “D-TV Switch” – when television stations all over the country are switching their signals from “analog” to “digital.” While most people are covered by either cable or satellite (who will handle all the technical aspects of the change over for their customers) there are still millions of Americans who will be left without a TV signal.

The biggest concern for the Red Cross – keeping people informed during severe weather. Already in St. Louis this week, we’ve seen several rounds of strong storms and even tornadoes. It is also hurricane season, which impacts millions living along the coast.

This is no lie: the number of fatal home fires in Missouri is up significantly from last year. In 2008, the state fire marshal investigated 60 fatal fires all year. So far in 2009, the state has already had 50 fatal fires, and there are still six more months to go.

The number one cause of home fires: careless smoking. So if you do smoke, make sure you put those cigarettes out completely.

It is Friday, so I decided to have a little fun and see what would happen if I put our blog into a wordle. What's a wordle? It's a "word cloud" that should in varying propotions what words appear on a blog. So, here is ours (after the jump):

In less than 72 hours Hurricane Season will begin, and already an early arrival along the eastern coastline. Tropical Depression 1 looks to make only a “hello” wave and move off to sea.   Why am I thinking of Hurricane Season in St. Louis? Last year the remnants of Ike came through causing quite a stir, and the subsequent activation of even more Red Cross volunteers. Several volunteers were already in Texas and Louisiana assisting with Ike and Gustav, not expecting Ike to come into their backyard! The Red Cross was able to support the multiple, simultaneous disasters because of a dedicated group of volunteers who were willing to do their part helping their communities. 

Hi, my name is Lindi, and I'm a student at MICDS, a school located in St. Louis. I've been a member of the Red Cross Youth Corps since freshman year, and about a month ago, two friends/fellow youth corps members and I were invited to attend the National Youth Institute in Orlando, Florida. The NYI is a two-day conference where Red Cross youth get a chance to meet, network, and attend lectures and discussions about Red Cross history, leadership skills, and fundraising skills. We learned a lot from this experience, and even though I'm blogging about it two month late, the lessons I learned were so meaningful and memorable that I can still remember the top ten things that I learned from the trip:

All the votes are tallied, and the results are in: the Red Cross won 26 percent of the vote in the Target “Bullseye Gives” Facebook campaign! That means thanks to your more than 75,000 votes, the Red Cross will get $793,942. It was amazing to see how just through a viral e-mail campaign, the Red Cross was able to rally such amazing support from volunteers, donors, staff members and their friends. Facebook really is the new "word of mouth," isn't it?

After visiting family in Tulsa over the first weekend in May, I was called to be deployed to Fredericktown, MO for a disaster assignment: there were power outages due to storms. I went to Fredericktown with Roland Jackson, another Red Cross volunteer, on the ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) where we met other Red Cross volunteers.

We first went to the feeding site that was at the First Baptist Church of Fredericktown, where the Red Cross had partnered with the Division of Family Services to provide meals. We served over 10,000 meals and snacks for the week I was in Fredericktown. In addition to the feeding site, services provided by the American Red Cross included distributing bulk items such as clean up kits, rakes, shovels and gloves.



The American Red Cross also sent outreach teams into the affected communities. The partnerships we saw were amazing!...

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Even though I work with pools year-round – teaching classes, inspecting facilities, training lifeguards, etc. – this is the time of year when everyone says, “Wow – I bet you sure are busy now that summer is almost here!”

Even though our Aquatics team is busy throughout the year, it’s true that there is an increased sense of energy from Memorial Day to Labor Day. That’s when most public pools open their gates, and kids around St. Louis flock to the water slides, diving boards and deep ends. And since May is Water Safety Month, I thought it might be a good time to blog about when parents should teach their kids to swim.

The Red Cross offers learn-to-swim classes for kids of all ages, but the youngest you can enroll is 6 months of age. That might seem a little too young to really learn anything, but it is a good idea to get kids...

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Congratulations!  With 5 days left in the Bullseye Gives campaign, the Red Cross has received more than 52,000 votes.

But as of this morning, the Red Cross is in 2^nd place, trailing to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by just 1%. Every vote increases our share of the $3 million contribution. Every vote helps people preparing for and facing emergencies. Your vote empowers you to change lives today.

Did you know that every 24 hours, an average of 21,000 people receive a blood transfusion from a Red Cross donor?  Let’s get 21,000 votes today in their honor. Login or signup to Facebook and go to http://www.facebook.com/target.

