Nature Unleashed. Check it out!

Right now some of our disaster volunteers are standing inside a tornado, well a simulated tornado just off Lakeshore Drive….but it’s still VERY cool. We have partnered with the Field Museum to place trained Red Cross disaster relief workers inside the Nature Unleashed exhibit to guide people around the exhibit. Many of these people have actually been to the disasters featured in the exhibit. Check it out and while you are there ask the Red Cross volunteer helping out to share some of their adventures. Check it out on WGN with Tom Skilling
I was with the Red Cross at two of the disasters featured in the exhibit: Hurricane Katrina and Greensburg, Kansas and I have to tell you the Field Museum did a great job making you feel like you were there.
We’re all familiar with Hurricane Katrina. Greensburg got less media attention but was just as devastating to those affected. In 2007, a small Kansas town was hit by a EF5 tornado that was 1.7 miles wide. 95% of the city was destroyed. Seeing this part of the exhibit really brought me back to what it was like to be there as that town began its healing process. While it was a sobering experience it was also really inspiring to see how resilient that town was and how they all came together to help each other out.
Greensburg ultimately decided to rebuild as an entirely green city. Planet Green did a television series about it http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/greensburg/
There are webisodes online if you want to check it out.
Have you ever seen the devastation from a tornado or hurricane up close? Where were you and how you would describe it?
Interested in visiting the exhibit? www.fieldmuseum.org. for more information.


Martha Carlos is a member of the American Red Cross Disaster Public Affairs team. She occasionally travels outside of the Chicagoland area to help with disaster relief and recovery efforts.

Holiday Mail for Heroes

Imagine being in a foreign country away from your family during the holidays or being a member of a family with one of their siblings overseas. Then, you receive a bright card covered in winter decorations thanking you for all that you or your family member does for our country. I know that would brighten my day!

This is the second year that the Red Cross is collecting holiday cards for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. The cards are sent to American service members, veterans, and their families in the USA and around the world. This year, we are partnering with Pitney Bowes. Our holiday campaign would not be possible without their generous donation of technology, resources and postage.

Our goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards! You can send cards by December 10, 2008 to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes

PO Box 5456

Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

Can’t think of an idea for a card? Print out a free card here.

For more information and guidelines about Holiday Mail for Heroes, visit the website.

Youth and The Red Cross

Did you know youth have been a part of the American Red Cross for over 70 years? The Junior Red Cross was founded in 1917 when World War I brought a partnership between the American Red Cross and youth. President Wilson announced the formation of the Junior Red Cross and it's 8 million members within the 1st year. By 1919, the membership had grown to 11 million. This was just the beginning of youth involvment within the Red Cross.

There are many opportunities for youth to become involved with the Red Cross. Youth can start a Red Cross Club at their school and complete service projects or host fundraisers. Service projects can be focused on any of our 5 Lines of Service including Blood Services, Health and Safety, Disaster Serives, International Services and Armed Forces Emergency Services. A few examples of service projects are hosting a blood drive at your school or in your community, collect comfort kit items for victims of disaster, become trained in our Kid Safety classes, sell pins for a dollar for the Measles Initiative and collect care package items for our men and woman serving over seas. These are just a few ways youth can become inspired to be part of the Red Cross team for life.

Youth can also get trained in Community Education programs such as Community Disaster Education, HIV/AIDS Education, First Aid and CPR. High school students can get trained to become peer educators and share their knowledge with their fellow students. Not only can students give back to their community but also have fun doing it!

For more information on youth opportunities call 312-729-6123.

Posted by Jackie Dempsey, Youth and Community Outreach Coordinator

My Veteran's Day Hero. Who's Yours?

Photo by Joe Portnoy

This is Jo. She’s a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. She’s also one of the funniest, sweetest, smartest people I know. We went to college together, and when we graduated she was stationed in Afghanistan for a year. I was lucky enough that she spent part of her two weeks off that year with me in Spain. Jo worked in Afghanistan to help improve lives—so that little girls could go to school and people could have infrastructure that we take for granted—roads and clean water.

Today, on Veteran’s Day, I’m thinking about Jo and the sacrifices she made to serve our country. I remember her stories from her respite and our visit in Madrid. She was witnessing horribly complex problems every day in Afghanistan, but she was never worn down. Her motivation was to help the Afghan people—from the man who tailored her winter coat in the market to the children she met on the street. I’m sure she’d blush at the thought of me honoring her when so many others have given so much more, but Jo’s my hero. When I was ready to come back to Chicago after college to work and play in the big city, Jo listened to a calling to serve a greater cause. I respect and love her for that.

