Donate and maybe win great baseball seats!

Okay—we need you.  We really need you.  Community blood supply of all types is getting pretty low so we having an emergency blood drive on Friday, July 1^st (this Friday) at the American Red Cross in Westchester County.

IF YOU DONATE, WE’LL ENTER YOU TO WIN a pair of baseball tickets for the Mets versus Cardinals at Citifield on Tuesday, July 19^th at 7:10—BOX ROW SEATS!!

Also, please check our website for other blood drives:  RedCrossBlood.org

So please come to the Red Cross this Friday at 106 North Broadway in White Plains.  Call us at 1-800-Redcross… but we’ll take you if you just walk in, any time from 12:30pm-5:30pm that day.

Remember—eat well and drink well and rest up before donating blood.  And bring your ID.

Time to Fire Up the Grill (Safely!)

Warm weather means it’s time to head outside and cook up a great meal on the grill. This fun seasonal ritual has a flip side, though—namely, an onset of injuries and home fires due to careless cooking practices.  

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments in the U.S. respond to thousands of home fires involving grills, hibachis or barbecues every year. Home fires involving grills can start on a patio, balcony or open porch, such as a deck. These fires cause millions of dollars in property damage, and can result in severe injury or even death.

The American Red Cross has some tips you can follow to stay safe while enjoying those tasty treats at your cookout.

Pick the right location

• Never grill indoors – not in your house, camper, tent or any enclosed area.
• Always supervise a barbecue grill when in use, and make sure everyone (including pets) stays away from the grill.
• Keep the grill out in the open, away from the house, the deck, tree branches, or anything that could catch fire. Hot grease or ashes could spill from the grill onto the wooden deck or into dry leaves or grass.

Use the proper tools and techniques

• Use the long-handled tools especially made for cooking on the grill.
• Never add charcoal starter fluid when coals have already been ignited.
• Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using grills.
• Be ready to close the lid and turn off the grill to cut off the fuel if necessary.
• Keep a fireproof pan under the grill to catch any falling ash or grease.
• Trim excess fat from meat to avoid flare-ups.

Before you even start grilling, be sure to follow food-safety practices, too—wash your hands in hot soapy water before preparing food, after each time you touch raw meat, and after any interruptions such as using the bathroom, handling pets or interacting with children.

The Red Cross teaches people the skills they need to prevent home fires, including the dangers of being careless while cooking on the grill. For more information on how to keep you and your loved ones safe, visit www.redcross.org.       

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

Mamaroneck High School Student Chosen to Join the American Red Cross National Youth Council

Eli Russ, president of the Mamaroneck High School Red Cross Club has been selected to join the American Red Cross National Youth Council.

“The National Youth Council consists of 13 youth and young adult volunteers from around the country, primarily high school, college, and young professional volunteers, as well as paid Red Cross chapter/station employees who serve as council advisors. The council strives to further the humanitarian mission of the American Red Cross by empowering youth and young adult volunteers to become community and organizational leaders. It performs this task in two predominant ways: development of resources for national use and advancing youth involvement with the American Red Cross.”

“The council is supported by and works closely with the Office of Volunteers at American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington, DC. Though the National Youth Council serves in a national capacity, a specific goal of the council is to work closely with Red Cross units to empower a robust youth participation in all lines of service delivery.”

Eli stated: I am honored by all the kind words I have received and I am very excited to begin my NYC work. I could not have gotten this far without the entire Chapter for their support and guidance. 

Pictured above Eli Russ at the March 2011 American Red Cross in Westchester County Shelter Drill in Yonkers, NY. As well as representing the Mamaroneck High School Red Cross Club, he wears the vest of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), of which he is an active member of.

Troop 947 Visits HQ

On Saturday, May 21, four members of Boy Scout Troop 947 visited the Red Cross Operation Headquarters as part of their requirements in procuring their Emergency Preparedness Merit badges. With Troop leader Bernard Simelton, the group, out of the Indian Creek Baptist Church, were taken on a tour and briefed on each aspect of the operation, logistics, mass care, mental health, transportation, staff services, planning, health services and the many other departments that make up an operation.