Did you ever go on a field trip to the Zoo or the Science Center? Spring was always the best time of year when I was in school because it was when we got to go on field trips to every sight and sound that St. Louis had to offer. But this past week, a new field trip was taken by our St. Louis Area Chapter YouthCorps members. Eleven of our YouthCorps members participated in a "CPR Day."

You might be asking yourself, "What is CPR Day?" Simply put, YouthCorps students devote a day to learning CPR and First Aid. What they may not realize is that by the end of the day they have learned how to prevent injuries, prepared themselves for an emergency, and...

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Just saw this hilarious "silent movie" that the folks at National Red Cross posted on Youtube.

Have you voted for the Red Cross on Facebook yet? Your vote = your donation. Right now, each vote is worth more than $30. Remember, you can vote once a day until May 25. The more votes we get, the more funding we receive to help people who need immediate relief and lifesaving assistance—in our community, across the country and around the world.

There’s no doubt about it, St. Louis is already home to one entire team of baseball All-Stars. Not to mention we’re about to be visited by even more when Busch Stadium plays host to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star game on July 14th.

But that’s on the field.

Mother Nature gave us another reminder last night of just how violent the springtime can be. A severe line of storms tore through four states, including Missouri, spawning tornadoes. One in particular killed three people near Kirksville (the home of Truman State University).

The damage is extensive. Reports indicate that 30-40 homes are damaged, as well as a large car dealership. You can follow news reports of the tornado cleanup via Google.

Of course, the Red Cross is there. Right now, volunteers from the Capital Area Chapter and the North Central Chapter are working...

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Ok, Red Crossers.... now is your chance to help raise millions of dollars without spending a dime.

From now through May 25, Target is giving you the power to decide where a $3 million charitable donation will go. The American Red Cross is one of ten non-profit organizations competing for a portion of the multi-million dollar gift.

Target’s Bullseye Gives campaign is running through Facebook, where visitors can vote once a day, every day, for the charity of their choice.

Last night, the St. Louis Area Chapter held a fun event for some of our best donors, including members of the Clara Barton Society, the Legacy Society and our Corporate Partners. There was a Carnival theme, and the interactive "exhibits" showed off a variety of the services the Red Cross provides the Greater St. Louis community.

Check out the photo gallery from the night! And if you want to learn more about becoming a Clara Barton Society member, email Cathy Sullivan or call her at (314) 516-2290.

There is no "typical disaster" when on the Disaster Action Team (DAT). We usually deal with fires, although last spring we responded to quite a few victims of flash flooding. Many fires fall into some basic category. Kitchen fires are fairly common in many communities.  When we arrive we often have to help our client deal with their own self anger at having turned on the wrong burner or having left a pot on the stove and forgotten it.  If the food is unusable because of the kitchen fire we usually give the client financial assistance for a small amount of food until they can get their lives and kitchen straightened out. Electrical fires many times destroy bedrooms and other rooms in the house. We often need to provide "psychological first aid" to help the client come to grips with the randomness of disasters. When clothing is destroyed we often provide financial assistance to purchase some replacement clothing - many times our clients are standing outside their home in their "jammies and house slippers".  Fires are the usual responses for the DAT.

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When hunger pains start coming around on Tuesday, May 12, grab a coworker for lunch or a friend for dinner and head to Culver’s to help the Red Cross. Next Tuesday, your neighborhood Culver’s will donate 10% of all sales to the American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter. Enjoy a delicious meal, benefit a great local cause and feel good all over.

With the recent wave of concern over the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, I’m sure many of us find ourselves swaying between concern for what it means for us on one hand and information overload on the other. Clearly we have health concerns close to home, but taking precautions can help us fight the flu.

However, around the world, there are still thousands of children who die every year from an all too common and very manageable disease – the measles. This loss of life is made all the more tragic as this is a vaccine preventable death, with the vaccine costing less than one dollar. But to these children and their families, one dollar is one too much.

That’s where the Measles Initiative...

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On a day like today, I can only wish it was a little sunnier and warmer so I could swim outside. Just a few more weeks and the pools will be opening, and who better to talk with about water safety than Red Cross aquatic specialists, Laurie and Kathy. They decided to buddy up to bring you their top five water safety suggestions. Check it out.

