Greater Chicago Red Cross Blog

Meet Madeline

2012-01-25T09:43:00.007-06:00

Meet Madeline
January is National Blood Donor Month
The American Red Cross needs to collect 22,000 units of blood each weekday and around 15,000 units each weekend to meet patient needs. Every two seconds, someone needs blood.
Will you help us?

Thinking of New Year’s resolutions? Resolve to give.

2011-12-29T14:59:00.014-06:00

This morning--like every morning--I flicked on the radio, let the shower run, and threw a pot of water on the stove for coffee. The radio hosts were talking about New Year’s. My mind was still groggy with sleep, but I think they were saying that crime rates tend to go up right before the turn of the year. “Perhaps it’s because they make New Years’ resolutions,” one said. “They vow to be better people, and they need to get in one last misdeed before the year ends.”

Naturally, I started thinking about my own resolutions for the coming year: be less wasteful, learn to play piano, drink less coffee, learn Spanish… I’m sure my list will differ slightly from yours, but some resolutions make our lists year after year. Among them are the desires to lose weight, learn something new, or spend time with family.

It’s no surprise that we resolve to make some of the same changes every year. Many studies show that big changes are hard to make, and old habits are hard to change, particularly when attempted all at once. When stressed, even small temptations are hard to resist--which must be why, after a long day at work, I end up elbow-deep in a bag of chips before remembering I had intended to go for a run.

Now, we’re not in any position to help you achieve many of your random resolutions, but the Red Cross can definitely help you with one that routinely makes the list: help someone else.

We’ve been helping people for 130 years. So you know that if you get involved with us, you’re sure to follow through on at least one resolution.

So, help us help others. You can...

Volunteer as a disaster responder, teach about health and safety, or help out behind-the scenes. Our volunteers enjoy the satisfaction of helping others every single day.

Donate to make the work we do possible. It’s an easy, guaranteed way to help families struck by disaster. We respond to 3 to 4 home fires a day, and even $25 will buy five blankets for a family left out in the cold when they suffer such a tragedy.

If you simply don’t have the time to volunteer, or the cash to help out, give blood. The one pint of you donate can save up to three lives--that’s just a few minutes out of your day to check “Help someone else” off your list of resolutions… three times! Find a drive near you.

But, what about helping yourself? Make it a resolution to be prepared in case disaster strikes you or your family. Maybe you’ve resolved to learn something new? How about a class on CPR or first aid?

Make sure your resolution doesn’t show up on next year’s list. This year, join Fred, and resolve to give.

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

Chicago Rallies Hope for Heroes

2011-12-01T12:36:00.025-06:00

Created with flickr slideshow.

Outside the main entrance to the North Kedzie Armory, a gathering buzz of anticipation travelled through the crowd. Guys in swarthy coats at the outskirts took a break from the chatter to cast an anxious glance at the door every couple of minutes. Guys near the entrance inched up the stairs to snare a glimpse through the windows. The formation soon swelled the sidewalk and seeped into the flanks of the building. Some of them had been there for two or three hours already; a tightly wrapped man on a wheelchair named Zellmore had come at 3 in the morning. He wanted to make sure he got in early so all the good stuff would still be there.

It was the day before Veteran’s Day and the bone sinking chill of the night before still clung to the air surrounding the Armory. Inside, volunteers were stacking the sweatpants, long johns, coats, and t-shirts that would be distributed to the 700 some veterans that will shuffle through the vast drill floor before the day was over.

Jesse Brown VA Hospital nurse Aldridge Locke was monitoring the unpacking of the supplies. He explained that this was the second Stand Down of the year for Chicago’s population of homeless veterans and the only one that will carry them through for the winter. The term “Stand Down” originated from the battlefield: it refers to the moment of respite taken by soldiers in the midst of combat. Since its first staging in 1988, the Stand Down has taken that principle of recharging to the home front, mobilizing local communities to reach out directly to the over 75,000 veterans of the United States Armed Forces who are homeless.

The operation has gathered momentum across the country over the past two decades. The November 10th event was a collaboration of 12 different agencies operating under the umbrella of the Chicago Veterans Economics Development Council.

On top of stocking up for the winter, the Stand Down also served as a hub for local organizations and programs focused on veteran needs to raise awareness about the critical financial, psychological, and legal challenges to getting homeless vets off the streets.

Some organizations, like Catholic Charities and Community Housing & Development (CHAD), assist veterans with finding homes and employment. The two issues interlock in a vicious cycle: losing a job is the largest risk to homelessness and incarceration among veterans, and having a record or being homeless is the biggest hurdle to getting a job. Think of all the upstart costs required before you can even begin to look for a job: an address, a permanent phone number—not to mention funds for reliable transportation to go hunt down applications and attend interviews.

Many of the people staffing the stands were veterans themselves. Don, a social worker at the Veteran Justice Outreach stand was in the Army and spoke of the stigma often associated with asking for help amongst a group of people who had been trained to be “self-sufficient, for safety and for survival.” He believes that by “offering the face of a vet to a vet,” veterans in need can talk about the difficulties they face to someone who can relate to the unique pressures that can isolate them from civilian life.

Others, like Matt, who works in Disaster Response at the Red Cross, have family members who were veterans. With a father who served in the first Iraqi War, Matt has a special appreciation for the measure of sacrifice given by soldiers. He points to the “stereotypical image of the homeless vet” that populates civilian perceptions about the kind of people gathered here today, preventing them from “see[ing] past the gruff because they deserve way better.” He said he was heartened by the sight of the 250 some volunteers who came out to help at the Stand Down.

At midday, volunteers, veterans and a couple of active duty service members from the Armory mingle over a lunch of barbecue chicken and ribs inside the canteen. Zellmore was pleased with the haircut he had gotten at the barber stand and compares a sweater he had gotten in his bag with his neighbor. At the table next to him, George, a large, spirited army vet expressed hope between mouthfuls of blueberry ice cream that he can use the money he gets from CHAD to move to Savannah. “It’s warm outside over there,” he grinned, “it’ll be a new beginning for me.”

Written by: Christine Li

Make Your Identity Fireproof

2011-11-28T10:51:00.007-06:00

Nobody was home on Friday when the fire broke out in the first floor bedroom. By the time Patricia and LaToya got back home, the fire department had already come and gone. The entire inside of their house was black from the ashes and dank from the layer of watery mucus streaked with boot prints covering the floor. The bedroom ceiling had been gutted and light from the exposed gash provided the only source of light on the piles of splintered wood and overturned furniture now mangled into unrecognizable heaps.

Patricia and LaToya were still reeling from the shock of what had happened to their home when volunteers from the Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) arrived on scene. The group walked through the sisters’ West 61st Street home, taking in the extent of the wreckage in silence. Patricia’s two children, a 14 year-old daughter and a 13 year-old son, were at school-- thank goodness for that at least-- but where were their medical cards? To assess how the Red Cross was going to help her family, the volunteers needed to verify who lived inside the house. All Patricia could find was the trunk where the children's medical cards were located—and they weren’t in there now. Angela, a social work intern on the Disaster Action Team, tried to calm her down and told Patricia the Red Cross will give her time to retrieve copies of any documents she needed. Halfway through the interview, Patricia was finally able to locate her medical cards.

The fire in Patricia’s home probably started spontaneously from faulty electrical wiring--there was no way anyone could have predicted what would happen as they left the house on that fateful morning. By the time the family got back, things were so chaotic, physically and mentally, that the simple act of piecing together a coherent picture of life before the fire became fraught with anxiety. Witnessing Patricia’s stress while trying to account for the identity of her children popped all sorts of questions about the safety of my own records at home: Sure, I kept this letter in the yellow folder in that drawer--but would I be able to find it if that room got wrecked? Would there even be anything left to find?

Suddenly I realized how vulnerable we all are to losing our identity. How even more critical those bits of cards and paper become in the immediate aftermath of an attack on our homes. It was a stroke of good luck that nobody was inside when the fire broke out in Patricia’s house, but it also meant that trying to regroup in the wake of all that destruction became that much harder. The last thing you want to worry about when your house lays tattered before you is trying to prove you actually live there. That’s why Angela counsels carrying some documentation verifying your home address at all times. An old bill or a cancelled check tucked into the back of a wallet could turn out to be the small sliver of relief amidst a day of loss and disorientation.

Written by: Christine Li

Disaster Response: Helping Families Recover from Unexpected Disaster

2011-11-21T15:36:00.007-06:00

Doreetha, her husband, and four of their five children were at home Saturday night, sleeping in the living room of their house after staying up late to watch a movie together. Though sleeping in the living room was not what the family normally did, it was late, so Doreetha let them stay. Plus, she had a strange sense that, maybe, they should stay put in that part of the house that night.

They were jolted awake early the next morning by the sound of a huge explosion and shattering glass from the windows on the south side of their house. They looked outside and saw that the house next door was collapsed. Their instincts told them that they had to get out as soon as possible, and by the time they collected coats and shoes, the fire had engulfed their front door. The family had to escape out the front window.

Outside in the street, other neighbors ran out of their houses to see what had happened. Since the house was near Midway airport, several thought at first that a plane had crashed. The house was basically gone, due to a gas explosion, and the two on the sides--Dreetha’s and the other house to the South--were on fire. Rudy, a neighbor from across the street, saw one of the occupants of the destroyed house running away, his clothes smoldering. He urged him to lie down until help came. Seeing that the house on the south side was also on fire, Rudy ran to assist the older woman who lived there in getting out of her house.

I was volunteering for the Sunday morning shift for the American Red Cross as a Disaster Action Team responder. These volunteers go to fires, floods, and other disasters to assist victims in meeting their immediate needs after a disaster. I got a call early Sunday morning from the dispatch center to respond to the fire. I was asked to respond to what sounded like a large fire on the south side of Chicago, alongside Lily, another response volunteer.

On arriving at the scene, smoke was still in the air but the fires had been extinguished. The investigation and recovery process had begun. One of the neighbors told me that an hour earlier it looked like a war zone, with the charred, smoking remains of the exploded house. Firefighters were fighting the high flames of two house fires on either side of it, made worse by the high winds. Emergency vehicles and personnel were rushing in and out, and the smoke was so heavy it was hard to see anything.

Conversations with the police, firemen and the local precinct captain, Barbara, helped Lily and I determine how many people had been affected and where they were. Three households had been displaced. The occupants of the exploded house and the older woman from the adjacent house on the South side had been taken to local hospitals. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The precinct captain assisted us by coordinating with a nearby senior center to provide a meeting room for us to meet with Doreetha and her family, who were still on the scene.

Throughout the day we communicated with the Red Cross office, to keep the staff and administration apprised of the situation should any additional assistance or response be needed. Peg, the volunteer nurse on call that day, worked on assessing specific medical needs of clients throughout the day.

Lily and I spoke with Doreetha and her family in the senior center. They felt blessed that they were all safe, but they now turned their thoughts to recovery. She had no access to her house since it was severely damaged and deemed unsafe to enter. She had no idea how much of her belongings might be salvageable, and was worried about finding shelter for a large family such as theirs. “Who would take all of us?” she said, almost more to herself than to us, shaking her head.

Not only are immediate needs a worry, but a fire can also affect plans for the future. Doreetha had just started designing and making clothing items to sell, and all her materials were in the burned house. Most recently, with the start of football season she had been making hooded blankets/capes with colors of the local football team to sell. She doubted whether any of it survived. Her daughter, who is studying art, worried about whether her portfolio had survived. “She is president of her school art club,” Doreetha said proudly.

We talked with Doreetha and her family about what had happened, and gradually helped put together the beginnings of a recovery plan. The Red Cross assisted Doreetha and her family with food, clothing, shelter, care kits, and stuffed animals for the younger children. She and her family were very grateful for the assistance the Red Cross gave, and I’m glad to have been a part of assisting in this family’s recovery and the others displaced by the fire that day.

Written by: Judy Gustafson, Disaster Response Volunteer

Read about the disaster here: http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/133766658.html#ixzz1db5zVQPW

Thanks to all the volunteers who regularly take the time to respond to disasters like this.

Who Needs a Reason to Donate Blood?

2011-11-14T16:34:00.006-06:00

Alright, I’ll come clean: I’ve never given blood. I know, I know. I’m interning for the Red Cross and I’ve never donated blood. “That’s pretty pathetic,” someone said to me at the blood drive I attended last Tuesday, sponsored by Tribeca Flashpoint Academy and the Burnham Center in the Loop.

The truth is, I’ve always made excuses: “I’m afraid of needles,” or “My blood type is AB+, I’m a universal receiver, nobody wants my blood,” or even “I didn’t eat a good breakfast.”

Sitting in a chair next to the check-in desk, I chatted with donors waiting their turn. Most of them were students between classes. Nothing out of the ordinary. “Is this your first time giving blood?” I asked, and “Why are you donating today?” I was expecting some extraordinary stories. Someone who almost died because they needed blood. Some life-changing epiphany due to an outstanding circumstance. I was expecting to meet someone and to think, Now THAT’s a reason to donate blood!

I met a man who’d been diagnosed with skin cancer a year or so ago. I’d found it, the inspired person I was looking for, the life-altering experience. Yet, as I talked to him, I found out he’d donated tens of times before the surgery that cut out his misbehaving skin cells, and his only disappointment? For a year afterwards, he couldn’t give blood.

When I asked the other donors their reasons for donating, each and every one gave me a funny look--as if no question were ever more absurd--and shrugged. “I guess I just like to,” they’d say, or “I just heard about it, and figured I’d do something good.” I nodded my head.

I started fidgeting in my seat. I began feeling ashamed for having never donated. These people didn’t need some extraordinary accident to happen for them to give blood--they just did it because they wanted to, because it’s good.

In fact, I met quite a few people who couldn’t even count the number of times they’d donated. It was like asking the number of times they’d stubbed a toe, or bought someone coffee. Many had first donated for a blood drive at their high school, and continued to do so whenever they could afterwards.

I was so concentrated on finding an extraordinary story that I missed the thing right in front of me: the extraordinary part about giving blood is the totally ordinary nature of it.

After a few of these short conversations, I set to convincing myself that at the end of the day, I would climb out from under my shame, take a deep breath, and donate. The fear of a little old needle shouldn’t hinder me from possibly saving someone’s life. I started feeling pretty good about it.

A man in a tie came in, trench-coat draped over his arm. A little voice in the back of my head wondered: What’s the 1% doing here? He looked out of place amid all these students, but he didn’t seem to care. I asked my repertoire of questions, and he told me that he hadn’t been able to donate for the last year. He’d been on a cruise, and his boat stopped temporarily at Port-au-Prince in Haiti. Because of those few hours in a malaria-stricken area, he had to wait a year before donating again to ensure his blood was safe.

And here, my hopes fell.

Three months ago, I returned from West Africa, where malaria is rampant. What a shame, I thought: blood supplies are low this year, and the Red Cross is encouraging people to donate over the holiday season. But I’m marking next August on my calendar--I’ll find a drive nearby, and I’ll happily give up a pint of blood.

Find out your eligibility to donate blood here. To search for a blood drive near you, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation. For more information on giving blood, check out http://www.redcrossblood.org/.

When was the last time you gave blood?

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

It's Never Too Late to Learn CPR

2011-10-31T13:59:00.004-05:00

When I first learned CPR, it wasn’t for anything special. It was for a job. I wanted to spend my summer outside, wear sunglasses, get the occasional glimpse of a girl my age in a swimsuit. I wanted my summer to be more like an 80s movie than work. I applied to be a lifeguard.

The CPR hardly seemed important. It was just a hoop I had to jump through to make my summer vacation ideal. Of course, I got lucky—I never had to perform CPR on a real person. That’s what I dreaded every morning when I woke up. That, and the more likely issue of having to get in the frigid water before the pool even opened for business.

I like to think I was ready if an accident did happen, but I never thought about the possibility that someone close to me would need emergency treatment.

Nancy, however, learned CPR for that very reason. I met her at a Red Cross First Aid and CPR class a few weeks ago. Even in her sixties, she’s beaming with more life than anyone in the class. I can imagine her reading a children’s book aloud to a captivated audience of little kids, or crossing the street with them, hand-in-hand—so it’s no surprise when she tells me she runs a day care. It’s no stretch of the imagination to think that she shows the same compassion for her husband, Ernest, or anyone else for that matter. Through large gold-rimmed glasses, she tells me about herself, and when she laughs, her whole body laughs with her.

After Ernest’s third heart attack, Nancy thought it was time she learned to respond in case tragedy struck again. She’s grateful that Ernest has made it this far, and she’s not leaving it up to chance anymore. She’s already lost too many people close to her.

When Nancy was 16, she fell in love with a young man named Robert, who she soon married. When he was 40, Robert was diagnosed with diabetes, and few years later, he suffered a heart attack. He made it to the hospital in time for the medical professionals to save him, but a few days later, complications from the diabetes took his life.

Nancy later remarried, to Willie. He had an enlarged heart, and at 44 he suffered a cardiac arrest that happened so quickly the ambulance didn’t even make it to the house in time to save him.

Several years later, Nancy met Ernest, and married him soon after. He’s 72 now, and he’s had three heart attacks and three heart surgeries. The most recent attack started with some chest pain. Ernest knew after the first two that this was a bad sign, and he headed straight for Metro South Medical Center. While sitting in the patient room, speaking to a nurse, Ernest collapsed—flat-lined. The staff responded immediately, and brought his heartbeat back. But that was too close for Nancy. She vowed to learn CPR in case an emergency like this happens again.

I spoke to Nancy again a few days after the class. When I called, I could hear the bustle of children at “Nancy’s Day Care” in the background. I imagined her there on the phone, still beaming—kids frolicking around her Chicago home, maybe one on her lap. She said that every morning now she wakes up and practices the CPR and First Aid she learned. She wants to be prepared in case one of these kids needs emergency care, too.

To find a CPR and First Aid class in your area, visit http://www.redcross.org/en/takeaclass.

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

Frayed Wires Cause Fires

2011-10-24T14:10:00.010-05:00

Yamina and Amira stayed home from school last Wednesday with a shared case of pink-eye. Chiquita, their guardian, was at work when the two girls smelled smoke coming up through the vents, and heard the alarms blaring. They ran downstairs and started pounding on the door.
Chiquita rents the second-floor apartment from an elderly woman who lives downstairs with her son and caretaker Jerry. He was taking a midday nap, but the smoke alarms, and perhaps the girls pounding on the door, jolted him awake.

With the overwhelming stench, Jerry knew this wasn’t a false alarm. He swung open the basement door, and smoke poured out as if from a chimney. He couldn’t see a thing, and in the split second before dialing 9-1-1, Jerry mourned the probable death of the three pet turtles he kept in an aquarium downstairs.

The fire department appeared in seconds, and after putting the fire out, they showed Jerry where it all started: the downstairs refrigerator was plugged in to an extension cord, and when it sparked, the surrounding woodwork shot up in flames.

“It was plugged in like that for 50 years,” Jerry said. “I had no idea it was a problem.” The firefighters explained to Jerry that large appliances like refrigerators must be grounded—plugged into a three-prong outlet or power strip—and that electrical cords should be checked routinely, and replaced if frayed. Electrical fires are one of the leading causes of home fires. The U.S. Fire Administration provides tips for preventing these fires.

Jerry was down about the destruction caused by the fire, though he was glad that most of his and his mothers’ possessions were only tainted with the smell of smoke. “We’ve got 50 years’ worth of stuff down there,” he said. He still wore a smile, though: all three turtles survived.

Volunteers from the Red Cross were able to provide food and shelter to the people affected by this fire. Home fires are so commonplace that they often go unnoticed by the media, but they happen 2 to 3 times a day, every day in Chicagoland.

Make sure to inspect your home for fire hazards, and be active in preventing them. See the USFA page on home fire prevention, and our page on fire safety. The Red Cross offers a fire prevention program, Team Firestopper, which provides education and fire prevention activities in communities that are disproportionately affected by home fires. Team Firestopper volunteers conduct home hazard hunts to identify issues like this one before they cause destruction. For information about volunteering with Team Firestopper or to sign up for a visit to your home, go to http://bit.ly/al25l7.

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

Windy Welcome

2011-10-20T14:46:00.006-05:00

The first impression Chicago made on this native Californian was on the flight here five years ago. Sitting next to me was one of those sweet, gentle-mannered ladies that reminded everyone of their favorite aunt or grandmother so you soon find yourself helplessly babbling on about your plans for the big city under the warm, fuzzy embrace of that empathetic glow. Just as we were about to part ways before the gate, said lady put a firm hand on my arm and looked into my eyes with all apparent seriousness as she warned: “just remember to put some rocks in your pocket before you go out in the winter. You’re so tiny!”

