18th Annual Red Cross Hurricane Health & Safety Fair!

Red Cross Partners with Indian River BioEnergy Center

Photo L-R: Jay McGill of AMEC, Red Cross Regional Executive Rob Levine, and Nigel Falcon of INEOS

Red Cross Hurricane Hangar Party Lands at Vero Beach Airport on Wings of Preparedness
New Community Partnership with INEOS Bio Energy Center Takes Flight

The theme for the night was hurricane preparedness – and fun. The 4th Annual Red Cross Hurricane Hangar Party took over the Sun Aviation airplane hangar at the Vero Beach Airport Friday night to bring a light-hearted awareness to a serious subject –the 2012 hurricane season. The site was filled with storm-related vendors, food, drinks, local classic rock favorites OPM, and a dunk tank that splashed with elected officials and local celebrities taking the plunge in support of the Red Cross. The festivities also launched a new community partnership between the organization and the Indian River County Bio Energy Center group, INEOS, whose principals were on hand to greet some one thousand community members who took part in the event.

Red Cross Youth Volunteers Receive Presidential Service Awards

Red Cross Youth Council Volunteers Receive Presidential Awards
Port St. Lucie Ceremony Honors Dozens for Dedication to Service and their Community

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (April 5, 2012) — Patriotism and pride were evident in abundance throughout the Port St. Lucie offices of the American Red Cross Palm Beaches – Treasure Coast Region as 28 members of the local Red Cross Youth Council received U. S. Presidential recognition for their dedication to serving their communities and their country. The recent awards ceremony opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and was part of the President’s Volunteer Service Award program—a nationwide program launched in 2003 aimed at rewarding individuals, families, or groups for volunteer hours earned over a 12-month period or over the course of a lifetime. Red Cross Regional Executive, Rob Levine, recognized award winners for their service with an official pinning ceremony for two outstanding “Gold” volunteers and six “Bronze” volunteers who met the President’s criteria. All were presented with a lapel pin, personalized certificate and signed letter from President Barack Obama.

Eligible criteria for reaching the top “Gold” standard (silver and bronze are less) are:

•    Youth age 5-14 require a minimum of 100 hours to achieve “Gold” status
•    Young adults age 15-25 require a minimum of 250 hours for “Gold” status
•    Adults age 26+ need 500 hours to reach “Gold” status
•    Families must have over 1000 hours for “Gold” status
•    4,000 hours over a lifetime earns recipients the President’s Call to Service Award

The following youth were recognized in their respective categories (unless otherwise noted, all attend Lincoln Park Academy):
Presidential “Gold” Award
Athena Harris
Julian Tubellow-Cassinari

Presidential “Bronze” Award 
Annalie Albelo
David Lopez
Namrata Patel
Parthi Patel
Rishabhraj Patel
Ariel Rouse

Twenty others received Red Cross certificates of appreciation for hours served toward earning the prestigious award:
Robert Bacchus
Jenni Deleon        Port St. Lucie High
Corey Forbes
Eliza Gilbert
Branden Goldenberg
Natalie Hinojosa    St. Lucie West Centennial High
Nicolas Lopez
Matisha Madhav
Shail Madhav
Chandler Martin
Jeoval Montoya
Jonathan Moriarty
Nicole Orlino
Dishen Patel
Faizah Shareef
Jay Shulka
Mariana Villa        Port St. Lucie High
Jackie Villatoro        Port St. Lucie High
Porsha Washington
Tyler Webb        St. Lucie West Centennial High

About the President’s Volunteer Service Award:
The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation (the Council) was established in 2003 to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. The Council created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Learn more at http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; 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-pbc.org.

**PHOTO CUTLINE** Pictured L-R: Annalie Albelo, Parthi Patel, Athena Harris, Regional Executive Rob Levine, Ariel Rouse, David Lopez, RJ Patel, Namrata Patel, Julian Tubello-Cassanari, Executive Director of Regional Volunteer Management Sarah Ruwe, Youth Council Advisor Lori Cassanari

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National Volunteer Week!

County’s Next Top Model Contest – April 13th!

Hurricane Hangar Party 2012!