While all the local TV stations did segements last night about our Lifesaver Awards ceremonies, today John Fuller did another segment on KPLR's Noon newscast. Check it out:

I confess right now that my least favorite part about teaching First Aid and/or CPR has always been the segment on handwashing. That’s because the students’ annoyance is absolutely palpable.  Don’t get me wrong, they’re always very polite, but those 12 sets of eyes on any given day make clear their feelings on the subject: “You gotta be kidding! This is a lifesaving skill? Come on… let’s get on to the good stuff I’m paying for.”  

So, “Yes,” I sheepishly nod and say, “handwashing is a standard precaution in the prevention of disease transmission.” In fact, this simple effort is so important, there’s a 4-color skill-sheet in the book to describe the process. Then, despite their eye-rolling, I ask the class to turn to page 10 in their workbooks (“Grumble, grumble. Tell me something I didn’t know. Grumble, grumble,” I imagine the class protesting in unison. )

I bravely proceed to describe and demonstrate the correct way to wash one’s hands. With a straight face:

Turn on the water

Wet...

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The first time I went to Orlando, Florida I was about 5 years old and I remember two things about our trip. The first thing I remember was a pool at the hotel shaped like Mickey Mouse’s head; the second, a rollercoaster ride that scared me because I thought a train was heading straight at our rollercoaster (although it was just a light with a recording of train horns blowing). Many years have past since then, and this month I was given the opportunity to return to Orlando with 3 of our Chapter’s youth volunteers in order to attend the 4th Annual National Youth Institute (NYI). The weather was great but the speakers, opportunities for networking and leadership skills our youth volunteers and I learned for the 3 days were fantastic.

This year’s theme for NYI was “Empower our Red Cross.” Sessions included a town hall meeting with...

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This morning, the number of confirmed cases of swine flu stands at 91, according to the CDC. And while officially, Missouri and Illinois have not confirmed any cases of the H1N1 virus, there are suspected cases in both the Kansas City and Chicago areas.

Yesterday, the World Health Organization raised its Pandemic Alert Level to a 5 (on a scale of 6). Essentially, that means that the threat of a pandemic is imminent. But at this point, the situation is still classified as an outbreak. But the WHO is urging all countries...

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This morning, there are two big developments in the spread of swine flu. First, there are reports that “probable swine flu” is being reported in Illinois. The state health department says more than one case is being sent to federal health officials for confirmation. According to the Associated Press, “probable” means the Illinois Department of Public health has conducted tests on patients showing swine flu symptoms. One “probable” case is at a Chicago-area school. The school is being closed today.

The second big development is the U.S. is reporting its first swine flu-related death. This morning, the CDC confirmed a 23-month-old child...

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A virus can spread fast -- but hopefully, we can spread information even faster. Here are some common questions I've heard today in relation to the swine flu outbreak:

1. What is a “Health Emergency?”

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters and monitoring and assessing health trends among other things. 

In response to the recent cases of swine influenza, the WHO has reviewed available data on the current situation and advised that many questions are still unanswered. Nevertheless, the WHO believes that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. This means that the WHO is recommending that all countries...

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I am an Aquatic Volunteer for the American Red Cross Saint Louis Area Chapter. Watching my students achieve what they thought was “the impossible” has brought me great joy. When teaching there is nothing that pleases me more than to hear “I did it!” and seeing the students strive for more. I believe that the Red Cross Aquatics Programs teach far more than the details of how to swim and the basics of water safety; they contains the dreams of an athlete unaware of their potential, the building blocks for heightened self-esteem, gifts of lifesaving skills, compassion and empathy, courage and hope. Teaching aquatics for the Red Cross has allowed me to make my passion for water and teaching contagious and still lets me be a student; taking in knowledge from each experience I have. I am ever grateful for the opportunities Kathy, Ryan, Laurie, Joyce and all of my students have given me over the years.

 

Kelly is an Aquatics volunteer for the St. Louis Area Chapter.

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Although the swine flu virus has been an issue in Mexico for several weeks, now cases of the disease have made their way into the U.S., and therefore, the news. In case you haven’t heard, here is what is happening:

I joined the American Red Cross when my husband accepted a job at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois in September 1997.  My children were in school but I wanted the flexibility to not work when they were off for holidays and teacher days.  I started working in Armed Forces Emergency Communications (now called Emergency Communications Services).  I would help active duty servicemen and their families keep in touch and verify emergencies to allow the serviceman to return for medical emergencies and funerals.  Before cell phones, the American Red Cross message could be the first notification of events from births to deaths.