Well…that was bizarre…so I had filed the remark away as a strand of kookiness buried under all those layers of Midwestern charm—until one day that first winter I was trotting down the street and suddenly knew I had to come to a full stop and rebalance my weight, just so, you know, the gust wouldn’t sweep me away.

While I still couldn’t quite bring myself to pad up on the rocks, there are a couple of other things I learned to do to stay on my feet to adjust to the real possibility of hurricanes or almost hurricanes—as the storms we experienced over the last two days apparently were. The Red Cross has step-by-step Before, During, After, and Recovery action guidelines to help you make sure you and your loved ones stay safe and up to date. Know the difference between a Hurricane Watch and a Hurricane Warning. Download this handy checklist to post on the fridge.

Prolonged power outages are another effect of violent weather conditions that can be buffered with some simple preparation. Check out the Red Cross’s page on what to stock up when you’re in the dark and how to check in on how friends and family are doing in the aftermath of a disaster.

Written by: Christine Li

Starting Over: Former Red Cross Intern Shares his Recovery Story

2011-10-17T16:01:00.001-05:00

Last Christmas, Zach Zimmerman, a former Red Cross intern, found himself in a similar position as the families he helped during his time here. His family was victim to a home fire sparked by a space heater. Now, 10 months later, Zach reflects on the process of recovery and how his experience at the Red Cross helped him get through the hard times.

It has been a long road for Zach’s family from the day the fire occurred to when his house was finally rebuilt. The weeks following the fire and Zach’s first encounter with his childhood home were particularly difficult, “Walking through the house, I'd see things from my childhood that were extremely sentimental and the remains of what my mom had worked so hard to create for us: a home.”

Eventually, his family regained hope that they could successfully pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives. “As new hardwood floors went in, debris and glass was taken out of the yard and a fresh coat of paint was applied, I found myself excited to move back in,” Zach said. “This fire helped me put a myriad of things into perspective. Things are really just things, and nothing comes to being more important than your family.”

Zach stressed the importance of a strong support system when going through a traumatic experience. Family and friends can be the rock you need for long term recovery. “Whether it’s helping you sort through the rubble, or simply taking you out for a much needed day of fun, your family and friends are the best healing doctors in the world.”

As Red Cross interns, we are able to accompany teams when they respond to actual home fires that occur in the greater Chicago region to help communicate with the families and see them through the disaster. Zach and I have both been on the scene while families cope with disaster. When I asked how his time at the Red Cross helped him recover he said, “With the experience seeing others deal with the devastation of a fire under my belt, talking to my family about the fire was easier for me. I knew what they needed to hear, and I also knew how to help them realize the positives in the situation.”

It is crucial to get a kit, make a plan, and be informed. Through this disaster, Zach and his family learned the importance of being prepared first hand. “We have created an emergency evacuation plan to be prepared if something like this ever happens again. It's critical that everyone knows what to do in a situation like that. Being prepared can only benefit you, so take the time to make sure you're ready to act when a disaster happens.”

The American Red Cross offers immediate support after a disaster, but long term recovery is equally important. For more on Zach’s experience, read his blog post.

Written by: Katie Donabedian

What’s your number?

2011-10-12T11:37:00.016-05:00

"Have you ever been asked 'What's your number?' or, better yet, 'What's your friend's number?'
In this tech-dependent culture, you may not know even your best friend's digits off the top of your head these days. I know I don't. Here we are in the midst of a Blackberry outage and have I saved my phone numbers somewhere on hard copy in case I can’t access them on my phone? Nope.
To admit this may render me a public disgrace to my employer (the Red Cross), but shamefully it’s true. I have a preparedness kit in my home, office and car and I’m trained in CPR and first aid but haven't backed up all the contact information on my phone. I haven’t taken this one simple step that could really make a difference if something unexpected happens. I talk to my sister in Michigan at least once a day but could I tell you her phone number if I needed to? Umm, sadly no I could not. She has an Indiana area code for some reason and that's about all I know...
Today I pledge to do one thing and that’s to print off my contacts in case I need them. I may even go a few steps further and save them to a zip drive and email them to myself so they live online too…
Read about more easy things you can do to save yourself a headache in a disaster or something as simple as a smart phone outage.

Martha Carlos is the Communications Director at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. She's hoping this shameful public confession will spur her on to(finally) do the right thing.

Patient Connection: Connecting Families to their Runners at the Chicago Marathon

2011-10-10T16:25:00.009-05:00

Red Cross volunteers are buzzing around the medical tents at the Chicago Marathon. In the biggest tent, like a scene from M.A.S.H., rows of injured and exhausted runners recover in temporary cots from the previous twenty-six mile test. Spectators converge on Red Cross booths, desperately seeking their loved ones, fearing they’ve been injured or rushed to a hospital. The volunteers work with the Patient Connection program of Red Cross—set up to respond to mass disasters when they occur.

45,000 runners participated in the Chicago Marathon this year. With this many people pushing their bodies as far as they can go, you can imagine that quite a few drop out from exhaustion or injury. Even those who finish may not be capable of making it further than one of the cots in a medical tent. In cases like these, mothers and sons easily lose each other in the confusion. A woman might hear that her sister was injured, but has no idea where in this massive city she could be. That’s why Red Cross is here.

A man with his son approaches a volunteer at one of the tents. He's heard that his wife, a runner, was being held in a medical tent, but can’t find her. “They said she might be sent to the emergency room!” he says. The volunteer takes down the runner’s name and checks the runner’s location in a computer system, which shows the exact tent and cot number where the woman is. She tells the man his wife has been found, and she's being treated by the marathon’s team of trained medics. In 45 minutes, she’s on her feet and reunited with her family.

Volunteers on site enter the names of runners being sought by families into a computer system. Back at the Chicago Red Cross headquarters, Carol Mosley is on a computer in her office, with the “sought” list up on her screen, busily switching between websites, cross-checking the list with hospital admittances, tracking participants as they run, speaking to families on the phone. If a runner is admitted to the hospital, Carol contacts the person seeking them, and lets them know where to find their runner. Without this system in place, family members would be separated—they may find out that their runner has been hospitalized, but have no idea to which of the Chicago area hospitals they’ve been admitted.

The Chicago Marathon is a great opportunity for the Red Cross team to test out their ability to respond to large disasters where many people are hurt. Granted, we won’t get prior warning of a stadium collapse, or a train derailment, but the marathon gives volunteers an opportunity to implement their disaster response skills, and it’s reassuring to know that the systems in place have been put to the test. In the event of disaster, the primary concern is making sure loved ones are safe—Red Cross is here to help.

For more information on the Patient Connection program, visit:

http://www.chicagoredcross.org/general_calltoaction.asp?SN=247&OP=327&IDCapitulo=vf223fbdfd

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

We’ll miss you, Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T15:30:00.006-05:00

The topic of today’s elevator conversation is certainly, in most offices, the passing of Steve Jobs. We’re likely to see an article from every major news organization on the man’s life and vision, on his passion to change the world. There’s no denying his importance. In the late 1970s, when the energetic entrepreneur was first getting started, only a select few people understood the capacity of computers to change everything about our daily lives.

In his life of work, Jobs worked relentlessly to bridge the gap between human and machine—to make machines make our lives not just easier, but more interactive and more accessible. Thanks to one of his many infamous creations, the iPhone, we can look up restaurants or directions from just about anywhere. We can skype friends and family across the globe, far from a computer. We can get instant, up-to-date facts to resolve any bar dispute—from how many coins you can have and still not change a dollar, to who had the lowest E.R.A. in 1988, or the status of your neighbor’s relationship with that guy from the gym.

Of course, there are plenty of legitimately helpful uses for the iPhone as well. Let’s say, for example, disaster strikes. Who knows in what form—a flood, an earthquake, a tornado. You might lose your home, and need desperately to find a shelter. Well, there’s an app for that, too.

Or, if for some reason you don’t like the iPhone (we’re “don’t ask, don’t tell” on smart phone preference), there are some great apps for Android phones as well. Get an emergency first-aid & treatment guide to manage almost any medical emergency—useful to medical professionals from anywhere, even offline—or let Dr. Oz guide you through an emergency situation.

None of this would have been possible without Steve Jobs’ unique vision for changing the world. His work in developing the personal computer from a pipe dream to a device we carry in our pocket has allowed medical and emergency workers to perform their jobs quicker and more effectively. Computer systems now allow health care professionals to communicate patient information electronically, and every day we see new developments, things that will become essential to treatment and to emergency care. Jobs may have passed away, but his robust vision of change will not soon fade. Just see our blog post from two weeks ago: technology has become an integral part of health and emergency care, an integral part of nearly every facet of our lives, and we have few people to thank more than Steve Jobs.

Written by: Jonathan Bressler

Did you see Contagion and did it freak you out?

2011-10-03T10:26:00.009-05:00

Doctors say that spread of a pandemic type virus in the movie Contagion has a kernel of truth. We aren’t trying to freak you out or scare you into bathing in vats of germ sanitizer but it’s something we should probably think about-especially when we all know flu season is coming to schools, daycares and offices near us. Below is an excerpt from story from USA Today on the subject and some of our thoughts on it.

Contagion has already has brought in more than $44 million at the box office in its two-week run. USA Today chatted with doctors and pharmacists who spend their days thinking, and sometimes experiencing, real-life worst-case scenarios when it comes to deadly epidemics. Contagion shows a world where the people who keep civilization together — police, firefighters, sanitation workers, supermarket clerks — are either sick, dead or at home with their families while garbage piles up, buildings burn unchecked, and gun-toting thieves ransack the suburbs for food.

The story goes onto say that it happened to a much lesser extent in Toronto during the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, which killed 44 people in Canada. "Support staff didn't figure their jobs were important," says Tom Kirsch, a doctor of emergency medicine and co-director of Johns Hopkins' University's Center for Refugee and Disaster Response, Baltimore. His center has been thinking hard about what he calls the "willingness to respond."

Tom Kirsch is also a member of the American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council. The American Red Cross recommends taking simple precautions like hand washing to avoid the spread of any type of flu. Here are some tips that we recommend on this matter including prevention, symptoms and how to care for others with the flu and if you have little ones, we have a super cute free anti-germ program for kids 4 to 7 called Scrubby Bear.

Related link
Spike Lee (a different one, not that one)talks how hand washing cleanses your mind

Reporting a Robbery via Facebook. Strange News?

2011-09-26T14:50:00.004-05:00

The Associated Press reported today that a woman used Facebook to ask friends to report a robbery.

I love reading the news, not just the regular stuff but the water-cooler-conversation inducing fodder too. I was looking for a mindless diversion, something like this, “Pumpkin Found Hanging in Pear Tree” when I clocked on the “strange news” link in my e-mail this morning.

Today’s story hit a little closer to home, it was about a woman who used Facebook to ask for help after a robbery. Maybe it’s because I work where I do and stories about “tweeting for help” have become commonplace for us at the Red Cross but I think this is actually pretty common. We even did a recent study “Social Media in Disasters” that backs this up. It showed that about half of the respondents said they would consider asking for help during a disaster or to report a crime via social media channels; 3 out of 4 of those would expect help to arrive within an hour.
Would you turn to social media for help in a disaster or emergency? Have you already done so? Tell me your story.

Martha Carlos is the Communications Director at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago

AmeriCorps Volunteers Help Carry Out Lifesaving Mission of the Red Cross

2011-09-23T10:37:00.006-05:00

AmeriCorps has been a long time partner of the American Red Cross that helps the Red Cross achieve it’s mission by paying special attention to the neighborhoods and communities that are in need of life saving services, but are least likely to be able to afford them. This federal initiative is carried out locally by full and part-time participants that focus on a mission that is quite similar to that of the Red Cross. AmeriCorps embraces:

•Getting Things Done by helping a community meets its education, public safety, environmental and other human needs through direct service
•Strengthening Communities by fighting illiteracy, building affordable housing and helping communities respond to disaster
•Encouraging Responsibility by fostering civic engagement through service and volunteering
•Expanding Opportunity by providing members with job skills, invaluable experience, and scholarship or loan repayment for school or job training

Members go through an extensive training process to provide service to society through community organizations. This week, I had the opportunity to meet new members of the AmeriCorps program that were in CPR training at the Rauner Center, the offices of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. Talking with Chris Schifeling and Anne Bowlby gave me a better understanding of their role within the Red Cross.

Chris spent two years working with Teach for America and wanted to continue to have “direct contact with communities in need.” The values of the American Red Cross and the politically neutral aspect of our mission statement stood out to him. He is looking forward to helping communities in Chicago that do not receive assistance and has truly enjoyed getting to know the other AmeriCorps members during his training.

Anne is very aligned with the service aspect of AmeriCorps and the Red Cross. Prior to her training at the Chicago Red Cross, her only experience with the Red Cross was through blood donations. She believes in the “trickle down effect” that important training programs from the Red Cross can have on communities, and encourages those who are looking to do service to “lend a hand wherever you can.” She knows that the practical implication of skills learned from AmeriCorps and the Red Cross will help her “give back to [her] community.”

AmeriCorps members are invaluable in our attempt to enact the mission of the Red Cross. The AmeriCorps program is dedicated to bringing Red Cross safety and health programs to underserved neighborhoods, schools and communities throughout the State of Illinois. AmeriCorps members help us with health and safety programs that include CPR, first aid, HIV/AIDS awareness, community disaster education, youth programs and more. Through our partnership with AmeriCorps, the Red Cross is able to reach youth, minorities, low-income communities and senior citizens.

Get involved in the life saving mission of the Red Cross and AmeriCorps and make a positive impact in the community you live in. Visit www.chicagoredcross.org to sign up for classes, view safety tips or to make a donation.

Children’s Playroom Reduced to Ash: Early Detection of Smoke Could Save Your Home and Lives

2011-09-16T16:50:00.003-05:00

The first thing Michael Green heard wasn’t a smoke alarm; it was his daughter Jasmine rushing downstairs to tell him her room was full of smoke. Faulty wiring started the fire, which slowly filled the walls with smoke while Jasmine and her friend played with toys.

“I’m still in shock, but I knew I had to keep my cool and do what was best for my family,” said Michael as he wiped away sweat from his forehead with a paper towel.

As soon as Michael realized there was a fire upstairs, he rushed both children outside, where he could now see flames climbing up the walls of his house. Michael called 9-1-1 and cut off the power, but it was too late to save the second floor of his recently-remodeled home.

By the time the American Red Cross arrived, the entire upstairs was in ruins. Toys, videogames and DVDs were covered with ash, and the family’s new puppy wandered around sniffing at the charred remains. Jasmine’s bedroom had holes ripped out of the walls and ceiling; even her Mickey Mouse pillows were smeared with soot.

Michael’s wife Adrianne sat with Jasmine in silence, both of them dripping in sweat from the boiling heat. Adrianne’s face was like stone as she sat in shock, holding her daughter by her side. Adrianne received a call at work and rushed home to find half her home had been scorched by fire. Her hands shook as she accepted a bottle of water from Michelle, a Red Cross disaster relief worker. Michelle explained to Adrianne how the American Red Cross could help her family through this difficult time. Due to the severity of the fire the Red Cross would be able to provide the Green family with financial assistance, shelter, toiletries, clothing, food and water.

Sixty-five percent of fire related deaths happen in homes without working fire alarms. Smoke alarms provide a few minutes of advance warning in the event of a home fire, and that extra time can save lives. It is important for all homeowners to follow these safety tips:

•Install smoke alarms in every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
•Test fire alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
•Talk to all family members, especially children, about a fire escape plan.
•Practice the escape plan twice a year, if not more.

Michael and Adrianne were grateful that their family made it out safely, realizing how fortunate they were to only lose possessions. The American Red Cross of the Greater Chicago Region encourages every family to be prepared for fire disasters. More information about how to be prepared, including safety tips, are available on the Chicago Red Cross website http://www.blogger.com/www.chicagoredcross.org.

Written by: Joshua Enright Gleason

With Great Tailgating Comes Great Responsibility

2011-09-08T13:12:00.003-05:00

The NFL season is officially underway and Chicago fans are hopeful to get another shot at the NFC Championship. There’s hope for the Bears to finally reach the Super Bowl again for the first time since 1985, but most importantly, this new season means that tailgating has officially begun!

Anytime there’s a home game in Chicago, fans arrive at Soldier Field long before to take advantage of some of the best tailgating in the country. Tailgaters love to grill out and have some hot food to go along with their cold beverages on game day. It’s great to get out and support our team, but while celebrating it’s important to prepare and handle food properly to prevent food borne illness. The CDC estimates that food borne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago wants to make sure everyone enjoys the fun and excitement of NFL football safely by providing some food safety tips:

•Do not prepare food more than one day before tailgating unless it is to be frozen.
•Don’t cook food partially ahead of time. Partial cooking of food allows bacteria to survive and multiply.
•When packing your cooler, be sure raw meat and poultry are wrapped securely to prevent juices from contaminating ready-to-eat food.
•Transport cold foods in a cooler to minimize bacteria growth.
•Keep foods covered to prevent contamination by insects.
•If you can’t keep hot food hot during the drive to your tailgate, chill the food in the refrigerator before packing it in a cooler.
•Cook only the amount of food that will be eaten to avoid the challenge of keeping the leftovers at a safe temperature. (Also they won’t let you bring it in the stadium!)
•When you take food off the grill use a clean plate, and be sure not to put cooked food onto the same plate that once held raw meat.
•Include lots of clean utensils for preparing and serving.
•Bring water for cleaning if none will be available at the site. Pack wet disposable clothes, moist towelettes and paper towels for cleaning hands and surfaces.

When gearing up for Sunday’s game, remember to be Red Cross Ready and prevent food borne illness. You want to feel your best when watching Chicago play! For more safety tips on grilling, first aid or commuter safety when traveling to the stadium, visit chicagoredcross.org.

Remember to be prepared and… Go Bears!

Written by Joshua Enright Gleason

Photo Courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Staying Safe During Back to School Season

2011-09-06T10:38:00.008-05:00

As summer comes to an end and parents prepare their children for another school year, there are important topics to address aside from which school supplies and clothes to purchase. Discussing safe practices for back to school should be high on the list, and can make all the difference in determining your child’s well being. While the “when I was your age, I had to walk 4 miles, uphill, both ways, in the snow to get to school” joke may be out dated, many children still walk, bus, bike ride or car pool to and from school every day. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to imagine anything ever happening to their child, so it is wise to take precautions so accidents can be avoided.

The International Walk to School Month is an initiative to celebrate the benefits of walking and it’s only a month away. This means more children walking, rather than taking the bus, biking, or catching rides to and from school. No matter how your child commutes to school, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago offers safety tips and steps parents and children can take to make this back to school season safer.

Tips for Pedestrians
• Never walk alone – always travel with a buddy.
• Pay attention to all traffic signals and crossing guards along the way.
• Never cross the street against a stop light.
• Be cautious of who is around you – never talk to strangers.

Tips for Bike Riders
• Avoid ill-fitting clothing that could get caught in spokes, pedals or restrict movement.
• Wear reflective colors and material to be more visible to street traffic.
• Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
• Walk your bicycle across all intersections.

Tips for School Bus Riders
• Line up facing the bus, not along side it.
• Never reach under the school bus to get anything that has rolled or fallen beneath it. The bus driver may be sitting too high up to see you.
• After getting off the bus, move immediately onto the sidewalk and out of traffic. If there is no sidewalk, try to stay as far to the side of the road as possible.
• Wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street. Walk at least 10 steps away from the front of the bus so the driver can see you.

It is vital to sit down with your child to discuss safety tips for a stress-free commute to school. Knowing how to prevent unexpected emergencies is the first step in ensuring a great and successful school year. Check out the American Red Cross commuter safety tips for more information. Happy back to school!

Written by: Hannah Segall, Marketing and Communications Intern

Photo courtesy of Visual Photos

A New Generation of Philanthropists

2011-08-22T10:15:00.010-05:00

When eight year old Eden Juliette Macknin saw the devastation caused by the tornado that ravaged Joplin, Missouri on television, she wanted to do something to help. Eden’s father, David, described his daughter as a “very empathetic, sensitive kid, who has been captivated by the tornado damage and wildfires” and says that whenever she sees news of disasters like tornados and fires she asks “are the animals safe? Are the firefighters safe?”

After Eden learned about the destructive tornados in Joplin, she told her father that she wanted to raise money to help the people that had lost their homes and belongings. She brainstormed with her dad and came up with the idea of a lemonade stand. Eden had seen other children in the neighborhood with lemonade stands and thought she could give that a try, but she wanted to have a good location so people would see her stand. They drove around their Highland Park neighborhood looking for the ideal spot and decided on the bike and jogging path along Green Bay Road. David, eager to encourage his daughter’s philanthropic effort, suggested that they walk along the path and watch the people to get ideas for her lemonade stand. Eden quickly realized that most runners and bikers don’t carry money while they exercise so they would not be able to donate. Eden and her dad crafted a note asking for donations for the Red Cross and placed them in pre-addressed envelopes to distribute at their stand. She made a big sign that said that the lemonade was free if a donation was made to the Red Cross for tornado relief.