Heroes among us

“In times of upheaval, there are heroes among us. Their presence comforts us, even if we don’t know their names. They inspire us by fighting for their lives or by risking their lives for a greater good.”

The quote above,written by Vera H-C Chan, introduces an online story that we found truly inspiring: Yahoo! 2011 Year in Review — Heroic Acts. As many people do this time of year, Yahoo! took a look back at these past 12 months and listed their Top 10 Heroic Acts.

Clicking through the story, you’ll be reminded of the tales this past year that caught the nation’s and the world’s attention. Check out the article, and you’ll see why we were quite excited to see the No. 4 Hero of 2011… Red Cross Volunteers.

The article’s story of Mike Meyer – a Red Cross volunteer who went on a disaster relief deployment  several times this past year – is one shared by many. Across our Palm Beaches-Treasure Coast Region alone we had almost 100 volunteers go out around the country to help when tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires tore through the land.

We love letting our volunteers know how much we appreciate them, and were excited to see this article highlight their great work.

2011: Busy year for disasters

Normally we think infographics are pretty cool, but the map in the infographic below had us feeling pretty stunned. We knew we’d had a busy year around here at the Red Cross, but to see that  46 out of 50 were affected by a major disaster during 2011 was astonishing. Fortunately though, in each of of the Red-Cross-red states where disasters occurred our wonderful volunteers (and all of the donors who support us) were able to help hundreds of thousands of people whose lives were forever changed by disasters — from tornadoes, floods, wildfires and hurricanes in the U.S. to earthquakes and other disasters around the world.

Throughout the year, the American Red Cross supported the people of Japan and Haiti, while launching 137 domestic disaster relief operations in 46 states and territories to help people affected by fires, floods, hurricanes and tornadoes across the United States. In addition, major international disasters included the Japan earthquake and tsunami response and the continuing work following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

In the United States, the Red Cross opened 1,019 shelters and provided more than 130,000 overnight stays. 27,622 trained disaster workers served more than 6.7 million meals and snacks and distributed more than 2.6 million relief items. Health and mental health workers provided more than 133,000 consultations and Red Cross workers opened 16,752 cases to help people get on the road to recovery.

Red Cross shelter: Volunteers in action

It was late Sunday afternoon when Red Cross volunteers got the call: More than 100 people were affected by a 30-unit apartment fire in western Palm Beach County. Within hours the Red Cross teams, working alongside the NAACP Community Partnership Shelter Team,  had set up a warm, safe shelter at St. John’s First Missionary Baptist Church for all of the impacted residents. To date almost 40 Red Cross volunteers Palm Beach, Okeechobee and Martin counties – alongside more than a dozen volunteers from NACCP Sheltering team – have served 405 meals and 630 snacks as we continue to provide support for impacted residents.

Red Cross opened a shelter Sunday afternoon for residents displaced by a 30 unit apartment fire, meeting the needs of all those affected. Photo by Jill Masters/American Red Cross

Red Cross volunteers Thomas Hernandez and Bruce Allen check residents into the shelter as the Red Cross works to make sure all of the needs are met. Photo by Jill Masters/American Red Cross

Red Cross volunteer Keith Young helps to serve lunch to the shelter residents. Photo by Jill Masters/American Red Cross

What’s your #perfectgift this holiday season?

Earlier this week, Craig Newmark (of craigslist and craigconnects fame) celebrated his birthday with a somewhat different approach to gifting – he kicked off a conversation on Twitter on what the perfect gift would be, promising to donate $1 per response to the Red Cross, up to $10,000.

Results from our recent Holiday Giving poll have suggested that most Americans (68% of those surveyed) believe that because of the economy, it’s important to give something to charity. What a telling statistic. With so much variety out there in terms of what people are passionate about and what cause they would like to contribute to if they could, imagine how many lives could be changed. We’re excited to read your tweets in response, and have been inspired by the replies thus far!

And if your perfect gift is giving comfort, help, or hope to someone in need, you can check out our Holiday Giving Catalog for a bunch of options through the Red Cross.

Thanks, Craig, for committing to helping us help others- we’re humbled by your support and looking forward to being a part of the conversation!

Weigh in on Twitter - what is your idea of a #perfectgift?

 

Adapted from the American Red Cross blog, posted by Gloria Huang