“This is a requirement for the youth and the perfect place to show them how everything works in a relief operation such as this,” said Mr. Simelton.

Jessie Kozel, the Safe and Well Service Associate, escorted the troop members though the center. “Have you ever received that phone call that you can’t find someone,” Jessie asked the troop after she introduced herself. “You have that moment of fear, you see what’s going on in the news and our program helps you find that loved one, friend or family,” said Ms. Kozel. “We register those family members.”

The group went from each operation table and was provided a quick overview, while at the logistics table, a Google map of Tuscaloosa, AL was posted on the wall and the youth looked at in fascination. “One of the boys related how most of the homes in his neighborhood had been destroyed,” said Ms. Kozel, “seeing that map, he could really relate to the tornado’s aftermath.”

When they got to the Mental Health table, Lyle O’Neill, a mental health volunteer, provided the youth with pamphlets in dealing with emotional after effects of a disaster. “Mental health is here for the clients, and just as well for the volunteers who are working hard, long hours,” said Mr. O’Neill. “Thank you for being here, you can’t ever be prepared, but you boys will be the leaders or our communities.”

“This was nice to see all the different stations and what each department does,” said Bernard Hayes, 14. “I can now see how each department gets the things out that need distributing. Looking at the map, hit home how extensive the damage was.” “I learned a lot I really didn’t know,” said Don Garder, 15. “It helped me seeing how all the different jobs help just as much as the other, working together to help the residents. Jessie really took her time at each station explaining how each department ran.” “It’s amazing how so many people come from their daily lives from all over the county to help us,” said Jonathan Rice, 17. “I could understand clearly how Mr. O’Neill explained the importance of stuffed animals for the children and how it gets their minds off the disaster.”

Carolyn Sherwin
Westchester Red Cross Volunteer

West Point Cadet Pitches In

After the first tornado struck Alabama, West Point Private Cadet Tom Holloway, a 19-year-old resident of Birmingham reached out to his mother concerned his hometown had been struck. After being reassured his family and friends were safe, Cadet Holloway came up with the idea to take leave from West Point and head to Alabama to assist in the recovery effort. “My neighbor linked up with a man named Tom Deshazo, a local Birmingham Red Cross volunteer, who reached out to headquarters,” said Cadet Holloway. “When I heard from Tom that I was approved, I felt honored. He said it was a pleasure to have me; knowing I was coming back to Birmingham to help my hometown has made this much more meaningful.”  

On Wednesday, May 18, after being processed as a spontaneous volunteer, Cadet Holloway joined a team who delivered meals to a community that had been affected by the tornado. “We traveled to Boaz, about two hours from Birmingham, where we located the residents and personally distributed approximately 250 meals,” said Cadet Holloway.

It was on Thursday, May 19 that Cadet Holloway was dispatched with the American Red Cross’s Integrated Care Team, a group of emotional, spiritual and health workers who have been making contact throughout the state with residents affected by the storms. “For each client we would see, a client case worker would sit with that family and assess their immediate needs, oftentimes as she filled out paperwork a nurse would step in,” said Cadet Holloway. “The nurse would talk with the client determining their physical and emotional needs. When the nurse and case worker were finished, the Chaplain sat in. He was more interpersonal with the clients, no papers, no pen, just talking one-on-one in an in-depth, interpersonal manner,” said Cadet Holloway.

One family in Eclectic, AL struck a chord with Cadet Holloway. “We were visiting a man who, prior to the tornado, had financial and emotional stress, along with custody of his young niece and nephew,” said Cadet Holloway. “When the tornado hit, his sister-in-law died. Talking with him, he was as legit as he could be with his losses and doing the best he could to take care of his family.”  In a store the man partially owned, Cadet Holloway reminisced how the man opened up the doors and “the place looked like a thrift store. With all his difficulties he was facing, loss of a family member, bills mounting and insurance running out, he was helping everyone in the community. He was paying up to $100 an hour to transport the donated items to other families in need. You could tell he was doing really well by his demeanor. His niece and nephew had obvious signs of PTSD and he was there for them.”