When the big day arrived, Eden had her stand ready with lemonade, water and a stack of the donation envelopes. She was encouraged by all the people who stopped and commented at what a good thing she was doing to help others. A few days later, envelopes started arriving in the mail. Eden was able to raise more than $100 dollars for the Spring Storms relief effort with her lemonade stand, but more importantly, she learned that one person can make a difference in the lives of others.

This is not the first time that Eden has displayed a passion for helping others, and certainly won’t be the last. Her father says that she always gives her own money in the collection box at their Synagogue and that she aspires to be a teacher when she grows up. No matter what career she chooses, we hope that she will continue to support the mission and values of the American Red Cross.

Written by Heidi Schwartz and Blair Janis

Stand Down 2011

2011-08-15T13:55:00.006-05:00

Coming into my summer internship with the Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, I had an idea of the type of work I’d be doing, but I didn’t realize the impact it would have on others. Three months later, I am very aware of how much the American Red Cross helps our servicemen, women, veterans, and their families. From assisting them before, during, and after deployments to delivering coffee, toiletries, and clothing to the Jesse Brown and Hines VA Hospitals. We also attend various military and community events informing families of the Red Cross services that are available to them, such as our emergency communication service that helps connect families in the U.S. to their loved ones servicing overseas. The Red Cross is always there.

Having the opportunity to work with, and learn from, the members and families of the armed forces, the staff at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, the volunteers and employees of the local VA Hospitals, and other service organizations is such a blessing. They are kind, selfless, passionate, fun group of individuals who inspire me with their work everyday.

All of the events and projects I worked on have been interesting and worthwhile, the most memorable was Stand Down 2011. This event for homeless and low-income veterans was an extremely satisfying, eye-opening, and fun three days. It began with setting up in General Jones Armory, which required sweeping, mopping, setting up tables, and sorting through the clothing, food, and donated items. On day one over 700 veterans came to register, that is when I understood the importance of our pre-event preparations. Day two included free eye and medical exams, haircuts, legal, housing, and job assistance. The Red Cross also provided attendees with two hot meals, live music, and most of all a sense of camaraderie. On day three, after breakfast had been served, we handed out huge bags of supplies, which included brand new boots, shirts, socks, underwear, toiletries, bagged lunches etc. The level of appreciation and smiles on their faces was so gratifying, and I will look forward to volunteering at this event again.

While interacting with veterans and families at Stand Down and other deployment events is exciting and rewarding, there is also a lot of behind the scenes work that the Manager of Operations Support, Erin Counihan, does to be able to provide the support of the Red Cross. Many tasks have to be performed before the event, but the most challenging for me was SAF casework. Calling families that had suffered a loss or had emergencies was difficult, but when they genuinely thanked me for being a part of a network that was able to get their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or sister home from war in a time of need, I realized the importance of the SAF program. Our current and passed service men and women and their families have made so many sacrifices for our freedom, and being able to help them in their time of need and show them our appreciation is truly a gift.

Written by: Jodie Lieffring

Building Hope in Haiti

2011-08-04T10:54:00.010-05:00

In the midst of great tragedy and suffering caused by the 7.0 earthquake last year, which killed an estimated 230,000 men, women and children in Haiti, it seems impossible that one year later progress has been made. The American Red Cross employees, volunteers and generous donors are meeting the needs of communities and lifting spirits of the Haitian people. Gail McGovern, American Red Cross CEO, has traveled to Haiti many times since the devastating earthquake. On her most recent visit to Port-au-Prince, she describes seeing “people who are hopeful, optimistic and resilient.”

Typically, the Red Cross focuses solely on providing immediate relief when disasters like the earthquake in Haiti occur. Immediate relief comes in the form of Disaster Services workers distributing food, clothing, medication and supplies to victims and coordinating shelter for people affected by the tragedy. In this circumstance, the Red Cross has established a long term relationship with communities and organizations in Haiti for the benefit of the people.

The American Red Cross has worked in Haiti since 2004 responding to disasters ranging from major hurricanes to small floods, and following the earthquake worked to build on the foundation of programs that existed. In the past year, an incredible amount of work has been done to improve the disaster management strategies in place and the health of Haitians.

The Red Cross mission statement discusses the importance of relieving the suffering of individuals, focuses on guiding response actions by the needs of the people and specifies giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress. Gail McGovern saw firsthand the plethora of opportunities for the American Red Cross to truly embody the mission statement of the national organization. She insists that “building permanent communities will be harder, and it will take longer. It will involve not just the homes themselves, but a whole series of interconnected services, from water and sanitation to roads. We’re talking about a massive urban renewal program that’s going to take years to complete.” The process will be lengthy, but focusing on five key facets of rebuilding will empower the people of Haiti (emergency & long term housing, health, water & sanitation, disaster preparation, disaster risk reduction & livelihood).

Many Haitians found themselves either displaced or hosting displaced relatives or friends, which put enormous stress on already scarce resources. To maximize the impact of donations, the American Red Cross partnered with Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institute, to expand their existing programs to support over 220,000 people mostly women heads of households like Odette Mednard. She is a dressmaker and the owner of a small food shop attached to her home. Odette’s house was damaged and she lost much of her store’s inventory in the quake, but this partnership allowed Odette and others to restart their small businesses. Thanks to the American Red Cross, Odette and thousands of other Fonkoze clients have received financial assistance. Odette’s house was damaged and she lost much of her store’s inventory in the quake, but today her business is growing.

Be a part of our efforts to rebuild Haiti by by making a donation. Learn more about our work in Haiti by viewing the Haiti Earthquake Response Progress Report.

Written by Blair Janis

Want to Save Lives? Give Blood.

2011-08-01T11:19:00.006-05:00

Blood is everywhere. Blood is the central theme for our favorite shows, war video games and horror movies. We are not a squeamish nation. The sight of blood doesn’t have us searching for our fainting salts or produces nightmares. Five movies of SAW is proof of our sturdy constitution. The American Red Cross like the rest of the nation is partial to the sight of large supplies of blood. We like to have our blood bank overflowing with healthy and viable blood that is ready to save lives. Currently, the American Red Cross is experiencing a shortage of blood donations, which poses a challenge when demand for blood remains steady.

One pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Only 3% of Americans donate blood. The following reasons may help inspire you to give blood:

• Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.
• More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
• More than 1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Many of
them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
• A total of 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
(2006).
• A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 pints of blood.
• The blood used in an emergency is already on the shelves before the event
occurs.
• Sickle cell disease affects more than 80,000 people in the U.S., 98 percent of
whom are African American. Sickle cell patients can require frequent blood
transfusions throughout their lives.

Join the 3% of the population and help save lives. Give Blood.

To find a local blood drive, visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/
Visit http://www.youtube.com/user/AmRedCross for more videos like Brian's Story

Memories Linger

2011-07-25T11:49:00.007-05:00

Pictures. There is nothing I have found to be more precious to people than documented memories of adventures, weddings, vacations, birthdays, and various special occasions. When a fire engulfs a home these little treasures can be lost forever. On a drizzling day in Chicago, the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” rang true for me.

One Friday morning the disaster response team and I strapped on our American Red Cross vests and arrived at the home of Omar, a young soft spoken father of two. The fire, which had started and was contained to the attic, had been put out by the firemen. While the fire marshals secured the premises, the Red Cross provided comfort to the family and listened to their story.

“I saw the fire; I grabbed and carried my granddaughters out of the home. In just a couple of minutes the firemen came, I did not call them a man driving down the street stopped his car and called the firemen,” stated Omar’s mom.

Omar said, “I saw the firemen and I ran to the house to make sure that my mom and daughters where ok. Thankfully my mom had grabbed the girls and got out of the house as soon as she saw the fire.”

After speaking to Omar and his mom, the fire marshal let the family and the Red Cross know that it was safe to enter the home and asses the damage from the fire. This was my first time going into a home along with the family. When Omar and his family first saw the fire damage their expression turned from shock to that of sadness and loss, and left me breathless. The flames had scorched the entire content of the attic. The main floor was in disarray and flooding rapidly from the ventilation holes that the firemen created on the roof.

As I walked through the flooded home, I saw pictures lining the walls of the living room, dining room and bedrooms. I gazed upon Omar’s family photos as they silently told me the story of their life. I became a part of their birthday celebrations, graduations, family cook-outs, weddings and quinceañeras. I began to feel their sadness and their loss and I connected with the family on a deeper level. Now I view a fires aftermath with new eyes and this has strengthened my commitment to the Red Cross mission.

Pictures tell us so much about a person and a family. They showcase their essence and allow us to share in their memories and life. Omar and his family were happy to see that these treasures where not damaged by the fire and expressed their gratitude to the Red Cross for helping.

Today, with a single click, you can join a movement on Facebook to honor those who aren’t so lucky.

Visit every80seconds.com and get a glimpse of what it’s like to lose your most precious memories. At the end of your visit, all of your photos will be fully recovered. Make a donation for every photo you can’t imagine life without.

Prepare Your Kids to Stay Afloat

2011-07-18T11:36:00.011-05:00

“When that summer sun starts beatin' down
And you don't know what to do
Grab your swimming trunks
Ice up that old igloo
Drive until the map turns blue”

-Brad Paisley

As an avid fan of live music, I always strive to learn the words to new songs before I see my favorite artists perform. Brad Paisley stops by Chicago in August and I will be especially proud to sing every line of his new single, “Water.”

While listening to my favorite country artist croon about fun times near the water, I think about the great memories I have of spending hours at the local pool with childhood friends. Even though I have grown out of my floaties, I still enjoy swimming now. Just like Brad’s song, “Water,” when the “summer sun starts beatin’ down” I have been “driv[ing] until the map turns blue” to get to the pool or beach during warm summer days. At the beach this summer I have seen a lot of close calls where lifeguards stepped in at just the right moment to prevent accidents, so I reached out to a good friend to learn about how to stay safe in and around water.

Barbara Nichols became Red Cross Certified in lifeguarding in 2005 because, as a child, she admired her cousins for working hard to protect patrons at the aquatic center in her hometown. She is currently head lifeguard at her local pool, a position that she has held for 5 years. In her years of service, she has seen firsthand that children who are introduced to swimming by their parents are more open to taking swimming lessons and are less afraid of the water.

Barbara says that the most important thing parents can do is be proactive about their children’s safety. She recommends that parents “take safety precautions and follow facility rules” to set a good example for their kids.

Barbara stresses that “it’s important to just enter the water safely and stay in areas where you are comfortable swimming.”

Make your own memories this summer by enjoying warm weather swimming and aquatic activities with just a few helpful hints in mind from an experienced lifeguard.

Barbara and the Red Cross offer a few extra tips to make the most out of your time in the water:

• Use and reapply sunscreen liberally.
• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.
• Cover all cuts and scrapes properly before entering the water.
• Avoid alcohol consumption as it impairs judgment, balance and coordination, and affects swimming and diving skills.
• If you go boating, wear a life jacket! Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
• Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone. Even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach, use the buddy system!
• Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.

The best way to prevent disaster in the water is to learn how to swim. Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses. Young children or inexperienced swimmers should wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket around water. Lifejackets are one type of Personal Floatation Devices (PFD) and can vary depending on weight and size. Further instructions about the proper use of PFD’s can be found here.

If you are interested in learning more about water safety and lifesaving like Barbara, Lifeguarding courses and Red Cross Certification programs are offered at local aquatic facilities.
To find courses contact your local Red Cross Chapter.

Be Red Cross Ready.

Written by Blair Janis

Red Cross Presents Kid Safety Zone

2011-07-11T11:09:00.011-05:00

Check out the video below:

"What are some road safety rules?” asked Katie, an AmeriCorps Safe Family Member. “Wear a helmet, make sure you have a night light on your bike, and stay on the right side of the road,” yelled a student. Wow these students really know a lot about road safety. From hearing that first kid’s response at the Kids Safety Zone showed me I would be shocked more about what other students already knew.

I knew the load of information Red Cross AmeriCorps Safe Family members were going to share that day would never be forgotten.

As we pulled up to the elementary school with the AmeriCorps team and I walked through the halls, we entered into a room that the team set up for kindergarteners through sixth graders. The team was setting up five different stations for the AmeriCorps service project: Kids Safety Zone.

Having the group of kids rotate to each station, I knew it would be interesting to watch. AmeriCorps set up stations so all the kids could get a hands-on interactive experience and learn helpful information all at once. From 9a.m. to 2:15p.m. the students’ excitement and thrill to learn more never faded away.
Students waved their hands frantically to answer a question or to volunteer in acting out a scenario. They bounced from table to table and interacted the entire seven minutes they had at each station. I tried to figure out how learning could be so fun and then a light bulb clicked in my head: interact and engage the students and you cannot go wrong with teaching.

The five stations the students rotated to throughout the day were healthy living, stranger danger, first aid for you, road safety, and home safety. At the “health living” station one of the members discussed having a proper diet, knowing the proper techniques for chocking, and what it means to wash your hands thoroughly. The members at the “stranger danger” station taught how you should communicate with strangers (what to say and what not to say). At the “first aid for you” station how to control bleeding, what’s an emergency, calling 911, and an emergency action plan was taught. At the “road safety” station the AmeriCorps team member talked about how one stays safe when riding a bike or walking. The last station was about how to stay safe in your own home based on having fire alarms and avoiding dangerous fires in the house with electrical appliances and outlets.

Overall the students enjoyed themselves with the interactive stations. They were able to interact and learn about safety and healthy tips. AmeriCorps members also took a lot from teaching a wide age range of students because the members had to change how they presented the information every time groups rotated. Before each class left the room the teachers were given FACT (First Aid for Children Today) booklets to pass out to their students.

This event also showed me that elementary students will take away a lot from what they learn if you make it engaging and relate the activities to them so they can make connections of what they’re learning.

To learn more about the Red Cross AmeriCorps program or to join the team visit this link: http://bit.ly/nG0ydw.

Story and Video Written By: Rachel Moten

Hindsight is 20/20

2011-07-05T13:53:00.020-05:00

I could still smell the smoke. It lingered in my hair and clothes as the CTA train came to a stop at my station. A June breeze swept through the opening doors making the smell more apparent, a reminder of the day’s events. I never imagined when I locked my apartment door and left for work that beautiful Wednesday morning that I would unlock it later that day feeling so appreciative.

That morning, I responded to my first home fire as an intern at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. When the Disaster Services response van pulled up to the scene, the neighborhood appeared charming and quiet. The van blocked my view of the affected home, so I stepped from behind it and saw the devastation. My heart stopped. The front door and window frames were strewn across the front lawn. In the back yard, a young family stood staring up at their home, as calm as could be.

As I approached the mother, Nancy Buckles, she stepped forward to explain the morning’s events. At around 9:30, Nancy and her little daughter, Bella, went to the neighbor’s house for coffee. The persistent sound of a car horn from the street brought Nancy outside to see thick, heavy smoke hanging in the air surrounding her rented home on the south side of Chicago. Once we arrived at the scene, her husband John had returned from work and the emergency crews had left the scene.

Walking through the front door with the family, I saw where the fire began: a light fixture hanging by a damaged wire. Bad wiring caused the fire to start in the front hall and spread through the walls, completely consuming the rooms on the top floor of the house. Water poured from broken pipes in the ceiling flooding the floors. It was hard to believe that a few hours earlier this was someone’s living room, a safe haven. Bella ran up to her mother and asked why everything was burnt up. It was heartbreaking to see Nancy search for the right words to tell her daughter what had happened to all of her things.

Bella turned to me and said, “My fish made it out safe,” with a huge smile on her face. The family, including Bella’s fish, made it out unscathed. I could tell that this knowledge alone would see them through the disaster.

I walked down the hall to the stairwell and looked up. As I climbed, I noticed blue sky and sun shining through the wreckage where the roof used to be. The room at the top of the stairs held small pieces of evidence that this was a little girl’s bedroom. A small, broken purple chair, a tiny bed with princess sheets covered in ash and debris, and a pink story book were items that miraculously escaped the flames. As the Disaster Action Team provided the family with shelter, clothing and food, a fellow intern and I stood on the street with John taking in the scene in silence. I couldn’t imagine what the man standing next to me was feeling. After a few moments he broke the silence, “You know how they say hindsight is 20/20?” he asked. “All of the pieces are starting to come together. Some of the outlets didn’t work.”

His comment got me thinking. Hindsight really is 20/20, and regret is one of the worst possible emotions. You don’t want to look back and know you could have done something differently. A home fire can happen anywhere, at any time, to anyone. This is why it is so important to be Red Cross Ready. Everyone should Be Prepared by getting a kit, making a plan and taking a class to be ready in case a disaster occurs.

As I walked into my apartment that afternoon, it hit me. My home is where I come after a long day at work, where I feel safe and comfortable. A home is so much more than just walls or shelter, and losing something that meaningful is unimaginable.

To learn more visit: http://www.chicagoredcross.org/

Written by: Katie Donabedian

What's In A Name?

2011-06-29T12:27:00.010-05:00

We have seen the baby name books while waiting at the checkout line of our favorite grocery store, and are shocked to see that it is over a hundred pages. I can only imagine the struggle and parents’ indecisiveness of choosing a name that will embody this new life. I began to wonder if the process to name a hurricane is this intricate.

Growing up, I loved watching the weather report during hurricane season, I still do. I finally asked myself, why. Why would a girl from the Midwest, who has never been at risk of experiencing a hurricane, be so captivated by them? The odds are greater for me to be stranded by a blizzard, lose my home to a fire, tornado, or earthquake, than be in a hurricane. Nevertheless, hurricanes are the ones that capture my attention and keep me glued to my T.V. monitoring their most recent activity. Knowing their name brought them to life.

Who started to name them?

For hundreds of years, people from the West Indies named hurricanes after saints. They had a very simple approach to naming these untamable storms, a hurricane struck land, a calendar was pulled and consulted to find the day's saint and presto they had a hurricane name. Things started to get murky in the 1900’s, when people started to create a standard naming system for hurricanes. The first idea was to name them after their longitude-latitude position, but that failed for it made communication difficult. Throughout the years many have tried to devise their own naming systems but they all proved to have their drawbacks, until the World Meteorological Organization took control of the naming process.

The World Meteorological Organization, which is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, meets and draws up a list of names A-Z, excluding Q, U, X, Y, and Z, names starting with these letters are scarce. The WMO realized that hurricanes strike and are followed by many countries, so they expanded the list to contain names from the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch language. Like peoples’ names, hurricanes names are reused and recycled, unless one creates mass devastation, then the name is retired.

Curious to know if you share the name of an up-coming hurricane? I was. 2015 will be the year of Erika. It is not the exact spelling of my name, but I will take it. I am looking forward to see the changing personality of the hurricane that shares my name. Whether it will be temperamental or mellow, I hope that it is not destructive.

The Chicago land area may not be struck by a hurricane, but the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago dispatches volunteers to help those affected by hurricanes. When Hurricane Katrina unleashed her fury on Louisiana the Red Cross mobilized volunteers throughout the nation and provided disaster relief. Over 7,000 people affected by Hurricane Katrina sought refuge in Chicago and the Chicago Red Cross provided them with mental health services, food, and shelter. Hurricanes may not affect us directly, but their aftermath impacts us.

During this hurricane season listen to the weather reports and tract their dynamic personalities.

If you are planning to vacation to a location that is prone to hurricanes visit: http://www.redcross.org/. Be Prepared.

24 Hours of Passionate Service

2011-06-27T13:41:00.007-05:00

Once you get into the routine of working a 9-5 job, you may say that it’s not too bad. But what if you worked a job with an unset schedule where you’re on call on certain days, you don’t know what to expect and your job is never finished? You’d say that’s crazy, right? Well guess what—American Red Cross Disaster Service workers do this everyday. Talk about working a 24-hour job, and loving it.

This is the type of job where volunteers serve others because it’s their passion to help in devastating situations: being impacted by fires, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes. Red Cross does not see this as work but as a service rendered to the human population at the right moment.

Every 80 seconds there’s a home fire in the U.S. and on average, the Chicago Red Cross responds to three to four home fires per day in the Chicago land area. On Tuesday night a fire destroyed the entire side of an apartment and Chicago Red Cross saw the need to set up a shelter for the affected residents. The next day, I was able to get a glimpse of what the neighbors went through with the fire’s aftermath and what it’s like to serve people in need.