Who’s your military hero? The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago honors people every year who embody the heroic mission of the Red Cross. Jo is my own personal hero. Who do you want to honor on Veteran’s Day? Leave a comment here, or, better yet, nominate that person for our Heroes Breakfast!

National Youth Involvement Month

This month is National Youth Involvement Month at the Red Cross. During November, we’ll be celebrating all the youth who make an impact on the Red Cross through their great work.

The Red Cross is holding the Disaster Relief Youth Fundraising Challenge to celebrate this special month. The challenge is for youth programs and clubs to raise the most money through fundraising for the Disaster Relief Fund by December 31, 2008. The top three youth programs or clubs that raises the most money will win free registration to the National Youth Institute in Orlando, Florida, in April 2009. Is your program or club up to the challenge? Sign up your fundraiser by November 14 by clicking here.

Also, the “Our World Gives” contest on Facebook has 18 days left! “Our World Gives” is a simple and extremely helpful way that youth with Facebook profiles can help support the Red Cross. A $50,000 gift from the Western Union and the Western Union Foundation will be given to the nonprofit organization with the most votes. If you haven’t voted yet, you should vote for the American Red Cross! Currently, the American Red Cross is in the lead with 15,329 votes. Thanks for the votes!

For more information on youth involvement in the Red Cross, visit www.redcrossyouth.org

Are you already working on the youth fundraising challenge? What are your plans and how can people in the Chicago area help you with your fundraiser? Share your thoughts by writing a comment on this post.

The Obama Family Dog!

This week, America has elected a new president. It’s the first time in my lifetime that there will be kids in the White House! I remember reading when I was little about the families in the White House and their many pets. There have been a variety of dogs and cats as well as hamsters, birds, horses, alligators, a boa constrictor, and many more.

President-elect Barack Obama has already announced his two daughters are getting a dog. Regardless of what dog they choose, the family should think about becoming certified in pet CPR and first aid through a Red Cross class.

The Red Cross offers CPR and first aid classes for dogs and cats. The classes allow owners to learn how to care for their pets in the event of an emergency. The classes teach topics like how to perform CPR, what should be in a pet CPR kit, how to provide basic wound care, how to include your pet in your emergency evacuation plan, how to safely approach dogs and cats, and many more beneficial tips for taking care of your pets.

For more information about pet CPR and first aid classes, visit our website at http://www.redcrosschicago.org/ and click “take a class.”

-Tim Carbonara is a Marketing & Communications intern at the Greater Chicago chapter of the Red Cross. He loves his little poodle terrier, Boo.

We're movie stars...but do you really KNOW us?

Imbed video


We’re movie stars…well sort of. We’re going to be in a new movie (OK well not really in a movie-kind of hard to fit all of us in one place) but the Red Cross is mentioned in a scene in the new release “What Just Happened” from Academy Award winning director Barry Levinson and starring Robert DeNiro and Bruce Willis (more on the movie later) and that’s pretty cool in itself.
I am excited about our name being in the movie.
It’s just well… sometimes I feel like as often as they hear our name many people just don’t really know us.
I worry that the message about what we do every day gets lost a bit because we do so many high profile things. Yes we collect blood (lots of it, ½ the nation’s blood supply) and respond to large national disasters. We do those things and they are very important but we are also working in your neighborhood all the time doing things like teaching new parents infant CPR and little kids how to prevent fires.
Much of what we do in the Chicago area is help people who lost their possessions in a home fire. We get called (three to four times daily) frequently in the middle of a cold, dark night-and asked to go out and help people who lost everything in a fire. We get out of our beds and go out and make sure they have basic things like blankets, shoes, food and a place to sleep. Things that at that point suddenly stop seeming so basic and can really add up to replace.
I know that being mentioned in a movie doesn’t necessarily tell people what we’re about. I’m just kind of hoping if they hear our name enough it might lead them to investigate us more.
So back to where this started…the film. If you're still here you might want to know what it's about. The web site What Just Happened says that the film depicts two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer (DeNiro) who is having a rough time trying to get his new picture made with a difficult actor (Willis).

Martha Carlos likes DeNiro (who doesn’t?) and will probably see the movie. She’s sure to jab her husband or whoever happens to be sitting next to her when the Red Cross part comes on because she’s geeky like that.