My Red Cross story began with a First Aid/CPR/AED course I took after moving to St. Louis. I had been practicing medicine for 34 years and decided to retire. I determined that I needed some activities to keep busy in St. Louis, and while I was already involved in Boy Scouting, it didn't quite fill the void. Because of my job, I was accustomed to dispensing preventative medicine and I saw teaching Red Cross courses as a way to continue helping the public. I was also attracted to their programs since they were an extension of what I was already aware of and practicing. In this way, I would be able to remain in contact with the general public and add to their wellbeing. And as an added bonus, my connection with Scouting gave me the opportunity to teach first aid to the young boys and hopefully give them an understanding of what they were learning. With my training, I was able to present the material in a well organized way and hope that much of the material would remain with the student. 

I started volunteering at the West County donor center in December, 2008. Blood donors are very dear to my heart because I am a blood recipient. I am a 16-year Leukemia survivor who has received 33 blood transfusions, equaling 66 units of blood. All of the blood came through the American Red Cross.

Imagine you are an 8-year-old girl spending the day at your grandmother’s house in Austria. It’s May of 1940 and you have come to say goodbye to your cousins. Tomorrow you are leaving your home and life behind in an attempt to escape Nazi persecution. You know your goodbyes are only temporary, though. You will be reunited with your cousins and be back to playing make-believe before you know it. Or at least that’s what you think…

When I was anticipating retirement, I knew that I wanted to use my time in service to others.  I called several organizations to see what we had to offer each other.  The Red Cross was one of the few to return my call. I had training courses all lined up to fit my schedule and along came Hurricane Katrina.  I called the Red Cross and said "I have no training, but could you use a warm body?"  I was told to come in the next day to begin one day's worth of on the job training as a case worker. I spent the next three weeks doing case work and financial assistance paperwork here in St. Louis and THEN got my official training. I better understood the classroom training with my first hand knowledge! 

“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

I love this quote! It’s so simple and yet so obvious, “anyone can volunteer” and it’s true…anyone can make a difference in the lives of others. The volunteers here at the St. Louis Area Chapter, without a doubt, have “hearts full of grace” and souls “generated by love.” I have never met a more giving, caring, and committed group of people, not to mention intelligent, funny, resourceful, good-humored and creative! We definitely have some who could explain the second theory of thermodynamics in their sleep, and others who can not only make subject and verb agree, they can get cats and dogs to agree!

I don’t think there is any way I can say “Thank You” enough to all of our volunteers. Words seem so inadequate when you’ve seen a DAT volunteer sit down with a fire victim and help them find a safe place to stay for the night, or when you see a Water Safety Instructor finally get a child who was afraid to put more than their foot in the pool to put their entire face in the water. Moment like these (and many, many more!) are what makes volunteers so vital to our mission here at the Red Cross and valuable to our community.

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Mark your calendars! On Thursday, April 30, over 130 St. Louis area restaurants will be participating in the annual Dining Out for Life event. Restaurants will donate 25-100% of their proceeds to benefit St. Louis Effort for AIDS.

Founded in 1985 by a group of concerned volunteers, Saint Louis Effort for AIDS (EFA) began with the purpose of making a difference in the lives of individuals dying from complications due to AIDS.  Today, EFA is one of the leading AIDS Service Organizations in the metropolitan area, offering prevention education, care referral, case management, free testing by appointment, volunteer opportunities and a variety of support programs.  Their mission is to provide education on the prevention of HIV/AIDS and comprehensive support services for individuals affected by the disease, much like what the American Red Cross does with its own messages about HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

We hit a milestone this week! We now have over 100 members in the Red Cross Ready Rating Program. Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company was officially our 100^th member. Our friends at Enterprise are excited to be part of this program because they care about the safety of their employees and they want to be prepared for emergencies because, let’s face it, emergencies are inevitable.

What is the Ready Rating Program? It’s a new web-based preparedness program developed right here in St. Louis that helps businesses, organizations and schools prepare for emergencies.

Webster defines a hero as “a person of valor, nobility, etc.”  Most of us would agree that policemen and women, firefighters, and our servicemen and women are great examples of heroes.  I happen to know 107 heroes because I met them last Saturday, April 4 at the St. Charles County Community Hero event hosted by the City of O’Fallon, MO.  What did these everyday people do to qualify as heroes?  Did they rescue someone from a burning building?  Did they provide a tip that helped police nab a suspect?  Did they send care packages to the military?  No, they did none of these things.  Instead, 69 of them spent a beautiful spring Saturday learning Adult CPR and how to use an Automated External Defibrillator.  Another 38 of them volunteered to donate blood.  What did they get in return?  A t-shirt and the satisfaction of knowing...