We arrived on the scene of where the apartment fire took place at 2:15 p.m. As we stepped out of the truck, I looked across the street to see how the building looked. It appeared that a couple of windows were shattered. The fire didn’t even touch the left side of the apartment complex, but the destruction on the right side took my breath away. What remained of the apartment rooms we looked in was rubble. The stairwell that spiraled down the outside of the building hung suspended in the air burnt to a crisp. I thought the inside apartment was devastating, but the back of the apartment and house is really where all the destruction took place. What used to be the garage no longer existed and the van still sat there but the insides were demolished.

Right then and there I began to see why the people had to evacuate the apartment building and the need for a Red Cross shelter. Not everyone in the apartment units was affected, but everyone was told to pack up and leave the premises. I will never forget the response I heard from one of the apartment residents, “There is no good or bad side to this situation when you have to leave your home.”

It wasn’t until I talked to some of the neighbors that the whole story began to make sense. Initially, the fire started in the garage and set the van that was in front of it on fire. After the van caught on fire the wind carried the flames to the pole that sat in between the house and apartment building. Once the fire traveled up the pole it spread to the apartment’s back porch where the staircase sat.

One of the stories I remembered was a resident saying he was cooking in his kitchen when he heard a loud boom, looked outside his window, and saw fire and smoke coming from the garage. All he could do was tell everyone in the house to get out. “We weren’t just worried about ourselves, but my friend and brother went to the garage and kicked the door in to make sure no one was in there,” said Steve Williams.

Immediately, I began to see the positive impact the Red Cross had on the community. In the 90 degree weather, Red Cross provided bottles of water, snacks and sandwiches, as well as providing information. Red Cross worker Cam C. Anton was on duty at the shelter and when guidance and comfort was needed, he was there to help.

Besides giving people food, drinks and shelter, they needed someone who would listen to them about their frustrations, sadness and fear. Red Cross helped fill the gap.

Red Cross volunteers who provide disaster relief are needed daily during national disasters. Their compassion and commitment to others develops overtime from serving those in their community. That’s what Red Cross did for these residents: provide a sense of hope that life will continue.

For more information about how to volunteer with Red Cross, click here.

Written By Rachel Moten

“Taste”ful Ways to be Safe at the World’s Largest Food Festival

2011-06-23T16:46:00.014-05:00

The long-awaited Taste of Chicago officially starts today at 11 a.m. and will run through July 3 in Grant Park. The “Taste”, as many refer to it, offers its’ guests a wide array of delicious cuisine from Chicago’s many dining establishments.

Countless people will make the venture to Grant Park to check out what this year’s Taste has in store. With various foods from hot chicken wings to zesty pizza bites, it will be near impossible to leave without your stomach bursting at the seams. It may be hard to imagine anything other than good times and great eats, but it is important to keep in mind that emergencies can still happen.

Here are a few situations to consider as you enjoy the Taste this year:

- Choking: Food or small objects can cause choking if they get caught in your throat and block your airway while you’re walking around and eating. Knowing how to perform CPR on adults, infants, and children under 12 can help you dislodge any foreign object if needed. Sign up for a Red Cross CPR class.

- Heat Exhaustion: Drink plenty of fluids! Avoid alcohol and caffeine, if possible, which can dehydrate the body. Be prepared for heat exhaustion by knowing how to prevent and treat the symptoms. Also, don’t forget to read our do’s and don’ts of heat wave safety.

- Commuter travel: Whether you are traveling via car, bus or train it is essential to be ready for an unexpected emergency. Planning is a crucial first step toward a calm and effective response. Read our commuter safety tips and plan ahead.

As you enjoy various musical acts and unlimited fare at the Taste of Chicago this week, remember to be informed and ready in case you experience a sudden crisis. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago offers a variety of First Aid/CPR/AED courses for adults, children and infants and safety tips that can help you prepare for any emergency this summer. Please visit http://www.chicagoredcross.org/ for more information.

Written by Hannah Segall, Marketing and Communications Intern

Photo by FreeFlighto46/Flickr

Timber: June Showers Topples Tree

2011-06-20T15:41:00.014-05:00

A severe thunderstorm touched the City of Chicago on the early hours of June 9, 2011. The sky was illuminated by the blue of lightning and the earth shook from the vibrations of the thunder. Many people in the Chicago area did not sleep for worry that their homes might flood.

Janice Davis, resident of Dolton, Ill., placed her mother Janet and grandchildren to sleep and closed her eyes for the night, flooding was not a concern. At 4 a.m. she was suddenly shaken awake by a loud bang. Janice ran quickly to her mother’s room for she feared lighting had struck the home. After making sure that her mother and children were safe, she peeked out the window and to her shock saw that the tree had split in half and was hanging from her roof.

The collapsed tree pulled the electric lines and cracked the foundation, leaving the home without electricity.

Janice stated, “Being without electricity and my mom, who suffers from seizure and needs a respiratory aid, scared me half to death.” Janice tried to call friends and family for help without success.

“Before you guys came, I did not know who was going to help us,” Janice told Red Cross responders. The Red Cross provided the family with the security of knowing that they would have a place to rest, plug in the respiratory aid, store medications, and think about taking their next step.

Janice and her family were caught unprepared and without a plan. During disastrous weather, expected or unexpected, it’s key to be prepared. The Red Cross urges families to make a kit that includes some the following:

• Water—at least a 3¬-day supply; one gallon per person per day
• Food—at least a 3-¬day supply of non-¬perishable, easy-¬to¬-prepare food
• Flashlight
• Battery-powered or hand¬-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
• Extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Medications (7¬-day supply) and medical items (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
• Multi¬purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items
• Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, deed/lease
to home, birth certificates, insurance policies)
• Cell phone with chargers
• Family and emergency contact information
• Extra cash
• Emergency blanket
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes

Next time the unexpected may occur to you. Be prepared make an emergency kit. For more information visit: chicagoredcross.org

Fires Destroy More than Material Possessions

2011-06-06T14:56:00.005-05:00

Just when Janet Clair thought things could not get worse, they did for her on Wednesday afternoon. She has just been laid off from her job and was struggling to care for her six children, when an accidental fire broke out in her home. Her youngest daughter got a hold of a lighter and set one of the bunk beds’ mattresses on fire. She was so scared that she shut the door and didn’t tell anyone. Janet and the two other siblings were taking a nap and awoke to smoke and fire alarms going off. By that time the house was so smoky all Janet could do was grab the kids and rush out the house.

What began as a relaxing day of rest turned into a day of misery, pain, and a nightmare for Janet and her household.

As a Red Cross intern arriving on the scene to my first fire, the house appeared fine from the outside. But to my surprise once I stepped inside that was not the case. A lot of the family members sitting on the couch had looks of disappointment on their faces about the damage the fire did to the house when we entered into the house. It was not until I begin to walk up the stairs that I inhaled the smell of smoke. The first floor of the house remained untouched by the fire, but the two rooms in the attic were destroyed. Holes in the room’s ceilings, shredded pieces of clothing on the floor, and both mattresses to the bunk beds were totally disintegrated.

Janet followed us into the room where the fire started and once the other Red Cross intern asked her a simple question, “How are you?” she broke out in tears explaining she that she didn’t know what her next move would be. That basic question is what triggered in my mind and heart what it means for a family to be a victim of a fire.

Fires have one sole purpose and that’s to burn and destroy. It does not decipher right from wrong, friend from foe, or loved ones from distant. I realized this fire not only destroyed the material possessions for this family, but it devastated their lives.

Janet and her family escaped the fire’s path but it left behind tears, pain, anger, and broken memories. This fire did not destroy everything for Janet, but it left her with a story to tell and more responsibilities to carry from that point on.

At that moment I began to think to myself money cannot buy everything it can only buy so much, but the soul is something money cannot fix permanently. However, the Red Cross appeared to Janet as her only saving hope for the future. Besides providing for her financially, the fact that we were there to listen showed Janet someone cares. That meant a lot to her more than I could ever understand.

Being there made me view Red Cross as a symbol of hope for the pain and misery that many face during a fire. Red Cross is seen as an outlet of hope for others to not just make it through that day but down the road.

CPR Can Save Lives: Be Prepared at All Times

2011-06-01T16:44:00.010-05:00

With temperatures rising and summer season around the corner more people are having heated-related illnesses. If you saw someone pass out at your workplace, in the mall, at dinner, or in a parking lot, would you come to their rescue? The better question is would you know what to do in a situation like this? It’s not just a matter of caring or having a heart to serve others, but the important part is being confident in knowing what you’re doing.

That’s why Tanya Corona-Garza, Rebecca Christy, and Courtney Shimenetto took a CPR/AED Adult and Child Plus class last week at the Chicago Red Cross Chapter. They wanted to walk out of the classroom confident they could save a person’s life if the emergency occurred. A majority of the people who attend these classes go because they need certification or recertification for their jobs, but they all have different professions: nanny, stay at home mother, consultant, student, etc. No matter what profession you hold, knowing how to be prepared for emergencies is important, especially when it involves learning how to save a life.

A quarter of a million people in Chicago take a CPR class that’s administered by the Red Cross. But only 5% of emergencies that occur are reported. The people who come to this CPR class, take it, so that they do not fall into the 5% category.

The Red Cross instructor stated that most people who get their training in this CPR class usually walk out confidently knowing they can save someone’s life. Those who are prepared have a better outcome in an emergency situation.

Upon completing the class, you’re certified for two years. I believe what helps so many people retain the information that they learn is through the interactive and hands-on assignments the instructors walk them through.

A brief overview of what is covered:
•Participants go through booklets and pamphlets
•Watch video series on the importance of CPR and demonstrations on what to do in different scenarios
•Go over the steps of having a kit, making a plan, and being informed when in the house and on the go
•Learned techniques of how to be protected when coming in contact with someone who’s bleeding
•Using a breathing barrier and plastic gloves to prevent disease transmission
•Recognizing and caring for cardiac emergencies
•Practice on mannequins for a child and adult on how to assist a conscious and unconscious person

Attending a CPR class can not only benefit you, but benefit others you encounter on a daily basis whether it’s a neighbor, relative, parent, or child. More than 300,000 deaths are caused by cardiac arrest in the U.S. So knowing what to do in case of an emergency can reduce the number of deaths. Emergency care is now coming to you at the palm of your hands through an American Red Cross app that we have designed with Dr. OZ.

To listen to the audio story along with photos, click on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8kP8ouQky4

Chicago Red Cross Staff Serves in Flood Disaster

2011-05-16T09:26:00.006-05:00

A week and a half of being on the clock 24-7, little sleep, helping distressed families, and observing what the widespread flood has damaged can sound stressful or even frightening to anyone. But Becky Streifler, a Chicago Red Cross staff member, looks forward to experiencing all of the above.

Becky feels compassionate about relieving families of stress through the mental health team in the Memphis, Tennessee flood.

“You never clock out and you are there to provide people with mental health support the whole time. As a mental health deployment team we have to be useful to ourselves or we can’t be useful to others,” said Becky.

When disaster-affected areas ask the Red Cross network for help, trained volunteers can be sent nationwide to aid those in need of help.

“When the American Red Cross is there, the community knows help has arrived,” said Becky.

She’s been deployed several times before to locations such as Greensburg, Kansas and Haiti as a mental health specialist. She is there to care for those who need comfort and reassurance that feelings of distress can be normal after a traumatic experience.

Of course Becky has her moments of being nervous like anyone else would, but what motivates to help is being there for the disaster victims. And that is rewarding enough for her.

Take a few minutes and check out Becky's video interview one day before she deployed.

If you would like to sign-up for volunteering at the American Red Cross, visit these links: volunteer and take a class . So the next time disaster strikes in your neighborhood or across the country, you will be ready to serve. One of the ways you can assist others down South is through taking a disaster service human resources class that the American Red Cross offers. Complete this class and you too can become a part of serving people who were affected by the flood.

Written by Rachel Moten

Photo from American Red Cross on Flickr

Staying Afloat

2011-05-12T13:25:00.001-05:00

Rescued boat at Montrose Harbor Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune

No doubt it’s been a heavy spring storm season for much of the United States. While those in the south continue to recover and prepare from the destruction in the past month, Chicago had its own close call last night.

There was the typical thunder boom and flash of lightning most of us saw, but what got one woman startled was the absence of her phone ringing. A Chicago resident, 48, had warned her husband, 62, of the violent weather to come later in the evening as he boated on Lake Michigan near Montrose Harbor. The panic set in when she went hours without hearing from him.

That gut feeling – wrenched stomach and unorganized thoughts – likely sent her into panic mode, the phase just before most of us stop short of taking action due to fear.

Instead of stopping short, she pushed though the paralyzing stage and became a hero.

After launching a speed boat with the help of two other boaters nearby, she found the capsized boat just half a mile from the coast along with her husband and two other men struggling in the water. Rescuing all four, she brought them to safety back at the harbor.

With the water between a chilling 30 to 40 degrees, the men were incredibly lucky to have survived after remaining in the cold for 45 minutes.

Summer is just around the corner and so is boating season. What happened last night can occur anytime, anywhere. Don’t let a Chicago favorite activity turn into the scare these residents went through. At the first sign of severe weather, get to safety. Make sure your water vehicle is stocked with personal floatation devices (PFDs) and take the time to learn CPR though one of our Red Cross classes, offered year-round. By reading our water safety tips, you’ll be prepared to push through the panic and become a hero yourself.

The Red Cross will be Honoring Our Own Mother this Weekend

2011-05-06T15:16:00.007-05:00

In case you happened to forget, this Sunday is Mother’s Day. While some will be taking their mothers out to brunch and showering them with flowers, we will be celebrating our own mother of the Red Cross: Clara Barton.

This year, it just so happens that Mother’s Day falls on World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. Every year, May 8th marks a time to honor Barton, who founded the American Red Cross while serving as a nurse in the Civil War. Tending to the wounded soldiers on the front lines, she became the president of the American Red Cross in 1881.

This day also marks the anniversary of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant, who was the first to appeal to political leaders of the necessary protection of the wounded and sick he witnessed at the Battle of Solferino in 1859. His persistence turned into the Geneva Conventions and the International Movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, serving every region of the world.

Dunant’s vision of an international organization and international treaties served as the building block for Barton’s motivation to protect

. She saw a need to keep the wounded in the midst of armed conflict safe, leading her to establish the American Red Cross. Both Clara and Henri’s passion can be seen in today’s work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Network, composed of the ICRC, the IFRC and 186 national societies.

As each of you carry on traits and memories of your own mother, we do the same. We carry on the legacy of educating the world on the importance of international humanitarian law (IHL) especially since one in five youth are unfamiliar with the rules of war . The Red Cross offers international virtual IHL classes you can attend, despite what country you live in. Schools across the nation can also incorporate Exploring Humanitarian Law (EHL) curriculum to educate students about human dignity.

While you thank your own mother for her hard work, love and dedication this Sunday, join us in celebrating the legacy of ours.

Next Virtual IHL Class: Wednesday, May 25th

Next EHL Teacher Training: Saturday, May 14th

Swept Away with Royal Wedding Fever

2011-04-27T15:20:00.018-05:00

Cancel that Friday morning appointment, because the wedding of the year is about to take place. That’s right, Prince William and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, will wed this Friday, April 29 at Westminster Abbey in London, England.

With royal weddings such a rare and special occasion, everyone seems to be going a little bananas about the Royal Wedding between the young couple, which is expected to draw thousands of onlookers in central London and television viewers around the globe. But can you blame us? Who doesn’t love a spectacular wedding full of extravagant hats and decor? With a guest list that includes huge names like Sir Elton John, Victoria & David Beckham, Guy Richie and various royal families from around continental Europe, it’s nearly impossible to escape the publicity of this stunning extravaganza.

Although I won’t be able to attend the special occasion due to… uh, scheduling conflicts… you can bet that I, along with thousands of others, will be sitting front row in our living rooms watching the extraordinary celebration take place. For many of the residents of London, they will have an opportunity to view the ceremony and procession at various landmarks, including Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square. This is where we, the Red Cross, come in.

In order to provide help and safety in case of any emergencies, large or small, during the ceremony, the British Red Cross emergency response teams are expected to scatter over 100 staff and volunteers throughout central London. Specifically, the British Red Cross will staff 80 first aid volunteers, 15 communications and equipment volunteers, 3 first aid posts in Parliament Square and 3 to 6 volunteers at the media village located in Green Park.

Adam Hiley, the British Red Cross emergency planning officer in London stated, “As this is a large scale public event, we have been planning and preparing for it for the past three weeks now. We are deploying equipment and teams for first aid cover to ensure that well-wishers and tourists gathering in central London can be attended to in the event of any emergencies.”

We hope that assistance from the British Red Cross won’t be needed during the ceremony this Friday. However, just as the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, the British Red Cross is always ready to prevent, prepare and respond to emergencies, whether big or small. So go ahead and pour yourself that bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats and take a sigh of relief in front of your television Friday morning, knowing that our good friends from the British Red Cross will be around to help this historic and exciting celebration go forth with safety.

Make sure to check out some of the exciting local Royal Wedding events right here in Chicago.

David Roth is an intern at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. He is currently a junior at DePaul Univeristy and dreams of gracing the cover of US Weekly.

Photo from Flickr: Royal-News

Earthquake Ready?

2011-04-26T15:11:00.010-05:00

Photo by: Carola Solís / Chilean Red Cross

On December 1998 for approximately 15 seconds it seemed that I was in the center of the world. I was 13 years old when I experienced my first earthquake while on vacation with family in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo in Mexico. I had just finished swimming the beach and was ready to head to dinner at a local restaurant. I decided to walk-out of the house before the rest of my family watch the fireflies. As I started my descent down the stairs I felt a slight shaking. Standing alone at the center of the staircase the vibrations of the earthshaking escalated slowly from the soles of my feet to the top of my hair. All thoughts vanished as time stopped, all I could feel was the gentle shaking beneath and the warmth of the air filling my lungs.

Since I was born and raised in Chicago, I was never educated on earthquake preparedness in school or at home. There is a misconception among people that an earthquake will not strike the Midwestern part of United States. We get tornados, blizzards, thunderstorms, and flooding but not earthquakes. However, the probability that an earthquake will strike is higher than we expect.

Reality set in on April 18, 2008 when a 5.2 earthquake hit West Salem, Illinois. The shaking was felt in the Chicago land area. It was said to be one of the strongest earthquakes to hit this part of the country in 40 years. Those that felt the shaking in the early hours of the morning shared their experience through calls to radio stations and friends, but as the shock wore off, so did talk about earthquake preparedness.

On January 12, 2010 we watched as a 7.0 earthquake devastated the island nation of Haiti. A year later we once again bared witness as a magnitude 9.0 earthquake hit the western coast of Japan causing a Tsunami. People around the world were able to see the true impact that an earthquake can inflict on a country and its people. Seeing the images of the search for the missing and hearing the stories of those who had been rescued, awaken within us our survivor instincts. We started to ask ourselves whether we were prepared for an earthquake or any catastrophic natural disaster.

Can a devastating earthquake the size of Haiti or Japan, strike the Midwestern United States?

It can. The Midwest is on one of the largest fault lines in the United States, called the New Madrid fault. The New Madrid Fault extends through northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri, western Tennessee and Kentucky, and southern Illinois. According to USGS the probability of an earthquake of magnitude 7 or higher is of 7-10% and of magnitude 6.0 or larger is of 25-40%. With the potentiality of an earthquake striking, the Heartland of America taking measures to increase preparedness is essential for damage control and to lessen the impact on people.

To prepare people for earthquakes, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago has joined The Greater Central United States Shake-Out initiative. The Shake-Out which will take place April 28, 2011 at 10:15 CDT, it is a large earthquake drill where people will practice to DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! The purpose of The Greater Central United States Shake-Out is to inspire communities to get ready for earthquakes, and to prevent disasters from becoming catastrophes.

Here at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago we will be practicing DROP, COVER, AND HOLD ON! These simple three steps can increase the probability of surviving and recovering from an earthquake.

Join us on April 28th 2011 at 10:15, register for free at www.shakeout.org/centralus and pledge your family, school, business, or organization’s participation in the drill. Registered participants will receive information on how to plan their drill and how to create a dialogue with others about earthquake preparedness.

During an earthquake remember:

• DROP to the ground (before the earthquake drops you!)
• Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table
• HOLD ON to the table until the shaking stops.

For more information on Earthquake Preparedness visit chicagoredcross.org

The Red Cross is a Blessing to this Family

2011-04-21T16:27:00.006-05:00

Photo by Daniel Cima

Tough times often get tougher before they can get better. To help the thousands of people affected by the severe storms in the South this past week, the Red Cross has set up several shelters to provide relief in the form of temporary housing. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago deployed two of our own local volunteers to Raleigh, North Carolina to help provide assistance. Below is the story of how one family is enduring the disaster aftermath.