“I came in with my eyes wide open and few expectations,” said Cadet Holloway. “I was immediately struck by the size of the operations headquarters and the organization within. There was this buzz of activity.” He quickly learned that behind every Red Cross operation there is an immense amount of highly trained people who have unique abilities and skills. “When I walked in, I was impressed by the welcome I received and was really flattered that so many people responded with such respect to a West Point Cadet.”  

With graduation week happening at West Point, Cadet Holloway would have been involved in the ceremonies, but was granted leave. “My classmates were envious, but I’ve been able to go home to help family, friends and my community,” said Cadet Holloway. “I would stay but have family commitments to attend to.”

“I really had no idea what to expect, I thought I would just be thrown out to help rebuild, but walking into headquarters, it was a totally different story,” said Cadet Holloway. “I didn’t realize the level of training and expertise that goes on at the Red Cross; it was definitely like a military operation.”

Carolyn Sherwin
Westchester Red Cross Volunteer

On a Mission: The First 48

Ms. Sherwin touched down on a gorgeous Alabama day, which made it that much more difficult to imagine the destruction she soon would encounter first hand. Once processed, she immediately reported to a shelter. Right off the bat she was astounded by the unwavering spirit of those who were affected.

Carolyn reflects: “One teenage girl at the shelter today, whose home was completely destroyed, was all smiles while getting her hair done by her mother for her prom. She said she felt like Cinderella. Locals donated tuxes and dresses to those who lost everything so that prom could still go on.”

Despite the cards that were dealt, Alabamians have been able to start emotionally recovering through this difficult period. Carolyn is amazed with the work that the ICT (Integrated Care Team) does and credits a large portion of the emotional recovery to them. The ICT is comprised of mental health volunteers, case workers, nurses and the area’s chaplaincy. Carolyn remarked that they are out there every day lending their expertise and care to make people feel human again.  

Carolyn is currently working with the Public Affairs team that is traveling throughout Alabama, reporting back to headquarters, and working with local and national media to ensure that people can continue to follow Red Cross relief efforts.

“The days are long but you can leave headquarters with the feeling you know progress is there and recovery is happening. Volunteers are enthused and working in shelters and ERV’s (Emergency Response Vehicle) doing what we do best; providing shelter, an ear to confide in, a hand to hold, and a shoulder to cry on.”

Our thoughts and sympathies are with those who have lost loved ones or have suffered through this weekend’s deadly tornadoes in the Midwest. You can help those affected by the recent disasters by visiting www.redcross.org or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

On a Mission: Recovery

The Westchester Chapter’s own Carolyn Sherwin will become one of the over 2,800 Red Cross workers that are already on the ground in the South helping people in areas where tornadoes and floods have wiped out entire communities. 

Carolyn is a Public Affairs and Disaster Response volunteer for the American Red Cross in Westchester County and is no stranger to disaster relief both locally and nationally. Today she will be deployed to Birmingham, Alabama where families who have lost everything desperately seek the road to recovery. Thousands of relief supplies have been moved into the area, including cots, blankets, comfort kits, and items for people with special needs. Red Cross workers such as Carolyn will continue to help those affected by the recent disasters that have ravaged the South.

Prior to Carolyn’s departure she remarked:

“You just want to get down and help. I want to continue to do the work we’ve started. When I hear from returning volunteers about their experiences and the spirit of the Alabamians it makes me that much more anxious to be involved. Sure, I’m nervous not knowing where I’ll be, but once there, I’ll hit the ground running. After Katrina, I know long days are ahead, but you can see the progress already. Just one day at a time; helping is all it’s about.”

Follow Carolyn’s two week journey in Birmingham on our blog as we post the most recent news straight from her personal experiences.