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The St. Charles County Service Center honored and celebrated our Volunteers and Community Partners on Friday, March 20th. During the event, we highlighted community outreach made possible by outstanding community support.

We would like to thank Mary Jo Blackwood- Board of Directors, Cindy Erickson- CEO of the St. Louis Area Chapter, David A. Chumley- CEO-Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region, Shelby Shire of the Board’s Volunteer Committee and Kelly Loepker-Volunteer Manager. We appreciate very much their making the time to participate in this event that celebrates our Volunteers and Community Partners.

Our Luncheon was made possible through the hard work and dedication of the Special Events Committee Volunteers. Thank you Jean and all your Committee members who were involved in making this happen.

Check out pictures from the event below.

 

 

 



Volunteers…the...

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According to news reports this morning, an earthquake hit central Italy, severely damaging a historic city and surrounding villages. More than 90 people are reported dead, and more than 1,500 are injured.

Here in St. Louis, the threat of an earthquake is very real. The New Madrid Fault is in the Missouri Bootheel, just a few hours drive away. You may remember last April, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit in Illinois – shaking homes here in the St. Louis area. Here are some important tips to remember about earthquakes:

During an earthquake



DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! Move only a few steps to a nearby safe place. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and you're sure it's safe to exit....

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In St. Louis, the American Red Cross has a volunteer-driven Disaster Field Supply Center Warehouse that assists in the delivery of goods in any declared national disaster relief operation.  Last week, we loaded up numerous semi-trailers with supplies. Here's a quick tour of the warehouse:



In 2008 we assisted the MO Ice Storms, Southern California Wildfires, Hurricane Ike, Tropical Storm Hanna, Hurricane Gustav, Tropical Storm Fay, Hurricane Dolly, Central US Floods & Tornadoes, Mother’s Day Tornadoes, Arkansas Tornadoes, Midwest Floods, and February Tornadoes. 

Our Service delivery plan has reached as far as the Oregon floods and New England States.   We ensure that any disaster relief operation is successful by meeting their needs; whether it is chairs and tables to set up a command center or assist in the recovery of a flood by distributing clean up kits.  In addition, we make sure that clients have enough cots, blankets, and food by distributing shelter and kitchen support trailers. 

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Chances are if you aren’t already using Twitter – you’ve probably heard of it. The micro-blogging service seems to be everywhere these days and has exploded in popularity in the last year.  Now even Google is in talks to buy Twitter. How’s that for a mega-merger?

Here at the St. Louis Area Chapter, I’ve been trying my hand at “tweeting” for a few months. I think I am hooked. I love the fact that it is one giant, world-wide chatroom, but you can be as specific as you want. While I usually tweet about Red Cross topics like being ready for a disaster or learning CPR, I love that I can also “follow” the tweets of people I wouldn’t normally have any interaction with. For example, Senator Claire McCaskill...

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Dear Family and Friends,

...and the snow is falling once again in Fargo. Because of that, my Red Cross Shelter Supervisor has decided that we will be staying at the shelter until the roads are less dangerous. I'm on the 7pm-7am shift so once I get out there tonight, there's no telling when I'll get back to the hotel.  Wouldn't you know, my scheduled day off is Tuesday but I'll be sleeping during the day in some far off classroom of the high school so it won't make much difference! My cell does not work at the shelter, so I won't be in contact while I'm there unless I can talk someone in to letting me use their computer. Yesterday, many of our original clients moved out to other shelters that better suited their needs. I hated to see some of them go. I'm pretty tired, feeling like I'm in a fog, but since I just started this late shift, I'm hoping my body will adjust to the change. Last night I walked around the high school shelter and could hear the soft sound of breathing and snoring coming from various nooks and crannies of the high school as the Red Cross volunteers, soldiers, fire fighters, paramedics and law enforcement office rested their tired bodies on any available surface they could find a spot to sleep after a hard and full day's work. Again, I can say I am so honored to be a part of such an effort here in Fargo, ND. Thank you so much for your supportive emails. When I don't have a cell that works in Casselton, I feel so out of touch then when I get back to the hotel, it is so heart warming to find your messages. Believe me, it makes such a difference.