The following story was written by Allen Crabtree, American Red Cross disaster relief worker.

Gilda Brisbon and her family know what it’s like to be homeless, but when they moved into their home in the King Charles Road neighborhood in Raleigh, North Carolina three years ago they thought that those days were behind them. However, on Saturday, April 16, everything changed when their home was destroyed by a class EF1 tornado and they lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

“My daughter Brittany was home alone when it hit,” said Brisbon. “I had heard the warning sirens and was hurrying to get home. I looked at my watch and it was 3:31pm when I saw the black funnel cloud coming right at me.” She took refuge in a nearby friend’s house with her grandson Anthony, struggling to keep the door closed against the storm.

Daughter Brittany saw the lights flicker on and off, felt the house shake and heard the sounds of the storm and a large tree in their yard being uprooted. She took refuge in the laundry room, fortunately suffering only minor cuts and bruises as the tornado demolished all but the kitchen and the laundry room. “It rained very hard for about five or ten minutes, and then everything got quiet,” she said. “I ran from the house to find my mother, and had to climb under and over many trees that were knocked down.” She added “the houses on either side of ours were untouched, but ours was destroyed! That’s just not fair!”

The Brisbon’s stayed Saturday night and Sunday at the nearby house of their friend, Latesha Winston and her two children. The power was out in the entire neighborhood, however, so when they heard that there was an American Red Cross shelter open at the Garner United Methodist Church in Garner, NC, they all took refuge there.

Red Cross Shelter Manager Judy Cox said that many of the families staying at the shelter have similar stories. They have lost power, some have had their homes destroyed, and all are extremely grateful for the Red Cross help in their time of trial.

“This is the first time that we have ever stayed at a Red Cross shelter, but we know about homeless shelters from the 93 days we were without a place to call home,” Brisbon said. “Your shelter here is so much nicer than that other place where we stayed, and all of your people are so kind to us and treat us wonderfully. The Red Cross is really a blessing, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Brisbon and her family are not sure what they will do next. Their home has been condemned and they must now find a new place to live, but they have been through tough times before and are positive that they will make it through this challenge that life has thrown at them.

Not a Typical Tuesday

2011-04-19T16:50:00.008-05:00

Image courtesy Chicago Tribune, unedited video screencapture

Every morning I make the decision of taking either the brown or red line. But today, it was neither. At 9:30 this morning, none of my fellow Fullerton commuters were going anywhere for a while.

There’s a pattern when uncertainty strikes: confusion, anxiety, panic, frustration.
Just because I am a Red Crosser doesn’t mean I am always calm and collected (in fact, I am certain I would have been more at ease had I carried a Red Cross Safety Tube).

In attempt to ease confusion, straining my ears to listen to both the muffled announcements from the CTA and surrounding crowds got me nowhere. I turned to the classic default of a public relations person: Twitter. Nothing yet- so I knew it was a fresh incident. Second public relations default: ears. A girl next to me said her friend had heard of a derailment. But that was it. Checking Twitter again, there it was- “Brown line derailed. Major CTA delays going south.”

Slowly, the information poured in. Upon learning the accident was just a few hundred feet north of us, crowds became eager to find a way to get where they were going.

A strange thing happens when disasters strike. We’ve seen it with Haiti and Japan, but not everyone gets to witness the intimate local bonds when everyday disasters happen.

Though I wasn’t directly on the scene of this disaster as Red Cross personnel, I still felt the energy of our mission to respond. After spending 30 minutes waiting on one of the many motionless trains affected by the delay, I (like any true city-paced Chicagoan) was getting restless. As CTA passengers, we all had the same goal: just get where we wanted to go. But how we did it was a bit remarkable. Deferring to a Red Cross commuter safety tip -- Learn alternate routes and ways to get where you need to go -- I followed suit. All in the same situation, people began to pile with strangers into cabs to help each other reach their destinations efficiently. I was one of them.

Uncertainty is part of the culture in working in the disaster response field, but the comfort in that is the part that proceeds the “un-”. There will always be help. There will always be a way.

“We’re always there.”

At the Scene of a Home Fire

2011-04-15T15:31:00.007-05:00

Almost everyday Chicagoans hear about a house fire in the news. It’s something that happens so often and impacts so few at a time that we tend not to give it too much attention. It’s disregarded as “another fire somewhere in the city”, but the story looks very different if you experience it personally. It’s not numbers you look at then, it’s the faces. And knowing that you’re standing in someone’s burned up home makes the fire very real and extremely scary.

Last week, I was on scene with Red Cross responders at a fire on Chicago’s south side. The blaze started at 1:30 p.m. in a two story home which housed a family of four. Within minutes, the flames got completely out of hand and swallowed up the entire structure. Three of the residents were not at home at the time, but unfortunately, the one person who was there, was trapped on the first floor bedroom. The firefighters soon came to his rescue and dragged him out, but not before he received serious burns and had inhaled a lot of the smoke.

When I arrived with the Red Cross disaster volunteer team, the house and the family were in a mess. The mother, Catalina, was desperately trying to salvage some items from the char ridden house. One of her sons, Marcelo, was in the hospital with serious injuries, and her other son, Jose, was pacing around the place with an expression of complete daze and confusion. The frame of the house was still standing but everything else was in ruins. There were big holes in the ceiling and the floors. The windows were out and all the furniture was badly burned.

The Red Cross volunteers sat the family down in their van, helped calm them down, listened to their story and comforted them as best as they could. They also provided them with assistance for food, shelter and clothing.

The immediate security that your donations provide to the victims of a fire help them recover from the shock of the incident, and gives them a warm and safe place to stay and collect their thoughts. Every little bit counts-ask someone who’s been through a fire.

Keep yourself and your family safe from fires- click here for some fire safety tips.

Written by Maliha Sadiq

Hometown Heroes

2011-04-11T14:05:00.012-05:00

Working with the Red Cross, we constantly hear amazing stories of generosity. Sometimes, we hear stories that take generosity to a whole new level, whether they are related to donations, rescues, service or anything in between. Last Week, ABC Good Morning America published a story about a live kidney donation that was made possible through the wonders of one of our favorite social medias: Facebook.

When Jeff and Roxy Kurze found out that Jeff’s kidneys were failing, their world was shook. Hearing the bad news that it would take approximately five years for Jeff to receive an appropriate kidney, Roxy turned to social media. By simply posting a facebook status asking anyone to forward her information on live donors with type O blood, Roxy and Jeff received the miracle they had been desperately hoping for.

Fortunately for us at the Red Cross, we get the opportunity to publicly thank individuals who have made life changing differences in the lives of others. In fact, we have the honor of recognizing everyday local heroes once a year at our annual Heroes Breakfast, which is being held on April 14. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is honoring 18 heroes in 11 categories. One of which, is also a live kidney donor from Evanston, IL.

After hearing from his favorite cashier at the local Jewel Osco that her kidney was failing, Dan Coyne, a school social worker, offered his matching kidney to Myra de la Vega. The two did not know each other very well, but Dan felt compelled to help. The procedure took place last spring and Myra and Dan have since become family.

Along with Dan, we have an amazing group of individuals who have all done heroic acts over the past year. We have heroes ranging from military mothers, a World War II nurse, fire fighters to even a teenager who by the age of fifteen has already made an impact to many children living with epilepsy. Take a moment to learn more about each of our local heroes.

Guest blogs from (Red Cross) dogs

2011-04-06T15:39:00.009-05:00

By Sanford Carlos
About me
Likes-peanut butter treats, short walks (prefer to be inside sitting on a warm lap)
Dislikes-having my teeth brushed

So we love each other alot, right? Would you help me if I needed you? Do you know how?

April is Pet First Aid month and the perfect time to talk about my somewhat sorted past. I’ve had a torn ACL that required surgery, eaten a rubber ball that blocked my digestive system and more. All pretty common stuff in the life of a 5-year old dog but still scary for my owners/parents/humans, take your pick on what you’d like to call them but they take care of me. I’m just glad they knew what to do when I was sick because they took an American Red Cross pet CPR/first aid class and could recognize when I was hurting.

Here’s a recent video about the classes (it shows the really cute pet manikins used for the training). The classes teaches how to recognize when your pet is in distress, how a two-liter bottle can save your pet’s life (hint: it makes the whole mouth to snout thing easier), how to do a simple splint, help a dog who is choking and more.

Here’s the page www.chicagoredcross.org/petsafety on all things pet safety (including a pet safety disaster checklist)Oh and this study from the LA Times shows most pet owners would perform CPR on their pet.

So would you take the course? Have you ever been in a situation when you wished you had? Comments from people and pets accepted.

Sanford Carlos’ human companion works at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago.

Life Happens, Learn CPR

2011-03-25T16:22:00.020-05:00

You enter your favorite French bistro with your friends on a Saturday night and are quickly seated at a quaint table right next to a window with a fabulous view of Chicago nightlife. Your waitress pours you a glass of water and gives you a few minutes to look at the menu while she runs to the back room to find your group a bottle of wine. Your best friend cracks a joke about the man across the room that looks like George Clooney and everyone at the table bursts out laughing. All of sudden, a man at the table next to yours collapses head first into his walnut salad. Everyone in the restaurant realizes that the man needs help but no one is trained in CPR. Your table watches in horror, unable to assist in anyway but to flag down a waiter and call 9-1-1. Later, you learn that the man did not survive.

Many may think that the probability of something like this occurring is relatively unlikely, but it was a reality for Nicholas Swain. While catering an event, a man collapsed and died before the ambulance was able to get to the location which was only a couple of blocks away from a hospital. Nicholas and his coworkers from Blue Plate, a catering company, decided to take the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago CPR course to be prepared for this type of incident.

CPR and First Aid are life saving skills that everyone young or old should have, because emergency incidents can occur at any time. On March 19th the Red Cross’s Save-A-Life event offered free CPR and First Aid classes throughout the nation. The event was in honor of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords who was shot in the head during a congressional rally in Tucson, Arizona. After the initial hit, her intern Daniel Hernandez provided first aid assistance and saved her life.

On Save-A-Life Saturday more than 11,000 individuals were trained. Like Nicholas and his colleagues, they also realized the importance of being prepared.

Nicholas and the catering staff come into contact with a variety of people and the probability of an incident where the use of CPR for emergency assistance is high. When working in the hospitality industry being able to perform CPR and the Heimlich maneuver can safe a life. According to a report conducted by the Center for Disease Control in the U.S. 60% of choking in children ages 0-14 was related to food. Food related choking incidents can occur anywhere from the home to a restaurant. It is important for restaurant, catering, and other hospitality industry staff to be able to perform procedures such as the Heimlich to prevent choking.

Being prepared can save lives, whether it is from learning how to prevent a fire to rescue support through CPR, the key is to be prepared. We encourage everyone to take a CPR class and to visit the prepared section on our website chicagoredcross.org .

Take action and learn CPR like Nicholas, his co-workers at Blue Plate, and the 11,000people who dedicated their time on Save-A-Life Saturday. Next time a person starts choking or collapses it may be up to you to save their life. Be ready. Be prepared.

Written By: Lauren Snyder and Erica Serna

Relief for the Rising Sun

2011-03-15T08:06:00.007-05:00

Before the American Red Cross rose out of bed last Friday, devastation in Japan had already broken loose. The sun wasn’t even up as I flipped on the news to see bold red headlines and images of people clinging to the remnants of what used to be their own homes swept away by waves and swallowed by cracks in the earth.

I knew it was going to be a challenging day for the Red Cross -- a day of perseverance.

We are not alone in anything we do. Just as we stand by victims’ sides for comfort, we have our own partners who we rely on for support despite any daily event.

One of our most trusted partners in times like these, Threadless, never fails to utilize its talent to do good. It was only a matter of hours before we got word the original T-shirt company would donate 100% of proceeds to Japanese relief efforts and honor those affected by including their memory in a design for hope. They literally rose to the challenge faster than we would see Friday’s sun set.

By voting for your favorite t-shirt online featuring Japan, you can help directly, and look pretty cool wearing the winning design at the same time, too.

Just as we stand by Japan in times of crisis and hardship, can you stand to rise in times of relief? We promise it comes in your size.

Written by Katie Wilkes

Home Fires Destroy Memories Every 80 Seconds

2011-03-07T23:43:00.047-06:00

The American Red Cross responds to fires more than any other disaster. More than hurricanes. Earthquakes. Tornadoes. Fires occur in the United States every 80 seconds.

In Chicago, disaster volunteers are called to home fires about three to four times a day on a normal day. They arrive on scene oftentimes while firefighters are still there, and they provide families with food, shelter, infant formula, teddy bears for the kids, access to medication… whatever the family needs to survive.

This relief is almost entirely delivered by volunteers and funded by donors.

When we arrive, more often than not, we encounter families who are grateful. Though they may have lost everything, they say “thank goodness” that their loved ones survived.

“Everything else can be replaced,” they say.

When a family survives a fire without deaths or injuries, they usually first think of their pictures – the memories that can’t be replaced. One of my most striking memories as a disaster volunteer was helping this family wipe away smoke damage from baby photos that we were relieved to find intact.

With a single click, you can capture a memory with your camera and keep it forever, but only, if your home is not one of the 70,000 that will burn this year.

Today, in a single click and in a matter of moments, you can join a movement on Facebook to honor those who aren’t so lucky.

Visit http://every80seconds.com/and get a glimpse of what it’s like to lose your most precious memories. At the end of your visit, all of your photos will be fully recovered.

At some point in your life, though, someone close you will lose their photos forever to a real fire and will not be able to recover them. Be a part of their relief, before they need it.

Share the every80seconds.com experience with the people you love most.

Pledge a donation for every photo you can’t imagine life without.

Feel grateful.

Here's how your donation will help if you take the extra step to help a family that has been devestated by fire:

- $3 provides a comfort kit with hygiene items that preserves a client's diginity
- $6 provides a wool blanket to keep them warm if they are displaced
- $10 provides one meal
- $20 provides two meals
- $25 provides breakfast, lunch and dinner to a shelter resident who lost their home in a fire
- $50 provides five blankets for a family
- $75 provides food and shelter for a cleint for one day in a shelter
- $100 provides ten hot meals
- $150 provides supplies, such as soy formula, wipes, diapers, etc, to shelter one infant
- $200 provides one month's worth of emergency supplies for two families
- $1,000 saves the day - covers a day's worth of disaster response in the Greater Chicago region.

The every80seconds.com experience requires a high speed browser and internet connection, as well as Facebook connect permissions.

I've Seen Stranger Things

2011-03-04T16:50:00.008-06:00

If you’re wondering why these three unlrelated animals are posing in a perfect pyramid for this photographer, flickr user Telemachia explains below.

“After three days of storms and rain, we found these three floating in a pool filter, clinging to each other to survive. All of them were exhausted from the effort and were reluctant to part ways after being rescued.”

If there’s anything I’ve learned from being with the Red Cross, it’s that adversity brings strangers together. It doesn’t matter where they’re from or how they feel about each other. Being a part of the Red Cross disaster response is a learning and growing experience for both the clients and the volunteers, especially when you have the opportunity to listen to people’s stories fresh after a life-changing disaster. Chicago’s main breed of disaster is home fires and the victims have usually lost much of their home and belongings. Disasters like these can be tragic, but somehow adversity never fails to uncover the hope and sense of community that blooms among people who have all undergone the same powerful experience together.

This week we had the pleasure of meeting Charles, a resident and survivor of a Chicago apartment fire that happened earlier this week. He and several other residents are housed in one of the Red Cross emergency shelters nearby, and we were able to speak with him about his experience during the fire.

The first thing you’re going to notice about Charles is that he is wheelchair bound. The second thing that will strike you is when he tells the story of how he escaped the building through a second story window.

When the fire started, smoke began to fill the hallways almost immediately. Charles was in the room next door, so he closed his door and blocked the bottom to delay the smoke’s progress. He then went to open the window, but by the time he’d opened it the smoke was already filling his room.

It was then, he said, that he knew “It was time for me to go out the window, instead of just opening it.”

There were people outside on the ground floor helping others escape the building. The fire department hadn’t arrived yet and once they saw that Charles was still inside, everyone encouraged him to use the window to get out. They gathered up mattresses under his window so he wouldn’t be hurt when he fell, and helped him get away from the flaming apartment. “If it wasn’t for everybody helping each other, a lot of people would’ve gotten hurt.” He says, “It was that immediate help that was right there when it was needed, they took it on their own to help me.”

Volunteers Jackie, Kyle and I were so moved by Charles’ story that we haven’t stopped talking about all week. It goes to show that in the face of immediate danger people will be there to stuff mattresses under your windows to help you out of a fire, and they’ll share stories with strangers over a cup of coffee in the relief shelter.

Charles’ inspirational story can help us be better prepared for a disaster just by showing that we can accept the role of “helper” in an emergency. None of the residents thought of themselves as victims that night. Instead most of the 50 people were able to evacuate with practically no injuries and share a unique bond, though strangers, because they were survivors.

By Monica Ray
Photo credit to Darren aka Telemachia

Red Cross Month -- Join Us

2011-03-01T18:06:00.011-06:00

Today marks the beginning of Red Cross Month. This is a time of awareness, volunteerism, and generosity. Red Cross Month is a reminder that we couldn’t carry out our mission without the support of our volunteers, followers, and staff.

One disaster that goes under the radar for many Chicagoans is fires. People usually think of hurricanes, tornados or earthquakes. Home fires may seem to have minimal impact but the people that are affected in a year by fires can equal or surpass those of a hurricane or earthquake.

Last night alone, Disaster Services for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago provided shelter, food, and comfort care to over 50 individuals affected by an apartment fire. On the weekend they responded to six fires where a total of 30 adults and 20 children received assistance. In the past 3 days the Red Cross of Greater Chicago has assisted over 100 individuals.

Robert, one of the people impacted by last nights fire, stated that after seeing thick white smoke making its way through the halls of his apartment complex he knew it was time to leave everything behind and evacuate. Like people affected by a large scale hurricane or tornado individuals affected by a home fire in a matter of minutes loose everything that they hold dear.

Robert is one of many that are displaced daily by home fires. Disasters happen all around us on a daily basis. This month you can help by raising awareness, volunteering or donating to the Red Cross.

Written by: Erica Serna

Drumroll Please...

2011-02-28T12:08:00.010-06:00

Well, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards have come and gone. And although we may not have witnessed any scandals during last night’s event (i.e. wild pop stars hatching out of eggs or an unexpected win from an alternative Canadian band), we did get to see some of Hollywood’s greatest talent walk the red carpet and accept film’s most prestigious awards, while honoring the wide range of films released over the past year.

Much like Hollywood’s biggest night, the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago also has a ceremony. The only difference is that ours celebrates individuals who live the Red Cross mission within our community. And although some of last night’s Oscar winners deservingness may be questionable, there is absolutely no denying that the 2011 Red Cross Heroes announced this year are entirely deserving of their newly crowned title. Each person has made a significant impact on the lives of others and carried out a mission that truly stands out among the rest. Every hero that the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago has recognized sets a prime example of what it means to live the Red Cross mission.

The annual Heroes Breakfast is our signature fundraiser. The ceremony is made up of ten specific categories: Citizenship, Community Impact, Disaster Relief, Emergency Medical Assistance, Firefighter, Adult Good Samaritan, Youth Good Samaritan, Law Enforcement, Military, and Nurse. The Heroes Breakfast is now in its ninth year and is the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago’s most successful fundraiser. Last year, we were fortunate to have more than 650 Chicagoland community leaders attended the event.

We are all extremely excited for this year’s Heroes Breakfast event, which will be held on April 14, 2011 at the Fairmont Chicago.

Take a moment and check out our 2011 Red Cross Heroes at http://www.chicagoredcross.org/heroes. Each story represents a fantastic and unique look into what makes an inspiring hero in 2011.

Photo credit to Cinesystem Cinemas on Flickr

Save A Life, take a CPR class

2011-02-22T14:01:00.009-06:00

What do you do if you see someone bleeding or falling unconscious on the floor? It’s a situation no one wants to encounter and yet it happens around people everyday. It happened this January in Arizona, when the shootout left several people bleeding and injured on the ground. It also happened to Patricia Carmona, who while leaving her friends house, witnessed a man having a massive heart attack. These situations are more common than we would like to admit. In fact, more than 25% of Americans say they’ve been in situations where someone needed CPR.

“You think you’ll never need to give someone CPR, but spontaneous situations happen all the time. If you’re trained, at least you can pump the heart, and keep the blood flowing till help arrives,” said Carmona.