Our World Gives application on Facebook

I love Facebook. I think I check it more than my e-mail. Are you using it? I think the whole world has Facebook since its expansion to users other than college students. If you’re not a Facebook user, get one! It’s amazing and now, it’s starting to support organizations’ social and charitable causes.

This week, the Western Union Company and the Western Union Foundation announced the launch of a new online platform for social giving, Our World Gives. The Our World Gives program invites Facebook members to "Do a good deed today" by mobilizing friends and family members to vote for one of the eight designated non-profit organizations including the American Red Cross. The organization with the most votes at the end of six weeks will receive a $50,000 donation from The Western Union Foundation.

The Facebook application can be found at http://apps.facebook.com/ourworldgives.

This is the easiest application to use on Facebook. Plus, it requires no money, just mouse clicks! Install the application on your Facebook page by clicking the button on the right side of the Our World Gives page. Once you do this, it’ll take you to a new page with the eight non-profit organizations listed.

VOTE AMERICAN RED CROSS!

Thanks for your support and have a safe Halloween!

-Tim Carbonara is a Marketing & Communications intern at the Greater Chicago chapter of the Red Cross. He can be seen checking Facebook on his phone every 15 minutes.

Sure, this Toothpaste for Dinner comic is funny, but it also brings to light the reality of workplace preparedness. A new study by the American Red Cross finds that 62% of American workers are not confident about their preparedness in the workplace and less than half of employees surveyed knew about a disaster plan at their workplace. What’s even scarier is that only slightly more than half (55%) had ever received specific disaster and emergency information from their employer.

Ok, enough with the stats. But think about it. Would you know what to do if your coworker collapsed at his desk from a heart-attack? What about if a tornado swept through area while you were still stuck at work? Apart from panicking, many people wouldn’t know how to react.

The Greater Chicago Red Cross is making it easier for employers to create a safer workplace by offering FREE Workplace Preparedness Seminars on Nov. 5 and 6.

The seminar will cover preparedness information and an overview of the latest health & safety training programs, and participants can even try their luck in a raffle to win a Powerheart G3 Plus AED—valued at $2,000! You’re getting excited now, aren’t you? Visit our website for more information and to register.

Of course no business wants to consider the unthinkable, but wouldn’t it be nice to know your workplace is prepared should a dire situation arise? Ask your employers to attend this seminar. And if you are an employer—be there!

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Do you have a workplace preparedness horror story? Tell us for a chance to win a free Safety Tube! Perfect to keep at your office desk—just in case.

Fighting Commuter Fear and Loathing

Photo by paulmcdee

Do you experience fear and loathing during your commute? (Man, it’s a Hunter S. Thompson week here at the Red Cross!) I was squished into a three-seater on the bus this morning then came into work and saw this article from the Tribune’s Josh Noel. He describes the discomforts of being jammed into a rush-hour train, but things get interesting as he moves on to a topic that’s nearer and dearer to my Red Cross heart—commuter safety.

“A simple truth became clear: The "L," central to so many lives, is a nexus of big-city anxiety, precisely because it is central to so many lives.”

People have anxiety in the “L” and other places because they fear the unknown. Wouldn’t these folks feel a little bit comfier if they were ready to respond to an emergency? Indeed, the unknown doesn’t have to be scary. As commuters on the CTA or Metra, we should know what to do if the train derails, or how to react if you’re stuck in a crowded car. (The first answer is clear: Listen to directions.)

There are other ways to fight this “paranoia”. Get trained (pun intended). If someone collapsed next to you on the bus, would you know how to help them out? (Read about a guy who wasn’t ready, and it changed his life.) Taking a CPR or first aid course gives you an arsenal of emergency-fighting skills—lifesaving skills that can calm people if something scary happens.

A quick, easy way to start is to buy one of our personal safety tubes—perfect for commuters and only five bucks. It has a mask, water, a whistle and a light stick—little things that could be a big comfort if something does go down. Not that it’s going to, my paranoid friends, but just in case.

-Kristin Claes is a writer at the Greater Chicago Red Cross. She's often seen on the North Ave. bus looking for our This is Not a Disaster ads.

Minor toilet articles make a big difference

What’s all this business about minor toilet articles and the Red Cross? Who is Hunter S. Thompson anyway (that's him pictured on the right)?

Wendy at our National Headquarters made a very cool video yesterday that answers these questions and is pretty darn inspiring. Check it out, tell me what you think then forward it on!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2Xh4n0AoY0 We're 1/2 way to our goal!

By the way Mr. Thompson was an American journalist and author and was regarded by many as the author of the "greatest book on the dope decade" (The New York Times) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson) .

Martha Carlos is the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago. She takes great offense at the movie "Thank you for Smoking" since it shows PR people in a bad, a bad light...

Do you know a hero?

We are starting to collect nominations for our Annual Heroes Breakfast next April.

The design concept is completed, using photos of everyday people paired with dynamic quotes from nominators on who their hero is and why they were nominated.

Each year at the Heroes Breakfast, the Greater Chicago Red Cross honors community members who have demonstrated heroism through remarkable acts of courage or kindness.
Awards will be given in the following categories:
Adult Good Samaritan | Citizenship | Community Impact
Disaster Relief | Emergency Medical Assistance | Firefighter Nurse | Law Enforcement | Military | Youth Good Samaritan
Candidates must live or work in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry
or Will Counties. The heroic act must have taken place after January 1, 2008.
Selected Red Cross heroes will be formally honored on April 23, 2009, at the
Heroes Breakfast.
To nominate your hero, please visit chicagoredcross.org/heroes
or call 312.729.6134.

Nominations are due February 6, 2009.

India Measles Fundraiser

What are you doing this Thursday night? Do you already have plans with friends to go out downtown? Have you been thinking about helping out others lately? Well, we have a perfect opportunity for you to do both.

Come support the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago’s India Measles Fundraiser this Thursday, October 23, at McFadden’s. McFadden’s is located at 1206 N. State Parkway, near the intersection of Division and State. The tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and includes open bar and appetizers from 7 to 9 p.m. All proceeds go to measles vaccinations in India. Each dollar donated saves one life!

Why measles you wonder? Measles is the leading cause of death among children under 5 years of age in developing countries. Sixty percent of children who die from measles worldwide live in India, and 440 children die of measles each day. The Measles Initiative is a partnership the Red Cross has with other organizations to reduce measles worldwide. Locally, the American Red Cross Greater Chicago chapter has decided to head up their own fundraiser since Chicago has one of the largest Indian-American communities in the United States.

Visit www.chicagoredcross.org/MIfundraiser to learn more and purchase your tickets.

Mapping Out the Fires

How many fires does the Red Cross respond to in America each year? Google knows pretty much everything, so it’s no surprise that we can now check for the answer there. The folks at our national office have compiled a Google Map with this info. Check it out here.

I was chatting with a friend in Boston the other day who didn’t believe me when I said our chapter goes out to fires almost every day here in the Chicago area. Yep, it’s true. And during this season of fire safety, it’s a good time to brush up on yours.

What do you do to keep your house fire safe? Do you have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen? Do you check your smoke detectors regularly? Do you smoke cigarettes in bed while using hairspray? Just kidding. Really, how do you stay fire safe?

-Kristin Claes is a writer with the Greater Chicago Chapter. She checks her smoke alarms AND never uses hairspray around an open flame, but she does enjoy using hairspray. Safely.

Greater Chicago Red Cross Connected Runners, Ran Red!

We supported this year’s Chicago marathon by taking on the role of reuniting runners who may have been hospitalized with their loved ones. We have a cool program called, Patient Connection that allows us to help in this way. It’s completely unique to Chicago-we’ve even been written into HIPAA so that we can get patient info from hospitals and take the burden of patient reunification off hospitals in times of disaster, or when large numbers of people have been hospitalized. The program worked great! Our volunteers ultimately made hundreds of family contacts and connected about 75 people with their loved ones.
In addition to supporting the event with our Patient Connection Program our Run Red team made us proud by going the distance. This dedicated group of runners raised much needed funds for our chapter by getting pledges from friends and family for completing the marathon. If you are interested in joining next year’s Run Red team visit http://www.runredteam.org/.
Did you get inspired by this year’s event to run the marathon next year?

It's Fire Prevention Week!

Do you have a Family Disaster Plan?
Do you test your smoke alarms?
How often do you replace the batteries in your smoke alarm?

In order to prepare for a fire disaster, there are a couple of items to have set in place.
A Family Distaster Plan is a start! Sit down with your family members and map out a disaster plan. Some items to identify in your disaster plan are: locations to meet family members after a fire disaster, establish an out of state individual as a family contact, be aware of all exits of your house and neighborhood. Once you have developed your plan make sure you practice it twice a year.

Are your smoke alarms working properly? Be prepared by testing them. Testing smoke
alarms should be conducted on a monthly basis. To make sure they alarm if there is a fire, replace the batteries every six months.

Keep these few things in mind when you begin your fall clean up! For additional information or purchase of products, check out our website at www.chicagoredcross.org.

Summer is Officially Over..But I Remain Hopeful

Fall is my favorite season of the year. Why? Firstly, because in my opinion, it is the best fashion season (Gotta love the scarves and boots!) but most importantly because it reminds me of my grandmother and all that she stood for.

She loved gardening and manicured her lawn almost daily. As a kid, I loved when fall rolled around and the leaves began to change colors and ultimately fall from the trees. She, however, was not a happy camper. I remember playing for literally hours after school in the piles of leaves that she had raked and put into neat piles for disposal. Although I knew she despised it, she never said a word because she knew it made me happy. It was that kind of selflessness that made her so special to me and everyone she knew.

She truly believed in the sense of community and the concept of “we.” We was not just me and you, we was whoever needed or could offer help if any one of us needed it. She always put her needs last after family, friends, coworkers, and fellow community members. She lived and breathed giving back and supporting her community by doing whatever was necessary. She was and will always be my motivation and inspiration for believing that the world is full of hope and can change for the better.

I am surrounded by volunteers, coworkers and even clients who embody that same spirit of hope and change. Now more than ever, we are challenged to maintain hope in the face of extreme economic adversity. While some days are better than others, even the not-so-good days are bearable when I think about my grandmother’s strength, compassion and belief in change. I support the American Red Cross in her honor and because I have seen firsthand the impact that organizations like this one can make.

Who inspires you to make a difference or create hope? Share their story by making a gift in their honor or memory. Holiday season is just around the corner. Consider giving a tribute gift and change lives in your community. Visit www.chicagoredcross.org/tributes.

-Shemiah W.

Slumping Economy May Lead to More Home Fires

The economy’s slump has people worried about the heating bills this winter, and a Red Cross survey released yesterday shows that this might result in an increase in home fires. When people try to be frugal with their furnaces, they often resort to other, more dangerous methods of heating their homes, like cozying up next to space heaters or even turning up their ovens and stoves. From the release:

The majority (79%) of Americans are concerned about the rising cost of heating their homes, and many will use an alternative heating source to reduce their bills this winter.

Every year, our Greater Chicago chapter goes out to hundreds and hundreds of home fires. It’s our primary, most common disaster response (though a lot of people don’t even know that the Red Cross helps victims of fires!).

In an effort to educate and empower people to heat their homes safely this winter, we’re going to be visiting homes in Joliet tomorrow—and in other neighborhoods for the rest of the month. Our Team Firestopper will show people where hazards might be lurking in their own homes, and we’ll give them a lesson on draft-proofing their homes.

Want to join the Team? Sign up today! We’ll be doing events until early November.

Interested in learning more about this issue? Read our press release.

What do you think? Are you going to wear a sweater, Jimmy-Carter style? How do you keep your home both cozy and fire-safe?

Fundraise For Disaster Relief!

Although the effects of the Midwest floods and Hurricanes Ike & Gustav are no longer a focus in mainstream media, there is still a great need to raise money for disaster relief. Relief aid has been used to serve thousands of Americans in need of food, shelter, and other Red Cross services after being displaced from their homes.

The American Red Cross has launched a $100 million nationwide fundraising campaign and encouraging all, especially youth and young adult volunteers, to promote this effort within their communities. Youth volunteers are passionate about the mission of the Red Cross and are awesome in building awareness about important issues to networks of people on their school campus and organizations they belong to. National Youth Council Vice-Chair, Chris Chen, has stated, “If the Red Cross is going to be successful in fundraising for the Disaster Relief, youth need to play a key part.”

Yes, indeed!

Join youth in this effort to raise awareness & funds for Disaster Relief! Have any great fundraising or project ideas for students? Let us know.

Check out http://www.redcrossyouth.org/ to see what other youth & young adult volunteers are doing to help.

Playoffs Fever!

The Cubs/

Sox

cross-town rivalry is

in full force, and we're joining in at the Red Cross by asking our chapter staff to come dressed in their best Cubs or Sox garb on Friday to show their spirit!

While some of us at the Red Cross are loyal to our north or south side team, when it comes to disasters, we don't take sides. Over 90% of our disaster response is to home fires, and that covers the north side, the south side and everywhere in between.

Speaking of home fires, we want to remind you that October is fire safety month. While you're reveling in the excitement of the playoffs and preparing for your own Cubs or Sox party this weekend, take a minute to do a fire safety check in your home. We promise you won't regret it.

You can find helpful fire safety tips on the Get Prepared section of our website.