After months of planning, the annual Girl Scouts Junior First Aid Workshop in Collinsville went off without a hitch. Despite the cold and rain on Saturday, almost 150 girls came to take part in 7 sessions of First Aid and Disaster Preparedness activities. Although some activities were planned for fair weather, our friends at the Collinsville Fire Department and Scott Air Force Base came prepared with a plan to make sure the girls still had a blast. Throughout the day, I heard how “awesome” practicing CPR had been, or how the Tornado Scavenger Hunt was “so cool”. So at the end of the day, the girls had earned their First Aid badges and learned a little something about how “awesome” the Red Cross really is. 

 Kelly Briggs in the health & safety associate for the Metro East Service Center.

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Sunday, March 29, 2009 — The American Red Cross is now focusing its operations in North Dakota and Minnesota on sheltering families displaced by the Red River’s record rise and offering around-the-clock feeding to volunteers who are still filling sandbags.  Though the river appears to have crested, fears remain that waters could rise again later in the week as additional snowfall melts.  Breaches in the levels are also possible, and Red Cross mobile feeding units are supporting the teams who are inspecting the walls of sandbags protecting the area.  The National Weather Service reports water levels could remain high for at least eight more days.

Want a FREE t-shirt? Well, the American Red Cross has several upcoming opportunities for you to get one. All you have to do is 1 of 2 things: Donate Blood or Learn CPR. Or, better yet, do both!

 

The first opportunity is coming up this Saturday, April 4 at the St. Charles County Community Hero event in O’Fallon, Missouri. There’s still some spots available for the CPR class, so don’t waste another second and register today. Thanks to our sponsors, Community Hero CPR training is only $10 – a $46 value. And if you want to donate blood, visit www.givelife.org and enter the code communityheroes or just stop by the O’Fallon Municipal...

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Although Red Cross month and Women’s History month are coming to a close for 2009, everyday women across the nation continue to help the Red Cross fulfill the mission of providing relief to victims of disasters and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

One woman leading the efforts is Gail McGovern, President and CEO of the American Red Cross. Since coming on board last year, Gail’s experience in running large organizations and track record for improving service delivery to the public have helped her guide the Red Cross in just a few short months.

Gail’s leadership and the time and dedication of hundreds of employees and volunteers enable the Red Cross to provide shelter, food and comfort to those affected by disasters like the Red River flooding; connect military service personnel with their loved ones during an emergency; teach...

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Dear Family and Friends,

Oh my gosh, the word has just been passed around that the Red River has begun to recede. Yesterday, we Red Cross volunteers at the hotel)thought we might be evacuating our hotel; I was even told to get waders instead of boots to navigate through the snow and ice, but now it seems the news is beginning to turn around. However, we were told that things could change any time so we shouldn't get too complacent. The sun is out, the skies are blue and life looks so much better.

As a member of the Red Cross Disaster Team, I am one of many Red Cross volunteers from all over the country helping clients from southern Fargo in a shelter of 120 folks. I was a part of a team of four who were responsible for registering each person who came into the shelter. The folks we are serving are we special needs adults of all ages in wheel chairs and those with...

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It’s about 10 a.m. and I find myself in an airport in Denver. I’ve been here for at least 2 hours and won’t leave for another hour or so. I’ve been awake and traveling since 3 a.m. I am tired and still shocked by the fact I am even here at all.

No, I am not on a highly anticipated spring break getaway I’ve been planning for months. Just yesterday at this time I was enjoying my day off and planning a trip of different sorts: to the mall. Instead I ended up with a trip to Fargo, North Dakota. I’ve been deployed. It’s my first disaster and it’s a big one. The Red River is near its crest- levels that haven’t been seen in over 112 years. I’ve read the news, seen the blogs, and yet I still have no idea what to expect. MSN is reporting that thousands are fleeing the city, so it only seems fitting...

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It’s that time of the year….the big “B” word for budgeting.  As many departments, service centers and chapters start to prepare for the process, they know they will have exceptional support and customer service from Mike Dale and Deborah Jackson…and that is exactly what makes them “kudo worthy”.  Mike and Deborah are nominated by Nancy Bates and a cheering section which includes Dale Chambers, Sandy Vaughn, Brad Farber, Nicole Holtgrefe, Michael Braeuninger, Deane Adame and Tom Ette.  Just look at some of their comments that will be posted soon.

So what makes one of our talented staff “kudo worthy”? Living the American Red Cross values, leadership at 150% and extreme random acts of kindness.

Nominations are welcome and can be submitted to Eve at emosblech@redcrossstl.org.



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