To make CPR more accessible and to honor congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the American Red Cross is hosting a Gabrielle Giffords Honorary Save-a-Life Saturday on March 19, 2011. This event will take place in more than 50 locations across the nation and will be free of charge, thanks to our sponsors, Safeway and Walgreens. The Red Cross will provide fast and easy classes to teach the basics of hands-only CPR, the treatment of shock and how to treat wounds. For more information and details on locations, please visit www.redcross.org.

Are you a messenger of hope? Will you protect humanity in the midst of war?

2011-02-09T16:08:00.010-06:00

When was the last time you considered yourself a student? How about a messenger?

A few months ago, I took a class that was worth more than any course credit. That Saturday morning, the Red Cross introduced me to international humanitarian law (IHL). The class explores the “rules of war” and how to preserve dignity in the midst of conflict. One student in my class pointed out that the “rules of war” seemed to be an oxymoron, as he questioned why these laws exist in the first place.

Saudi Arabia, China, Pakistan, Iraq, and lately, Egypt have taken over international news channels. “Brutality” and “destruction” are words that come to mind, but what about “innocence” and “neutrality”? As the Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, we are committed to serving victims in the center of armed conflict a dose of dignity. Built on the foundation of Red Cross values -- humanity, impartiality, and independence -- the “rules of war” are a commonality among people who may not share any other common beliefs.

A returned Peace Corps volunteer, an international relations graduate student and a professor of humanitarian action decided to be messengers of the movement, just as I have. One participant asked, “How can humanitarian law be used as part of a process for global change?”

It’s possible, but it starts with you discussing the essence of humanitarianism to others who are willing to do the same.

By helping the helpless, we – meaning you – are a part of the foundation of humanity. Is that something to risk? Do we settle for inaction when action could begin with something as simple as a conversation? We hope not.

The global part of the change is what intrigues us. By offering this class virtually in real-time to anyone, anywhere in the world with internet access, we’ll spark the conversation together.

Take the first step in making change happen. Take the class. Talk about change. Carry your message. Whoever and wherever you are.

*Light the conversation using the hashtag #RulesofWar on Twitter

By Katie Wilkes

Wake the Social Butterfly from its Winter Slumber. Flirt with Us

2011-02-09T15:42:00.009-06:00

I don’t know about all of you, but I definitely think we deserve a little self love and appreciation from time to time, especially this February given the record snow levels and miserable cold temperatures. And I’m not just talking about sipping that $8.00 bottle of Yellowtail from 711 while watching the latest episode of House Hunters on HGTV. We deserve more than that. We deserve some “grade A” socialization with other fabulous Chicagoans who will appreciate us and what it takes to live in this city in February. With winter in full force and the weekend approaching, what better way to spend this Thursday night than by rewarding ourselves and supporting the Red Cross mission at the American Red Cross of Great Chicago’s “Flirting for Disaster” event at LuxBar with other Chicagoans.

“Flirting for Disaster” brings some of Chicago’s most interesting young professionals together under one hotspot roof. This social mixer allows a philanthropic and professional crowd to briefly forget about the miseries of February and enjoy the company of other vibrant Chicagoans, while enjoying music, drinks, appetizers, and raffles. We can leave the Yellowtail and House Hunters on hold for one night, can’t we?

This month’s “Flirting for Disaster” theme is A Heart Filled Celebration and is hosted by the Auxiliary Board of the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. Tomorrow night’s event will be held at LuxBar from 6:00-9:00 p.m. and is sure to awaken the social butterfly from its winter slumber. You will not only benefit your social life and sanity, but also provide the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago with the support and donations we need to help our chapter and others during a cold season that sparks more home fires than any other time of year. Could it spark something in your life?

Buck up, Chicago, get out and flirt with us. Visit http://www.flirtingfordisaster.com/ for tickets and more information.

What happened last night?

2011-02-02T13:41:00.008-06:00

Throughout the past day and a half the American Red Cross has been helping people in 19 states offering food and shelter to those who have been displaced due to the massive winter storm. We opened 73 shelters yesterday nationwide to help people affected by this large-scale storm which buried the country in ice and snow from the Rocky Mountains to Maine. In the Chicago area alone, more than 360 people spent the night in 10 Red Cross shelters throughout our region.

Hundreds of people were stranded in their cars on Lake Share Drive in Chicago last night, when the road was closed due to unsafe driving conditions, blinding snow and large waves splashing out of Lake Michigan and spilling onto the roadway.

Chicago Police and Fire personnel and National Guard members went car to car to get stranded motorists on warming buses and to take them to a nearby Red Cross shelter at Malcolm X College in Chicago. Many had been stranded in their cars for several hours. The Chicago Tribune released a crowd sourcing tool to help people solve blizzard related problems and we did our best to aid in this effort through our twitter feed, @chicagoredcross.

American Red Cross workers greeted the 340 weary motorists, many arriving in the middle of the night by ambulance, bus or fire truck and provided them with hot coffee and snacks. In a large open room with rows of Red Cross blanket covered cots, the motorists-a doctor, a teacher and a cab driver among them, gathered to tell their stories, get warm and discuss ways to get their abandoned cars back and how to best reunite with their families. Red Cross workers provided warm clothing and toiletries to the shelter residents and diapers and teddy bears for families with small children. The most commonly fulfilled request of the evening? Socks.

Barbie, a preschool teacher from Wrigleyville was stranded in her car for several hours. Upon arrival at the shelter she was offered water, coffee, blankets, food and a cot by the Red Cross volunteers. "I cannot tell you how thankful I am that the Red Cross was there. I am still in awe about this whole experience, but the Red Cross support was the shining moment in my night."

At last the group was able to wind down from their ordeal and get some rest on the cots in the shelter. Many stayed for a breakfast served by the Red Cross the next morning. As of mid-day today there were still a few dozen people there enjoying lunch provided by Red Cross volunteers and staying safe from the hazardous conditions outside. As for the Red Cross? We'll be at shelters today with blankets, food, hugs and comfort for people who need us. Visit the American Red Cross web site and click on “find a shelter” call 1 800 RED CROSS (1 800 733 2767) to find a location near you. Follow the Red Cross on twitter at @redcross and @chicagoredcross locally for up to date information on our response to the blizzard.

Here's some information we think you may need in the next few days. It focuses on power outage safety and how to minimize food spoilage etc. Stay safe and warm everyone.

Martha Carlos and Kendall Knysch

Where Does the Haiti Relief Money Go?

2011-01-28T16:35:00.011-06:00

Today, I had the opportunity to talk with the staff of Threadless -- a t-shirt company that you should know about, if you don't already. They made a $100,000 donation about a year ago to support our relief effort in Haiti, and they wanted to know more about how the money made an impact.

There are a lot of ways that we can answer that question -- "Where does the money go?"

We can do the math: Well, if $100 can provide a cooking set, hygien pack, blankets, and water containers for a family of five, your $100,000 helped 1,000 families.

We can tell the story: "A line of men, women and children stretches around the corner of the white tent, each waiting patiently to tell their story to the attending doctors from the Red Cross mobile health clinic..." and so on.

We can provide the data: Pie charts, maps and such will show you, quite precisely where the money goes.

We can show you very touching videos with pleasant music.

But, with Threadless, this just didn't feel right. I mean, look at their Headquarters, here in Chicago:

Does this audience strike you as one that wants to hear numbers or watch more than a couple of videos? Me neither.

Talking with them today reminded me how isolated our donors must feel from the impact of their donation. It just doesn't occur to you that you actually save lives, does it?

Listen up. You do.

Even $5 bought some individual in Haiti a water container to store clean drinking water. That individual you helped with your 5 bucks may have been this kid:

You did that. Threadless did that for 19,999 additional kids. Do you get what I'm saying?

Do me (and yourself) a favor. If you gave to the Haiti relief effort, do these 3 things:

1) think about how much you gave

2) do the water container math ($5 bucks a pop)

3) and look at the faces of the people it helped.

You matter to that kid. Man oh man. You matter.

Make a Difference With a Blood Donation

2011-01-26T10:57:00.013-06:00

You don’t have to be a superhero to make a difference in someone’s life. Even donating a pint of blood goes a long way in preparing and helping a community. Ordinary people took some time out of their busy schedules to give blood at the American Red Cross blood drive hosted by Loyola University. Some came to continue a legacy; others were first-timers who felt it was their way of giving back to society.

“My grandmother gets blood transfusions regularly and I’m just trying to catch up,” said Jeff McDonald, a law student at Loyola University. Jeff’s grandmother is 101 years old and the transfusions boost her health and mental disposition, he said.

Another blood donor, James Wade, was there to fulfill a family commitment. “My dad always gave blood so I’m keeping up the tradition,” Wade said.

One person in the United States needs a blood transfusion every two seconds. Blood and platelets are also used for trauma victims-those who suffered accidents and burns-heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, premature babies and for patients receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or other diseases, such as sickle cell disease. Thus, the need is unending.

Recently, the American Red Cross sent out an urgent appeal for blood donations. The extreme winter weather and predictions of upcoming storms caused 14,000 blood donation cancellations this season. And this is the first time in ten years that the Red Cross blood supply has dropped this low.

Blood donor, Greg Vera, considers it to be his responsibility. “Giving blood is so accessible that it’s inexcusable not to if you can. For me personally, it’s almost to be like a moral obligation. I try to give once every 8 weeks,” he added.

Donors at the Loyola blood drive had the chance to meet reality star Jillian Harris of the Bachelor and Extreme Home Makeover. Harris is a long time blood donor and also encourages people who are eligible to give blood. While lying on the cot waiting for her turn, she said it was the easiest way to make a big difference in someone’s life.

To schedule an appointment for a blood donation today, please visit, http://www.redcrossblood.org/. You can also visit chicagoredcross.org for more information.

Written by Erica Serna and Maliha Sadiq.

To see more photos from the Loyola blood drive visit our Flickr page.

Blood, Sweat and Bears

2011-01-21T17:01:00.006-06:00

Sixty seconds was all it took for the most anticipated football game in the Midwest to sell out. The Bears and the Packers face off for the 182nd time and are prepared to give it their all. The rivalry between the teams runs deep, so the fans are ready for an intense play-off game 60 years in the making. Already, Chicago is rallying to show our team that we are behind them 150%.

Even though I’m not a football fan, I find it difficult not to feel a sense of excitement and pride in knowing that the Bears are in the plays-offs. I cannot help but be swept away by the energy that radiates from football enthusiasts. The fervor is contagious and makes me want to join the Bears movement and become a die-hard fan.

As I get swept away in Bear fever, I realize that energy and enthusiasm drive us, but loyalty to Chicago binds us. Like Bears fever, the Red Cross of Greater Chicago is a movement that uplifts, unites and inspires Chicagoans. Our disaster volunteers unite to provide aid and support to those in need. We find that there is a joy in having the ability to help someone in need. The joy and energy we experience when serving others drives our donors, staff and volunteers to deepen their loyalty to our movement.

The Bears will leave their sweat and blood on the field on Sunday. Are you ready for that kind of die-hard loyalty? Bear down, and become a volunteer.

By Erica Serna

Staying Safe on the Road in Drizzle, Sleet, and Snow

2011-01-18T14:49:00.005-06:00

When I was a kid I used to love waking up and seeing the sparkly white sheet of snow outside, and wished that there would be enough of it for me to make a snowman. But as an adult the mere mention of snow throws me in a state of panic. This morning I woke up and realized that I had to drive my nephew to his school in snowy weather. Although my nephew’s school is less than 5 minutes away, it’s a dangerous route as the chances of skidding on the narrower street are much higher.

Before leaving my home I decided to make a plan and take the routes that I knew would minimize the risk of my car skidding. If you are in the same situation as me and your best option is to drive, it’s a good idea to pre-plan your commute. Here are some useful tips from the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago:

Before you hit the roads
• Let your family or friends know your destination, your primary and alternate routes, and when you expect to arrive. If your vehicle gets stuck along the way, help can be sent along your predetermined route.
• Pay attention to the weather forecast. Your local TV and radio stations can provide updated storm information that can help you avoid treacherous weather.

If you are stranded
• Stranded drivers should stay with the vehicle and not try to walk to safety. You can quickly become disoriented in wind-driven snow and run the risk of developing hypothermia and frostbite. Exercise your arms and legs to maintain body heat.
• Use the heater for 10 minutes every hour and leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so you can be seen.
• Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes won't back up in the vehicle
• Make it easier for rescuers to find you by tying a brightly colored cloth to the antenna
• After the snow has subsided, raise the hood to indicate you need help.

In snowy weather it is important to keep calm while driving and be prepared. For more safety tips visit winter storm safety and preparation, please visit the chicagoredcross.org.

Written by: Erica Serna

More Than a Sign

2011-01-14T12:54:00.005-06:00

The Minnesota Planetarium Society has sent our world into frenzy with the newly-released announcement that most of our zodiac signs have changed due to the Earth’s current alignment. According to some astrologers, Earth’s current position in relation to the Sun means that our signs, which were put into place approximately 3,000 years ago, are now outdated. As a result, date alignment with the signs shifted nearly a month causing many individuals to question their self identity. Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, there’s no doubt that the world has, literally, been shaken by this announcement.

As a Capricorn, my natural appreciation of stability has me feeling extremely uncomfortable with the news. Have we all been living a lie? Does the goat tattoo on my lower back need to be removed and replaced with a centaur? I don’t know the first thing about being a Sagittarius!

We at the Red Cross have daily experience with receiving startling news that can shake up the world on both personal and worldwide levels. We learn first-hand to expect the unexpected. Despite the unpredictable nature of our mission at the Red Cross, one factor remains stable—we believe in hope. This common denominator among disasters of any proportion allows us to persevere through the hard days knowing we have the ability to do what we do everyday. It provides us with the power to help others and stand strongly behind the Red Cross mission. We see this belief all the time. We see it in our volunteers. We see it in our donors. We see it in our staff. We see it in the victims we assist. We see the belief in all of you who believe in us and our mission.

You may or may not believe that the fate of our love lives and stubbornness means changing from a goat to a four-legged man, but when it comes to persevering through the those disasters that seem impossible, we too can say, “keep on believing.”

Hope happens. What keeps you going?

Written by David Roth & Katie Wilkes

"Are You Still in Haiti?"

2011-01-12T10:12:00.015-06:00

"Are you still in Haiti?"

Many of the employees and volunteers of the American Red Cross are asked this question. Today, we'll be asked more than usual.

"We are," we answer. "We probably will be there for a few years."

We sometimes forget to remind you, though, that you are still in Haiti.

If you volunteered, donated, helped raise awareness, gave blood, supported evacuees who sought refuge in Chicago Red Cross shelters... if you showed up in any way to support Red Cross efforts between January 12, 2010, and today... you are in Haiti.

Your donation is still at work and will be for years as we unravel one of the most complex relief efforts we've ever undertaken. Take a look at the difference you are making.

Be on Track to a Safer Commute.

2011-01-10T14:26:00.008-06:00

2011 has only just begun, but it is already looking like a great year for many residents of Chicago with the arrival of the CTA’s highly anticipated ‘Train Tracker.’ The Chicago Transit Authority and Mayor Richard Daley made an official announcement Saturday, January 8 that the new application was now available for use. With Chicago’s brutal winter season just beginning, it seems like the announcement of the city’s new ‘Train Tracker’ couldn’t have arrived at a more appropriate time. The new technology covers all eight of Chicago’s L-train lines and 144 train stations. Although this new tool is still in its early stages of development, the application is already available from both residents’ computers and smart-phones.

With Chicago’s L-train system being the third busiest system in the United States with over 650,000 riders each weekday, it is crucial that commuters be prepared for CTA emergencies. This past June, a highly reported track fire ignited on the Red Line just north of the Chicago platform. It left 19 injured and created a standstill with the north and southbound red line trains for approximately three hours. Although CTA mishaps of this size aren’t extremely common, emergencies of all sorts do happen no matter how much the city tries to avoid them. Even today, Monday, January 10, smoke was reported between the Lake and Grand stations of the Red Line. Although it was a false alarm, the report resulted in firefighters investigating the scene and the trains to be rerouted on the elevated tracks for a short period of time.

In order to be as prepared as possible for potential emergencies while commuting, the American Red Cross has teamed up with U.S. Department of Transportation to create helpful information for those who may find themselves in a commuter emergency.

On a Train
• If the train stops, follow the operator’s instructions quickly and calmly.
• In an extreme emergency when you must evacuate the train without the operator’s assistance, follow posted emergency procedures.

On a Station Platform
• Familiarize yourself with all the exits at the stations that you use in case you ever have to take a different exit.
• Listen for announcements and follow instructions quickly and calmly.

The American Red Cross also suggests that commuters purchase a Safety Tube, which can be found on our website. This portable emergency safety tube provides commuters with a water pouch, an individually wrapped mask, a whistle, and a foil wrapped-six-hour light stick.

For more information on commuter safety, please visit our Safety Tips page on chicagoredcross.org.

Photo credit to Christopher & AmyCrate on Flickr

Butt-Dialing: What if it had been a Real Emergency Response?

2011-01-05T17:01:00.006-06:00

The occasional ‘butt-dial’ usually brings forth a sense of confusion or awkwardness, but for one man it brought a SWAT team to his place of work. On January 4, 2011 a woman received a call from her husband around 5:00 PM. Instead of hearing his voice, the woman was greeted with muffled sounds paired with rap music. Alarmed, the woman reported what she somehow assumed was a hostage situation to 911. Unknown to her and the police force, the man had actually accidentally ‘butt-dialed’ her while driving. Within a short period of time, thirty members of the Lake County SWAT team arrived at Carlton Washburne School in Winnetka, IL. After searching the school, the SWAT team discovered that there was in fact no hostage situation.

While this couple was lucky with a false alarm, it doesn’t always end up this fortunate for those in a real-life crisis. Social media has moved far from the Facebook status update about your New Year’s Eve plans and has become a life-saving device for disaster victims. For example, those affected by the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti were able to communicate to loved ones. “Phones are working somewhat in Haiti. Can't get a hold of my family though," was one post Tweeted among the many others.

As we continue to utilize the benefits of instant communication, more and more people believe in the power – which is both positive, but a serious challenge to emergency response organizations like the Red Cross. In an online survey of 1,058 adults conducted for the American Red Cross found that if they needed help and couldn’t reach 9-1-1, one in five would try to contact responders through digital platforms (such as email, websites or social media). Further, a high percentage of 74 expected help to arrive less than one hour after their tweet or Facebook post. As the rate of socialization increases, the time frame for emergency workers to respond decreases.

The Red Cross held an Emergency Social Data Summit last August to discuss the reality of the public expectations when it comes to using social media as a form of emergency response.

The following questions were asked and are still being discussed:

What can we do to prepare in advance of a crisis?
Who should have custody of social data? How should it be used?
Can we codify a solution?
What about issues of accessibility?
How do we avoid a duplication of effort?
What is the best way to authenticate requests?
How do we manage citizen expectations for response?

What do you think - would you use a traditional phone call or social media to find help during a crisis? Have an opinion? Be sure to join the online discussion by using the Twitter hashtag #CrisisData .

Posted by David Roth, Katie Wilkes & Lauren Snyder

Blizzard safety tips for stranded Chicagoans

2010-12-27T15:07:00.008-06:00

The blizzard that hit the East Coast today left many Chicagoans stranded in different cities. Lauren Tate Snyder, a Red Cross intern, is among the hundreds that can’t make their way back home from holiday trips to the Northeast. Flight cancellations, road blocks and commuter train delays can be frustrating and dangerous for the holiday visitor. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago offers a few useful tips for you to pass along to your loved ones who may be snowed in on the East Coast.

First and foremost, it’s important to monitor the weather reports and follow the instructions of local authorities. If it is absolutely necessary that you drive during bad weather, inform someone of your travel route, destination and expected arrival time. Store a disaster supplies kit in your vehicle and remember to keep the gas tank near full to avoid ice building up in the gas tank and fuel lines.

In case you get stranded on the road, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Stranded drivers should stay with the vehicle and not try to walk to safety. You can quickly become disoriented in wind-driven snow and run the risk of developing hypothermia and frostbite.
• Exercise your arms and legs to maintain body heat.
• Change out of wet clothing, using dry replacements from your supplies kit to prevent hypothermia.
• Use the heater for 10 minutes every hour and leave the overhead light on when the engine is running so you can be seen.
• Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes won't back up in the vehicle
• Make it easier for rescuers to find you by tying a brightly colored cloth to the antenna
• After the snow has subsided, raise the hood to indicate you need help.

If you encounter black snow or ice, here’s what you need to do:

• Stay with your vehicle. Do not try to walk to safety as you risk developing hypothermia and/or frostbite.
• Tie a brightly colored cloth (preferably red) to the antenna for rescuers to see.
• Start the vehicle and use the heater for about 10 minutes every hour. Keep the exhaust pipe clear so fumes won't back up in the vehicle.
• As you sit, move your arms and legs to keep blood circulating and to help you stay warm.
• Keep one window away from the blowing wind slightly open to let in air.
• Leave the overhead light on inside the vehicle when the engine is running so you can be seen.
• After the snow has stopped falling, raise the hood to indicate you need help.

For information on winter storm safety and preparation, please visit chicagoredcross.org.

Celebrate Christmas with Care

2010-12-20T15:24:00.011-06:00

Jingle bells, Christmas trees and the smell of fresh snow really makes Christmas special. Unfortunately, not everyone gets to enjoy their Christmas laughing and celebrating with their family and friends. Fire raged late Sunday night at Barry Houser's home in McHenry County, where the family had gone to celebrate their Christmas weekend. Fortunately, no one was hurt but the home was completely destroyed and the decoration and festivities were all gone.

Around 12,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms every year during the 60 days surrounding the winter holiday season, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most of these injuries are preventable so at the risk of sounding like a party pooper, take the following precautions and protect yourself and your families from a holiday mishap.

• Keep Christmas trees fresh – Choose a fresh Christmas tree and secure it in a sturdy stand. Place the tree away from heat sources and exits, and water it daily. If you purchase an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.

• Test tree trimmings – When decorating with lights, be sure to purchase only those labeled by a testing laboratory. Never use lit candles to decorate Christmas trees. For outside decorations, use only those lights labeled for outdoor use. Be careful not to overload electrical outlets, and always unplug all lights before leaving home or going to bed. Never put electrical light on metal Christmas trees.

• Beware of holiday lighting – Take care when burning candles. Be sure they are kept away from decorations and other combustible materials. Don’t leave children unattended in a room with lit candles, and always keep candles, as well as matches and lighters, out of the reach of children. Never display lit candles in windows or near exits.

• Cook with care – Wear fitted clothing when cooking; hot burners can ignite loose clothing. Always turn pot handles in. Don’t store items on the stovetop as they could catch fire. Keep kitchen appliances clean and in good condition, and turn off after use. Don’t overload electrical outlets and don’t use appliances with frayed or cracked wires.

• Be cautious with portable and space heaters – Place space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible, including wallpaper, bedding, clothing, pets and people. Never leave space heaters operating when you are not in the room or when you go to bed. Don’t leave children or pets unattended with space heaters and be sure everyone knows that drying wet mittens or other clothing over space heaters is a fire danger.

• Keep alcohol away from kids and pets- Intake of alcoholic drinks by children and pets can cause alcohol poisoning. It’s good to be merry and drink and toast to each other, but just make sure all drinks are far away from children and pets.

How to Be Red Cross Ready for Rare Celestial Events and Their Potentially Dire Consequences

2010-12-20T10:21:00.007-06:00

This Tuesday December 21 marks the first time in 456 years that the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, coincides with a full lunar eclipse. Now I’m not saying this is ominous. Absolutely not. It’s just an exceedingly rare set of events that use to terrify primitive peoples and may be sending out some funky cosmic energy. I’m sure there are tons of movies and books that start with these circumstances and don’t end in tears. Right? Still, doesn’t hurt to be prepared.

Just in case Tuesday morning's events activate any latent zombies, it might be helpful to have that two week supply of emergency food and water stocked up at home. The Red Cross recommends storing easy to prepare nonperishable foods and one gallon of water per person per day for each member of your family. Trust me, when your neighbors are fighting their way through the zombie hoards to get to the supermarket you will be glad you had the foresight to stock up!

Now I know what you’re thinking. What if the covens of flying solstice/eclipse vampires manage to get themselves tangled in power lines and we lose electricity? Well, then you’ll be glad you have a complete disaster supply kit because it will have a battery powered/hand crank radio to receive important updates from whatever interim government emerges after the initial crisis. Also make sure you have plenty of flashlights and batteries. Avoid using candles at all costs! Accidents happen, and if a candle is left unattended or gets knocked over by a pet or a child you could experience a house fire. We at the Red Cross see a spike in the numbers of home fires we are called to respond to whenever there are power outages. While fire may be good for scaring off Frankenstein’s monster, it’s going to draw the zombies and vampires right to you.

You might not be on board with the whole monster threat thing. Well okay realist, let’s talk about a chain reaction of cataclysmic natural disasters. After initially sheltering in your home from the freak meteor strikes and tornadoes, you hear the interim government announce on your battery powered radio that a giant mega volcano has formed out in Tinley Park. Your area is in the projected hot zone for the imminent eruption so it's time to evacuate north and take shelter with our friendly neighbors in Wisconsin. You are ready to go within minutes because YOU have prepared your disaster supply go-kit. It contains copies of important papers, a 7 day supply of any medications you may need, personal hygiene items, family and emergency contact information, emergency blankets, maps of your area, and extra cash (remember the vampires brought down the power so there are no functioning ATMs!). Personalize your kit by thinking about each member of your household and their unique needs.

Even if the Tuesday solstice/eclipse turns out to be nothing (keep dreaming optimist!) the preparations you have made will be useful for more mundane emergency situations like winter snow storms, floods, pandemic flu, etc. And whatever the situation, your friends at the Chicago Red Cross will always be there to help. For more information about disaster supply kits and creating an emergency family plan, visit us at www.chicagoredcross.org/beprepared.

Space Heaters: Recalled for a Reason

2010-12-17T15:50:00.010-06:00

“The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of "Flow Pro," "Airtech," "Aloha Breeze" and "Comfort Essentials" heaters sold at Walmart stores nationwide from December 2001 to October 2009.” – KTLA News

Is it just me or does “Aloha Breeze” and “Comfort Essentials” sound enticing? A few hours before this recall, my roommate called me from Target with the intention of purchasing a space heater for our small apartment. The windows in our high-rise are hardly suitable for Chicago winters and continuously keep our rooms at a chilling temperature of around 45 degrees.

“Lauren, I’m buying this space heater for our apartment so we don’t have to wear our winter coats to bed. You can thank me later,” said my roommate under the impression that I would be grateful.

“If you bring a space heater into our place, I will make sure it ‘disappears’ in the middle of the night and that the keys are changed while you are in Cincinnati so you cannot enter our apartment. You do know that space heaters are involved in 74 percent of fire-related deaths, right?”

This was my reaction before the huge recall on space heaters. And yes, I knew that statistic on hand.

When 2.2 million heaters go on recall due to “reports of burn injuries and property damage from fire”, you know there is a major problem. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) found that “heating equipment - primarily space heaters and fireplaces - caused an estimated 66,100 home structure fires resulting in 480 civilian deaths, 1,660 injuries and $1.1 billion in direct property damage in 2008.”

As a Red Crosser, I know that space heaters pose a danger to my friends and community and these numbers reinforce my fears. Not only has my house burned down before, but last Thursday, the other Marketing and Communication intern, Zach, also lost his home in a fire. I bet you can’t guess what caused his fire.

A space heater.

And the scary part of his story is that his mother had absolutely no control over the fire. She watched the spark jump from the space heater. Within seconds, it was clear that there was nothing she could do to stop the flames from taking over and she hurried out of the house to call 911. She was just sitting there in her living room. And then it was gone.

Now, I would like to consider myself a reasonable person. I understand that for one reason or another, getting rid of your space heater might not be something you are willing to do. Here are some safety tips which I hope you follow so I can sleep without worrying about receiving another call in the middle of the night. Trust me, it’s not the kind of call you want to hear during the holidays.

• Keep all potential sources of fuel like paper, clothing, bedding, curtains or rugs at least three feet away from space heaters, stoves, or fireplaces.
• Portable heaters and fireplaces should never be left unattended. Turn off space heaters and make sure any embers in the fireplace are extinguished before going to bed or leaving home.
• If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
• When buying a space heater, look for models that shut off automatically if the heater falls over as another safety measure.
• Obviously, don’t buy any of the space heater brands that were put on recall.

Chicago, please be careful this winter season. Every day I come into work and receive an incident sheet from Disaster Services from the day before. Every day I see the numbers of fires increase as the weather gets colder. Every day I count the number of individuals who are displaced from their homes.

Be safe Chicago.

“Thank you for finding the first seven years of my life."

2010-12-13T10:57:00.011-06:00

Harriet has lived the majority of her life not knowing that she still has an older brother and half-sister who live in Europe. We sit down and she begins her story. I listen, eager to learn. “I feel as though I have entered the twilight zone” she says, as her adoptive sister, Geri, listens from across the table.

Harriet was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany after World War II. At the age of seven, she was adopted by an American family. With no memories of life in the camp, she had little information about her birth family. Though she had always wondered, Harriet was hesitant to learn more until Geri began a project to map the family tree. She discovered the Red Cross’ family tracing services and encouraged Harriet to inquire. Together they embarked on a search for Harriet’s past.

In just a few months the Red Cross was able to locate a set of documents from the Holocaust archives in Bad Arolsen that shed light on Harriet’s birth family. The findings even included a small photo of her mother. Shortly thereafter, the Red Cross found more information to share with Harriet: the name and current address of her biological brother.

Harriet’s tracing results began to answer some of her life-long questions. Who am I? Where do I come from? Was I loved? I don’t doubt these are questions that people like Harriet ask the universe.

As she looked at photos of her childhood, provided by her biological brother, she reflected how she could almost remember what she wore. Shoes, a warm coat, and combed hair are about more than just grooming – they’re signals that we were loved and cared for. “I looked well loved,” said Harriet.

Harriet is now in contact with her biological brother and half-sister. Through email and letters they trade photos and stories about their families, slowly filling each other in on the 50+ years since their separation. The siblings talk of meeting in person, hopefully one day soon.

As Harriet’s interview came to a close she began packing up the nostalgic photos, letters, and mementos from her vague former life. She looked at us and said with gratitude, “thank you for finding the first seven years of my life.” For that, Harriet, we couldn’t be happier.

The American Red Cross works through the worldwide Red Cross Network to trace loved ones missing or separated by conflict or disaster, including the Holocaust and its aftermath. We assist individuals seeking information about themselves or a family member and provide documentation often needed for reparations claims. Our free services include:
• Searching for surviving family members
• Finding the fate of loved ones affected by the Holocaust or other conflicts
• Proof of detainment
• Evidence of forced labor or internment in a concentration camp
• Proof of evacuation from an occupied territory

Do you know someone who could benefit from our tracing services?

For more information, please contact Emma Crandell Ratajczak at ratajczake@usa.redcross.org or 312.729.6238.

Posted by Kendall Knysch

The Red Cross Movement -- It's Alive

2010-12-10T18:47:00.011-06:00

Yesterday, a blog post by Sam Davidson put the smack down with the Red Cross.

I reacted the way I usually do. I gave myself permission to be upset for a minute, then I tried to truly hear what Sam had to say so we could talk.

Sam listened and approached the dialogue with an open mind and heart. Many of Sam’s other blog posts explored topics that are close to the heart of many Red Cross staff. He discussed the difference between making a living and making a life, finding happiness through a purposeful and present life, and a number of other topics that ignite the right kind of fires in people. As I read his other blogs, I couldn’t help but notice how much he resembled some of our best volunteers – the ones who hold the Red Cross accountable to become a better organization and challenge us.

I chose to work at the Red Cross mostly because I like people like this and want to be around them for more hours out of the day. I am inspired by front line volunteers, entrepreneurial board committee members and leadership volunteers who partner with us to turn a very, very big and heavy ship. I observe daily that the Red Cross agrees that the we all need to raise the ante in non-profit, and in order to do this we must organize solutions that keep us moving forward, in spite of the drag that can be created by 130 years of carbuncles. The magnificent, historic ship keeps moving in part because of volunteers who resemble Sam.

The Red Cross movement is behemoth. It takes entrepreneurs, bravehearts and big thinkers to fuel it. It also takes people who want to work within a large, complex, and decentralized ecosystem to make it continue to breath, live and evolve.

I often joke that the Red Cross has been crowdsourcing for 130 years, and I challenge people to consider the implications of that. Take a minute to really consider the implications of achieving more that 90 percent of your work through volunteers and preserving the breadth and reach of international organization that truly has to touch every corner of the world without government ties. Our staff is comprised of millions of people and our customers are everyone.

Sam and my conversation reminded me that the Red Cross system is alive and richly symbiotic. We do change, but it is much more like an evolution, because all of humanity is part of our system and our earth shakes and reeks havoc.

Sam, we'll make your ideas matter if you keep sharing them and continue to honor the size and scope of our movement. Change happens here… differently. Organically and open-heartedly. Like a weather system, it will build, then unleash furiously and extraordinarily. And when it does, new dawns break and new shoots surface. Sometimes it strikes awe when thousands of people help thousands of people in unimaginable situations that demand something new. Sam, I think you’d like it.

One of our volunteers, Hala, fled extreme dangers in Baghdad and volunteered with the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement in Syria when she was in her mid-teens. Now a Chicago Red Cross volunteer who is helping us extend the reach of our free humanitarian law class by offering it online, Hala describes her volunteer experience with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society as "what allowed me to move from victim to volunteer."

Just last night, one of our volunteers was personally devastated by losing his family’s home in a fire that stuck at midnight. When I listened to him today, he shared with me that his work with the Red Cross has been healing for him during this first, most difficult day. He didn’t feel helpless.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, we invite you to challenge us and change us. Sam already crossed that line into volunteerism as soon as he talked with us, listened, then talked again. By the way, we liked Sam's second blog -- the one about how we listened. But we have to confess, we liked the first one, too. Sam and millions of other people are what makes the Red Cross better.

Let’s all keep talking and witness the evolution unfold.

How the Red Cross Mission Becomes Personal

2010-12-10T17:00:00.005-06:00

Last night I received a call that I never thought I would get. On my iPhone it displayed my brother’s phone number. When I answered, however, it was my father on the phone. Something was off in the way that he greeted me. My usually boisterous Dad was somber. My mind went into a tailspin. I thought my brother was hurt, but fortunately he was fine. My father went on to tell me that my mother’s house had just burned down. Shocked, my body began to convulse uncontrollably. My Dad talked me through it, and I finally got to speak to my mother. She was distraught, crying, but thankful that everyone got out okay.

My mother was cold, and decided to turn on a space heater in the house. After turning the heater on she decided to continue watching television. Moments later, she saw a large spark come from the heater. The spark turned into a flame. That flame, into a blaze. She immediately grabbed my dog and cat and ran outside of the house. She got in the car and drove it far enough away from the house just to stay out of harms way. My mom called 911 from her car, and fireman soon arrived.

It is still unclear whether the house will be inhabitable or not, but I know that half of the house has been charred. Our living room, kitchen, and my sister’s bedroom are all destroyed. Thankfully, my father lives just under 2 miles away from my mother’s now destroyed house and will be hosting my mom until her living situation has been sorted out. Unfortunately, for thousands every year, there is not a person close enough or even capable enough to help them through this process.

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago responds to 3-4 fires every single day. As an intern for the American Red Cross, I always left shocked after I left the scene of the fire. Now, the roles have been reversed.

I am working on finding a right in the situation. Everyone is ok, and everyone will be taken care of in the future. For those who don’t have a strong support system, the Red Cross becomes like a guardian angel. The Red Cross administers aid to fire victims in the form of food, clothing, emotional support, and shelter.

Space heaters are actually one of the leading cause of house fires in America, and I have written about this fact numerous times, and not thought twice about it afterward.

I never thought I would have to go through something like this, and this makes me appreciate even more the work the Red Cross does to help those in their darkest hour.

A few words of advice from a new fire victim. Surround yourself with the ones you love. Try as hard as you can to keep calm, because your strength may just be the rock that someone needs in order to cope.

As the cold begins to make itself at home in Chicago, the number of house fires increase. This week alone the Chicago Red Cross has responded to over thirty fires and provided food, shelter, clothing and more to disaster victims. If you would like to help us provide comfort to those in need this Holiday season, please consider donating to Chicago Red Cross and truly give the gift that saves the day.

-Zach Zimmerman, Communications and Marketing Intern

By the Grace of Coffee

2010-12-03T15:19:00.019-06:00

Most days, I ride my bike to work. I'm not the only one who does it. Usually, at least 4 bikes can be found in our foyer. My bike is the red one with a metal commuter coffee mug that used to be red and, now, isn't. Day after day, I undergo the same routine. Wake up. Make coffee. Do all of the stuff that's less important than the coffee. Thank the coffee. Bike to work with the coffee. Sneak a sip at red lights.

Facing the Chicago weather has stripped the color off my commuter mug. I bike for two reasons. One, coffee tastes even better when you're cold. Two, facing the brutal elements keeps me grounded.

As a Red Cross staff member, being grounded matters. At the American Red Cross, we encounter about 3-4 families a day who have lost everything in a fire or flood. They face the elements until we help them find shelter. Our job is to provide authentic relief in the form of food, shelter and comfort. Many Red Cross volunteers and staff choose to bike to work regardless of the weather, so we remember that our 3-4 fires a day are our client's 1 fire in a lifetime.

But you've heard this story before. Our blog is full of stories about fire response. The story that sometimes goes untold is another group of people who, like us, face the unforgiving elements everyday and go to every fire. Firefighters face fire, wind, cold, and water most days. Their work is tireless.

Today, I responded to the large 3-alarm fire that struck N. Lincoln Ave. Watch our video for detail. Drifts of high-expansion-foam used to suffocate the fire covered the streets. As firefighters fought the blaze, one said to me, "I worry that they won't stay hydrated," as she looked up at the several others who were cutting through the roof with a chainsaw in an area that continued to reignite, relentlessly. Brown smoke billowed against the crisp, blue sky behind them. Today, no one needed our help except the firefighters. We sent a dozen bottled waters across the long tower ladder that stretched from one of the firetrucks to the burning roof -- their lifeline to escape the blaze. Below the burning building, Red Cross volunteers provided hot coffee and cocoa to the firefighters on the ground.

Tonight the foam will be replaced with snow. Colder temperatures will mean hotter fires. The storm winds will spread the blazes quickly leaving only still ash behind. The dichotomies are real and sobering for firefighters and Red Cross disaster volunteers.

As we talked with them about what they needed, we could see our breath. Our hands clench the coffee to stay warm. Relief. Who needs it, who gives it, and what form it will take is rarely clear.
Today, relief was coffee.

Tonight it will take some other form when the storm hits. Be a part of warmth. Donate or volunteer.

Hope is the Universal Cure

2010-12-01T16:54:00.005-06:00

I’ve never been one to preach about looking for signs in your life. I don’t analyze a relationship and declare that there are "clear signs that we are meant to be". I don’t feel a connection when I talk about buying a pair of shoes and then suddenly my roommate buys them. I don’t read my daily horoscope and wait for the prediction to come true. That’s just a coincidence. But today, when I needed to find hope in a horrible disaster, I received a sign like no other.

As I stepped out of the Red Cross van today into the biting cold, I was laced with sprinkles of snowflakes. At first glance, it was hard to tell which house had been affected by the fire; many of the houses on the block were already boarded up and abandoned. However, once I rounded the van, there was no questioning where the disaster had hit.

The living room had exploded out onto the front yard. A charcoaled pull-out couch was propped up on the wire fence that gated the property and it looked as if it was about to pull the entire fence to the ground. The remains of a once cushioned chair sat in the middle of the debris with the springs jarring out the middle of the seat. I couldn’t help but imagine what the living room probably looked like a week ago – full of family and friends celebrating what they were thankful for. Now what was left? I stared up at the grey sky and felt the snow hit my face. A piece of siding was swinging back and forth in the wind towards the top of the house. Everything was completely dark inside. I found myself searching for some sign of hope amidst the horror in front of me. As I griped the top of the fence with my exposed fingers and felt the cold metal, I looked down upon what I would consider a miracle.

A heart. Besides the rubble of the fire, a heart lay neatly on the ground as a reminder that there is always hope even when everything looks dark. I wanted to take my newly found hope and share it with the owner of the house but she was too distraught to come out of her neighbor’s home. I am sure if she saw the heart in her front yard, she would smile a little bit because she would know that she is not alone in her journey to recovery.

Helping out those in the need, whether it is in your own community or around the world, can be hard, especially now when money is tight. But did you know that a $25 donation will supply 5 blankets to disaster victims? Maybe a blanket doesn’t seem as important as food or shelter, but as everyone in Chicago knows, today, December 1st, brought Chicago’s first snowfall. A warm blanket means a lot to a disaster victim, particularly on a cold Chicago winter day or night. We are ready to respond to a lot of fires in the Chicagoland area this winter. We know that there will be more than usual (3 to 4 every single day is average) because, for whatever reason, the Holidays bring fire season. While the Red Cross will respond and offer relief to the people affected by these disasters, we need help. Please think about donating to the Chicago Red Cross this holiday season, even if it is just a blanket.

I found hope today in the last place I expected to find happiness. The next time you doubt that there is a sign of light in the midst of darkness, take a breath, step back, and take another look. You may be surprised at what you find.

Have a Fire-Free Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:48:00.004-06:00

We are thankful for being safe this holiday…

Imagine this scenario: You are in your home laughing with your loved ones on this day of thanks. You are so grateful to be in their company and love seeing the similes on their faces once dinner commences. There is an air of togetherness and happiness as the nostalgia begins to enter the room. Then everything changes. The next thing you smell is smoke. There is a black cloud pouring from the kitchen, yet you cannot find where it is coming from. The fire begins to gain momentum and spreads into your living room where the dinner table is set. The heat is so oppressive that you cannot breathe. You wonder where everyone is…‘We have to get out!’ you scream. Please let everyone be safe…

This is an all too common scenario for families on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, 69 percent of fires occur as a result of cooking on this day of thanks. In a Red Cross and National Fire Protection Association study, results showed that 37 percent of people admitted to disabling a smoke detector when it was activated unexpectedly.

The Chicago Red Cross hopes to help families prevent Thanksgiving Day fires by offering ten fire safety tips:

1. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen even for a short period of time, turn off the stove.

2. If you are simmering, baking, roasting, or boiling food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.

3. Be alert. You won’t be alert if you are sleepy, have taken medicine or drugs, or consumed alcohol that makes you drowsy.

4. Keep anything that can catch fire—potholders, wooden utensils, food wrappers, towels or curtains—away from your stove top.

5. Make sure your sleeves are out of the way when cooking. Wear tighter fitting clothing with shorter sleeves.

6. Have a “kid-free zone” of at least 3 feet around the stove and areas where hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

7. Never hold a child while cooking, drinking or carrying hot foods or liquids.

8. Turn the handles of pots and pans on the stove inward to avoid accidents.

9. Keep pets off cooking surfaces and nearby countertops to prevent them from knocking things onto the burner.

10. Test your smoke alarms by pushing the test button. Replace batteries at least once a year.

Year-round Safety
In addition to preventing cooking fires, families can stay safe all year by following these additional tips:

• Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
• Never smoke in bed.
• Talk to children regularly about the dangers of fire, matches and lighters and keep them out of reach.
• Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep.

Smoke Alarms
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Check monthly that smoke alarms are working properly by pushing the test button.
• At least once a year, replace the batteries in your smoke alarms; every 10 years, replace the entire smoke alarm.

Make a Fire Escape Plan
• Make sure all household members know two ways to escape from every room of your home.
• Decide where you will meet outside in case of fire.
• Practice escaping from your home at least twice a year and at different times of the day. Practice waking up to smoke alarms, low crawling and meeting outside. Make sure everyone knows how to call 9-1-1.
• Teach household members to STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes should catch on fire.

Please stay safe and have a fire-free Thanksgiving this year. Enjoy your family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving from the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago!

As we open our hearts to our heroes...

2010-11-12T16:40:00.007-06:00

I have lived my entire life proud to wave my nation’s flag. While none of my immediate family is serving in the army, my family does have direct ties to the U.S. military. Both of my grandfathers, my uncle and father served our country. My Papa Richard, for example, served our nation during WWII in the 8th air force, where he worked as a mechanic. For almost two decades I thought that he never fought in any campaigns; I was under the impression that he was never faced with the true horrors of war. However I recently found out that I was wrong. To me, my grandfathers, uncle and father are heroes. In a time of chaos and destruction they were willing to fight for something they believed in and that is truly overwhelming to me. I feel extremely blessed to be a part of them.

My family represents a small fraction of thousands of men and women who have served the United States of America. Yesterday I was fortunate enough to attend an event at Soldiers Field where Mayor Daley and Senator Dick Durbin honored all the veterans who served the U.S.

As the speakers talked on, I felt tears swell in my eyes. I was overwhelmed with happiness, pride and sadness. I couldn’t believe how humble and extraordinary these people are. They have more courage than I could ever acquire. And they have been through more than I will probably ever go through in my entire life. They represent so much and have given us more than many thought possible. One veteran said, “We never thought of ourselves as heroes.” That, to me, is remarkable. I wondered how he could not think of himself as a hero. That is exactly what all of the veterans and current soldiers are. To me they are more than heroes.

As the keynote speaker took the stage he said, “Freedom is not free.” Freedom is so delicate. It is something many take advantage of. Sometimes we don’t realize what we have. Above all else, it is freedom that the many men and women who serve our country fight to protect. Freedom isn’t free. Lives are risked every single day to ensure that it is protected.

Both Mayor Daley and Senator Dick Durbin mentioned that just within this week two young soldiers, one of whom is my age-20, lost their lives. I thought to myself, why? After an entire day of thinking I still don’t have an answer. Those two men were really boys. They were only 20 years old and showed had courage to witness war the tragedies of war. That speaks unbelievable volumes. The world has a funny way of showing you what you are thankful for. And I am thankful for them. Their strength encompasses me with pride and gratitude. Thank you to all of our veterans and those who serve our country today and every day. You are our true heroes.

Help the Chicago Red Cross say thank you to all those who serve us through our Holiday Mail for Heroes program. Between September 7 and December 10, the public is invited to send a “touch of home” through holiday cards that contain messages of cheer and appreciation. “Sending a greeting card is a small effort that makes a big impact for our American heroes during the holiday season,” said Erin Counihan, Disaster Services Respondent at the Chicago Red Cross. “The American Red Cross serves and supports members of the military, veterans, and their families by providing emergency communications, comfort and assistance each day. The Holiday Mail for Heroes program continues the Red Cross tradition of service to the armed forces.”

Holiday cards should be addressed and sent to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Please be sure to affix adequate postage. Cards must be received no later than December 10. Cards received after this date will be returned to senders. For reasons of processing and safety, participants are asked to refrain from sending “care packages,” monetary gifts, using glitter or including any inserts with the cards.

Visit redcross.org/holidaymail for a full list of recommended guidelines and best practices on the Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

Additional ways to become involved with the campaign include connecting with fellow card senders through Facebook at www.facebook.com/redcross and Twitter at www.twitter.com/redcross using the hashtag #holidaymail.

Visit www.chicagoredcross.org/SAF to learn more about the Chicago Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces.

The Red Cross Thanks and Recognizes Our Heroes

2010-11-10T10:45:00.008-06:00

Don’t ask me why, but growing up I was always a history junkie. I blame it all on my 4th grade teacher because after reading Number the Stars I read every historical fiction book and watched every movie about World War II. To this day, when I think of the courageous, brave, and capable soldiers who stood in the face of danger and fought in the front lines of World War II, I envision Jude Law in Enemy at the Gates or Byron Henry from Winds of War. It wasn’t until Wednesday October 20, 2010, when I met Michael C. Bilder of General George Patton’s Third Army, author of “A Foot Soldier for Patton,” that I put a new face on these heroic soldiers I had grown up reading and learning about. It was as if all the characters I had read and watched popped out and introduced themselves to me.

Mr. Bilder served with the 5th infantry Division and fought in all five of the Third Army’s campaigns; fighting in France, Luxembourg, Germany, and Czechoslovakia. While stationed in England in 1943 Mr. Bilder received training from the American Red Cross as a “combat lifeguard” in preparation of D-Day. A combat lifeguard, while wearing 60 lbs. of equipment, must jump 25 ft. into a pool covered with burning oil. Once in the water, he had to shed his helmet, rifle, and rucksack and swim 75 yards underwater. Mr. Bilder used his newly acquired skills to dive after fallen GIs, unhook their equipment, and get them back to surface. It is for this that the American Red Cross decided to award him with the Lifesaving Award for the Professional Responder; for saving numerous GIs from drowning, including those who were previously wounded.

The American Red Cross’s Lifesaving Award is not the first award Mr. Bilder has won; in fact it is just one in a pile of impressive achievements and awards from numerous countries (one from Luxembourg, France, Czech Republic, and two from the USA). However, while all the other medals he has won (apart from his first Bronze Star Medal) have been given to him because of the number of lives he took during batter, The American Red Cross’s Lifesaver Award “is the most meaningful because it represents the lives I have saved, not taken.

Finally the day had come, all my reading was done and I was on my way to meet the heroic Mr. Bilder. As I walked into his house, saw him sitting on a big green padded lazy boy chair. When I introduced myself as an intern for the Red Cross a huge smile spread across his face and he said, “The Red Cross! The Red Cross gave me my stripes. I should be honoring them, not them me.”

As the day continued I came to realize that being a soldier isn’t about being a hero or getting awards, it is about serving your country, your people, and everything you believe in. Mr. Bilder went to Europe and fought a war far from our soil because he felt it was his duty, just as soldiers are doing today in Iraq. It is our duty as Americans to not only honor them and their courageousness, but never forget the battles and struggles they have fought to protect our liberty, democracy, and country. What they have done to protect us.

As Mr. Bilder said “I have always done amazing things I suppose, but I am really just a regular Joe.”

More pictures of our visit with Mr. Bilder

We have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, and the soldiers in the armed forces is one of them. We are inviting the public, until December 10, to send a "touch of home" to the armed forces through hoilday cards; a small effort that goes a long way and impacts the hearts of our American Soldiers who can't be home with their families this holiday season. Please, get involved and send your holiday cards today:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

"I am alive"

2010-11-09T12:23:00.011-06:00

The confusion and chaos of conflict and disaster separates families just when they need each other most, causing unbearable suffering. Often, the three simple words “I am alive” may be all that’s needed to ease the minds of loved ones. Known as Restoring Family Links, The American Red Cross works through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Red Cross and Red Crescent societies worldwide to search for missing loved ones and reconnect families.

“I am so happy to know my family is well.”

Onesphore Ndaribitse was living with his wife and four young daughters in a refugee camp in Tanzania. When the camp closed in 1996, they were forced to separate camps and lost contact. For more than 12 years, Onesphore heard no news about his family’s well-being.

Now living on the North Side of Chicago, Onesphore opened a tracing inquiry with the Greater Chicago Red Cross. We were thrilled to inform him that his family was alive in Rwanda. We brought Onesphore handwritten messages and photos of his adolescent daughters – just babies last time he saw them. Thanks to the Red Cross Network, Onesphore and his family are in touch and communicate regularly through free Red Cross Messages.

This past week I visited Onesphore because we had another message from Rwanda. It was our first time meeting and his timid character and limited English proved to be an initial barrier. However, the minute I tried to communicate in French, his face lit up. He appreciated our visit and personal care in delivering the news directly to him. At the end of our visit, Onesphore walked us down to our car. We said good-bye in French and he waved back to us with a big smile.

Red Cross Message from Rwanda

The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago helps to reconnect families each year, with services including:
Locating missing loved ones separated by armed conflict or disaster;
Sending Red Cross Messages between separated family members - civilians, prisoners of war and political detainees;
Obtaining information about the fate of civilians, including those separated during the Holocaust and World War II;
Providing Certificates of Detention to former detainees visited by the ICRC;
Securing ICRC travel documents for people who have been offered permanent resettlement; and
Providing information and referral services.

For more information about the Restoring Family Links program, please contact Emma Crandell Ratajczak at ratajczake@usa.redcross.org or 312.729.6238.

Meredith Sanna, International Services Intern

Can you save a life?

2010-11-03T11:42:00.003-05:00

Silence. Then panic comes like a hurricane consuming every nerve in your body. What can I do, you think. Can someone help? Please, someone help!

I can only imagine this was the reaction a mother experienced last week when her young and precious son began choking on a piece of candy at a local restaurant near Highland Park, Illinois. Thankfully Susan Sak was there to save the young child’s life. Susan is a hero. She is someone who, in a moment of truth, was fearless and I deeply applaud and respect her for that.

As I was interviewing Susan I pictured the chain of events unfolding. A mom overwhelmed with panic, shouting for help. The boy unmoving and unable to breath. The restaurant manager hastily reaching for the phone to call 911. People watch on. Nobody knows what to do. Susan is Red Cross certified in CPR and is trained on how to react in these types of life threatening situations. She gives a few blows to the boy’s back and the candy is out. First there is calm. Then gratitude. She has saved his life.

As Susan and I talked on she mentioned that restaurant personnel especially should be CPR certified. For example, the Illinois Restaurant Association states that every restaurant must have an Emergency Care for Choking poster, which “explains emergency care for conscious and unconscious choking victims. It has a place to list an emergency phone number. It must be posted in every foodservice facility.” But sometimes this is not enough. While some restaurants argue that they do not want their employees to be CPR certified because of liability, high turnover and cost to train employers I ask- can you put a price on saving someone’s life? Besides, the Red Cross has several low-cost alternatives.

For example the Chicago Red Cross website houses a free video and printable How To for CPR that could be found here. In response to the liability issue know that according to the Good Samaritan law anyone who gives cardiopulmonary resuscitation in “good faith” is “exempt from civil liability” (Illinois General Assembly).

When people are at their most vulnerable moments it is up to us to provide the help they deserve. Learning the basics of CPR can make all the difference in the world. How would you feel if you could save someone’s life?

If you think your child is choking, ask someone to call 911 immediately and take three simple steps to assist; check, call, care.

Check to see if there is an obstruction or loss of breathing, if either are present ask someone to Call 911 and administer Care. If you find something lodged in the victim’s throat, use the Five and Five Method. Lean the person forward and give FIVE sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. If the obstruction isn't dislodged, stand behind the person and give FIVE quick, upward thrusts into the abdomen. Repeat back blows and abdominal thrusts as necessary.

This is a general guidance and does not substitute for formal training. If you haven’t been trained please take a CPR-First Aid class so you can be prepared for these emergencies. Visit www.chicagoredcross.org or call 312-729-6100 to register for a class.

The letter for today is C.

2010-10-26T09:49:00.008-05:00

Chiclone, Cholera, #Crisisdata & so on...

Today at the Chicago Red Cross we’re talking about all things that begin with the letter C.

Chiclone 2010, billed as the “worst storm in 70 years” and “Great Lakes Cyclone” We’re expecting hurricane-force winds over Lake Michigan, high winds everywhere and possible tornadoes. Get prepared by familiarizing yourself with our safety tips on all things storm from how to deal with food safety issues after the power goes out to whether or not you should take a shower or bath during a rainstorm (you shouldn’t, learn why…)

Cholera. Here’s how we’re helping stem the cholera outbreak in Haiti.

#CrisisData Very cool stuff the Red Cross is working on re: integrating crisis response with social media. If you tweeted for help, would anyone be listening?

Cycling celebs. Celebrities are cycling to raise $1million for the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross.

Choking. Halloween is this weekend and there will be lots of hard candies, caramels and popcorn around-all serious choking hazards-be prepared, know what to do to keep your little goblins safe. Another serious danger at Halloween? Cars.

Citizen CPR. Sounds exciting and a little dangerous in a good way-right? It’s almost like CPR is getting dressed up for Halloween with a newspaper hat and megaphone. We recently announced a new initiative to train 5 million people in hands-only CPR by the end of 2011 here’s how we’re getting started (including a one page info sheet which will give you the basics)

Martha Carlos (ooh another C) is the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago.

Make The Haunted Houses the Spookiest Part of Halloween

2010-10-19T10:32:00.012-05:00

For many years you have walked the streets of your neighborhood, wearing ghastly get-ups and monstrous masks. Have you ever wondered where the creepiest and coolest holiday of the year originated? Was it the creation of a horror film that sparked this spooky night of candy and costumes?

It turns out that Halloween started as a cheery and bright fall festival where taffy fresh from the puller was served and hayrides were given to the children in townships across America. It wasn’t until the late 19th century when Irish immigrants began immigrating to the US that Halloween became creepier. Ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and monsters were brought into the celebration from these new Americans. The Irish brought another very important aspect of Halloween to American shores; the Jack-O-Lantern. In Ireland, rutabagas, turnips, and potatoes were hollowed out and faces of creepy creatures were carved into the now unearthed vegetables. These enlightened veggies were then used as lanterns for terrifying Halloween celebrations!

As mentioned earlier, candy is a necessity for a perfectly spooky Halloween eve. Candy, although delectable and inviting (My favorite candy is Dots, by the way), can be a serious choking hazard for those tiny tots and young children. The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is dedicated to educating our community about some of the dangers about tasty little treats. Sometimes, sticky and small candies like taffies and mini chocolate bars cause young kids to choke. Here are some tips from our resident candy expert Joe Gray on how to help your child if they are choking on candy:

· If you think your child is choking, ask someone to call 911 immediately and take three simple steps to assist; check, call, care.

· Check to see if there is an obstruction or loss of breathing, if either are present ask someone to
· Call 911 and administer…
· Care If you find something lodged in the victim’s throat, use the Five and Five Method. Lean the person forward and give FIVE sharp back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. If the obstruction isn't dislodged, stand behind the person and give FIVE quick, upward thrusts into the abdomen. Repeat back blows and abdominal thrusts as necessary.

Please heed the advice of Joe and make sure you know what to do in case of an emergency. More than 3,000 people die each year as a result of choking so make sure your little goblins and ghouls are snacking safely. We don’t want the spookiest part of your night to be seeing your little monster choking on chocolate. Also, take into consideration what your kids are eating. It’s ok to go through your kid’s candy bag! In fact, 90% of American adults admit to taking candy out of their kid’s Halloween collection. What you do with the candy is your choice, but if you’re going to eat it, make sure someone else knows what to do in case you run into some trouble with a chewy confection.

From all of us at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, have a safe and spooky Halloween!

*Joe Gray, Senior Director, Health & Safety Services for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago (and a costumed Red Cross mascot) is available for interview about the dangers of Halloween candy as a choking hazard as well as to demonstrate how to assist someone who is choking. Please contact Martha at 312-729-6204 if you’re interested in learning more.

It’s Just a Prick.

2010-10-13T14:05:00.018-05:00

“An easy way to give back.”
“My dad did it regularly.”
“It saved my husbands life.”
“It saved my life.”

These are just a few of the reasons I heard at an American Red Cross blood drive on Northwestern’s medical school campus. These reasons were the motivation for several of the people I talked with about why they chose to donate blood. It was a bright, sunny afternoon with a slight brisk in the air. When walking up the building I wasn’t sure what to expect. I hadn’t really been to a blood drive before nor had I given blood myself. The nurses and staff were all very friendly and willing to talk to us.

Since the blood drive was taking place on Northwestern’s campus, it wasn’t a surprise that the majority of people were Northwestern med students taking an hour out of their busy school day to give back. When I started talking to another young man, who I assumed was a med student as well, he corrected me.

“It’s just this little thing I can do, you know? This little thing that can save someone’s life.” After talking further with him, I found out he had had two bad experiences with donating blood before this time. But for some reason, that didn’t stop him from doing it again today.

Another young woman who was a med student was volunteering to work the registration table. For her, donating blood was a family tradition. “I donate blood because my dad always did. So my sister and I have been doing it since we could. It just kind of seemed like the thing to do.”

But for some, it’s a little more personal. When talking to one of the nurses about how she got involved in the blood drive, she told us that a while back she was in an accident and needed 6 pints of blood. “If it wasn’t for blood donors, I wouldn’t be here today.” She is living proof of one little thing, can save someone’s life.

Donate blood. Save a life. It’s just a prick.

A close call with death. Elizabeth's Story

2010-10-13T10:09:00.006-05:00

Elizabeth Pearlman has always been a basketball player; she started when she was in 2nd grade and when she started college joined the team at Loyola University. While running wind sprints, she began to feel fatigued. She didn’t want to appear weak so she physically pushed herself past the point of pain to keep running. The next thing she remembers “is having the floor come to my face” because she had suddenly collapsed to the ground. Here's her story in today's Southtown Star.

Terry Smith, the head athletic trainer, rushed over he saw her eyes rolling in the back of her head and that she was having difficulty breathing. Immediately realizing the magnitude of the situation he called an ambulance and started performing CPR on her. Showing no signs of response, he grabbed an AED and began to administer shocks to Elizabeth as she lay unresponsive on the gym floor. A few minutes later Elizabeth awoke unaware of her surroundings; lying on a stretcher in a moving ambulance.

While the specific cause is unclear, she soon learned that she has a genetic disorder called Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia (ARVD), in addition to having suffered from a pulmonary embolism. While she’s now physically fine her life has been altered. She isn’t able to play basketball anymore; a sport that has defined her for years.

Still, Elizabeth remains positive, she appreciates being alive and seeks to enjoy everyday to its fullest. She looks at things from a new perspective and is now an assistant coach for the basketball team. She is coming up on the one-year anniversary of this incident and wants to be an advocate for not only for genetic testing but also the presence of AEDs in all settings. Her goal is to prevent future injuries and deaths by raising awareness. She has turned a tragedy into an inspiration.

Julie Kahn is an intern in the marketing and communications department at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago