Thank you to our pledge runners who have so far collectively raised almost $11,000!

Race Day is in t-minus 5 days and we couldn’t be more excited to meet you all, give you a hug (or high-five…or wave!) and say thank you for all you are doing to support  our local Red Cross chapter. What you are doing is making a difference. I know it can sound cliche to say that but it’s so true — the funds you raise make a difference to people in our community — like the 14 families we helped this past weekend after a terrible apartment fire. When you can provide someone with something as simple as a place to stay, a hot meal, a stuffed animal — it makes a difference.

Though the Red Cross is “big,” what we do and how we serve is a collection of many small things. And as pledge runners, walkers, donors, supporters and volunteers, you are the pieces that make up the bigger picture of the Red Cross.

Thanks.

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As well as being a dedicated local organization here in West Michigan that serves over 60,000 people each year, your local Red Cross chapter is part of the larger network of the American Red Cross, whose arms are felt not only down the street, but across the country and around the world. I wanted to show you some truly astounding national statistics that help paint a broader picture of the effects of the money you raise, the time you give and the blood you donate.

Every Day…

200 families who lost everything in a house fire or other disaster are helped by American Red Cross volunteers.

475 deployed service members are connected with their families through Red Cross emergency messaging.

19,000 people outside the US receive urgent care following a disaster from the Red Cross and our partners.

21,000 people receive a blood transfusion from a Red Cross donor.

43,000 people receive life-saving Red Cross health, safety and preparedness training.

290,000 children receive a measles vaccination from the Red Cross and partners.

Every 60 seconds, the life-saving mission of the American Red Cross has benefited 250 people.

For the over 100 people who are already Running for the Red, thank you and keep raising those pledges! If you are interested in becoming a pledge runner for the Red Cross, it’s easy! Click here for more information.

[Photo credit: Talia Frenkel, American Red Cross]

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Did you know that your local Red Cross works with many local refugees from around the world? Our local impact stretches not only down the street and across the country, but around the world. We hear stories, like Samuel’s below, that tug at our heart. As we plan and dream as a part of World Refugee Day coming up on June 19, I wanted to share this story with you:

Imagine you have been torn apart from everything you know and love. Your home is destroyed and your family is torn apart by armed soldiers. Now, years later, you wonder where your family members are, questioning if they are even alive.

For a large number of people in Grand Rapids, some version of this story is their reality. Just this year, Grand Rapids has welcomed over 500 refugees into the area. These people were forced to flee from their homes, leaving behind family and friends. Now, far away from that brutal reality, they are learning to deal with the past in a brand new place and life. What happened to their home? Their friends? Their family?

Your local American Red Cross chapter offers tracing services for these hurting neighbors to find closure in their questioning. International Family Tracing is a free service that helps refugees locate their missing loved ones. A chapter caseworker meets with the client and collects all relevant information about the sought person. From there, the case is sent through the service delivery chain, which goes through offices in Washington D.C., Switzerland, and finally, in the home country of the sought person.

The Red Cross also offers a messaging service, Red Cross Messages, which are delivered through similar channels to Family Tracing. Handwritten messages are delivered to family members with a known location in a foreign country. Because the Red Cross is so well known worldwide, it is possible to send a message to and from over 180 countries.

Four years ago, the American Red Cross of Greater Grand Rapids received a Red Cross message from Ethiopia. A man was trying to contact his brother, Samuel*, a refugee that had resettled in Grand Rapids. A volunteer caseworker scoured the city looking for Samuel and eventually discovered that he was enrolled at a local college. The caseworker located Samuel and delivered his brother’s message to him.

In a letter, the caseworker wrote about the search that Samuel had also been conducting for his brother. As they searched for one other, Samuel’s family here in Grand Rapids was “convinced he was dead, but they had one unanswered question—how did he die?” They were overjoyed at the news and message from this brother still in Ethiopia. Working with the volunteer caseworker that had delivered the message, Samuel had the opportunity to reply to his once-lost brother. He wrote about his joy upon hearing the news, “It’s nice to hear from you and I can’t wait to hear your voice on the phone.”

For the volunteer working on Samuel’s case, this was an equally rewarding experience: “Samuel is now a new person and the sorrow and agony that has lived with him for over twenty years is gone because his hope has been restored.” Through the research and dedication of volunteers on many levels of the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement, Samuel’s family was forever changed.

Samuel’s story is just one example of the great work being done throughout the Grand Rapids area. Be a part of this work when you Run for the Red at the River Bank Run this year — click here for more information.

*The names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of the persons.

[Photo credit: Dave Odette, The Grand Rapids Press]

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So friends, the calendar tells us that it’s almost April. (I, for one, am still doubtful — after Sunday’s snow, I have been suspicious that Michigan is up to its old tricks again.) As the old adage goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” Well, we know April will bring showers. And for many of you, May doesn’t mean flowers as much as it means running — specifically running downtown, on May 8, as participants in the River Bank Run (maybe even pledge running/walking for the Red?!).

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, friends. Until then, we have all the April showers to endure. And as your Red Cross, we (of course) have some safety tips for you as spring storms come a-rollin’ in.

* If you are outside, take cover in the best shelter you can find. Always head for a building before a car.

* If you are near water, head inland as soon as possible.

* Do not take a bath or shower (no matter how bad you smell…sorry, safety first!).

* If you are in the woods, take shelter under the shorter trees.

* If you feel your skin tingle or hair stand on end, squat low to the ground on the balls of your feet. Place your hands on your knees with your head between them, making yourself the smallest target possible. Minimize your contact with the ground.

There’s still time to help us reach our goal of 200 pledge runners and walkers for the Red Cross! For more information, click here.

[Photo credit here]

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The Red Cross mission leans very heavily on health and safety training. Perhaps you’ve taken a CPR or First Aid class from us. Maybe your son or daughter splashed through swim lessons or diapered teddy bears in a Babysitter Training course. Over 22,000 people take these classes each year and the stories we hear are pretty amazing. Take this story from GR native, world-traveler and fellow runner, Rolland Trowbridge.

Photo Credit: Rolland Trowbridge

Fred Connelly walked up his favorite trail for two hours each morning. This trail, which stretched up a mountain overlooking the ocean in Newfoundland, was where he collapsed in December 2008 and would have died, had it not been for Rolland Trowbridge.

Rolland, a Grand Rapids native, had taken CPR training from our Red Cross chapter in the fall of 2007, and had freshened up with a re-certification in the fall of 2008. As an avid boater, Rolland was required to maintain his certification. That December morning, he realized why it was so important.

“Your brain leaks out information over time and by the time you get to a situation when you need it, it’s not there,” said Rolland. “It’s like driver’s training – you know you need it but until you hit another car because you forgot to use your side mirrors, you don’t realize why you need it.”

Living on their boat during the winter of 2009, the Trowbridge family was docked in Newfoundland for the winter and as part of his morning routine there, Rolland went running each morning. One morning in mid-December, he passed Fred on the trail. Pausing on the top of the hill to enjoy the view of the water, he turned to see Fred collapse to the ground.

“He took a swing at the hand rail at the top of the steps, missed, and did a perfect face plant right into the solid rock ground,” recalls Rolland.

“I ran over to him and tapped him hard on the shoulder and asked him if he needed help. He didn’t respond and he wasn’t breathing. At this point, a couple I had passed earlier reached the top of the steps. I yelled at them that if they had a cell phone, they should call 911. At this point, everything else I did, I only knew how to do it because I had taken CPR.”

It took Rolland 15 minutes of rigorous CPR to get Fred breathing again. By that time, he could hear sirens off in the distance, but was still a good 15 minute walk from the road.

“The 911 dispatcher wanted to talk to me,” said Rolland. “I tried to ask Fred a bunch of questions, but I wasn’t getting any answers that made sense, His age changed between questions, and so did prior conditions. He soon stopped talking and then closed his eyes and faded on me.”

“I slapped him and shouted at him, ‘You have to stay awake, you can sleep later in the hospital, I have to know if you are alive!’ He said something that still is going through my mind: ‘This is a good place to die, I have always wanted to die on this trail and today is a good day.’ He closed his eyes again. I began tapping his face, yelling ‘You are not going to die today, not on my watch! You can pick some other day to die but not today!’”

Shortly after the rescue team arrived and was able to get Fred to a hospital. Rolland visited him and his family. Since then, he has kept in touch with the family through Fred’s recovery process. Rolland has received letters of thanks from relatives of the Connelly family all over the US and Canada.

“If you don’t know CPR or haven’t taken it in years, do yourself a favor and take it again,” said Rolland. “If I had not just taken a refresher course, I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do. With the course in my head, I just followed the steps. I cannot imagine how I would feel if I had this guy die in front of me. Don’t think what you see on TV is going to help you. Not knowing CPR is taking a huge risk because it literally can be the difference between life and death.”

Be a part of our lifesaving mission by Running for the Red this year at the River Bank Run. Click here for more information.

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Giving blood is often one of the first things people tend to associate with the Red Cross. When I visit fairs or expos on behalf of the Red Cross and someone stops to look at our booth, one thing I often hear is, “Well, I don’t like to give blood.” But equally popular to that is “When’s the next blood drive?”

Well, since you asked nicely, it’s actually TOMORROW! Right here at the Red Cross chapter! AND all presenting donors get a FREE light lunch/dinner from Marie Catrib’s and Sandmann’s Barbecue. (Not your average cookie and juice box, huh?)

Photo credit: American Red Cross

KMMNBNA National Black Nurses Association and First Community AME Church are pleased to sponsor this Blood Drive at:

American Red Cross
1050 Fuller Ave NE, Grand Rapids

Friday, March 12, 2010
12:00pm to 5:45pm

Giving only one pint of blood means that three people get a second chance at life. Take someone like our friend and Road Warrior extraordinaire, Walter Catton. During his over 30 surgeries after his accident, Walter used the blood of 3 to 4 people (that’s whole people, not donations from 3 to 4 people). Without these donations, Walter wouldn’t be running with us today.

The Red Cross provides over 50% of the nation’s blood supply. Be a part of the family of blood donors and click here to make an appointment today. You can also be a part of the Red Cross family by Running (or Walking) for the Red at the Fifth Third River Bank Run this year — help us reach our goal of 200 pledge runners and click here!

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Did you know March is Red Cross Month?

Each March, myself and all the other Red Crossers around the country gear up to do one very important thing: say “THANK YOU!!”

The American Red Cross is a primarily volunteer-driven organization. We have over 1,000 volunteers in our community — volunteers who give of themselves and their time to work in the office, drive transportation clients, go on disaster calls and more! We have the support of thousands of donors, thousands of people who give blood and thousands more who get trained in our Health and Safety classes.

The Red Cross could not exist without these people like YOU — Down the street, across the country and around the world, you enable the Red Cross to serve over 60,000 people in our community each year.  We want to take this moment to say, “Thanks.”

When you Run (or walk) for the Red Cross, you become a part of the Red Cross family of supporters — for more information, click here.

Also, check out the assortment of events we have coming up this March!

Heroes for Red Cross campaign (March 1 – May 14)
Rock Out for the Red Cross (Wednesday, March 10 @ Billy’s Lounge)
Military Family Ice Skating Social (Saturday, March 13 @ Patterson Ice Center)
Hoppers for Hope (Saturday, March 13 @ TC Paintball)
PMA Bowling Fundraiser (Wednesday, March 17 @ Spectrum Lanes)
Pancake Breakfast for World Refugee Day (Saturday, March 20 @ The Electric Cheetah)

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Have you met our Road Warrior, Walter Catton, yet?

I sure hope so — Walter is a pretty spectacular guy. After being hit by an SUV while biking last May, he wasn’t supposed to be walking right now. “So what is he doing?” you might ask — well, he’s training to run a 25k. (WHOA! — that was our reaction too.) But don’t just take it from me — you should absolutely visit Walter’s Road Warrior blog and read all about it. (You might want tissues.)

In honor of Walter and his mantra, “Living the Dream,” the Red Cross has come up with a pretty nifty t-shirt that will be going to our pledge participants who raise $150 or more! Wear this t-shirt on Race Day and be a part of the “Sea of Red” along with your fellow Red Cross pledge runners and walkers!

Sign up (Pledge Runners, Walkers and Teams): http://redcrossggr.org/53riverbankrun
Donate: http://active.com/donate/redcrossggr
Volunteer: http://redcrossggr.org/53riverbankrun

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Many volunteers come to us with their own stories of why they want to work with the Red Cross. Often, they are for very personal reasons — strong threads that connect their heart to the Red Cross. One such volunteer at our chapter is Traci, who was recently named a Red Cross volunteer of the month.

Traci came to us in September 2009 as a mother with two sons in the Army, one of whom is currently serving in Iraq. A hard-working volunteer, she is dedicated to providing excellent service to the military community in our area. Traci handles military emergency calls, attends military events, and takes on administrative tasks at our office. She gives generously of her time and is an exemplary volunteer, engaging each assignment with full dedication to offer the best possible service to our clients and community.

Photo Credit: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

Because of her dedication and time, we are able to better serve the members of the armed forces by providing services like:

• Helping Families Stay In Touch and Obtain Verification of Emergency Leave Information: Red Cross emergency communications services keep military personnel in touch with their families following the death or serious illness of an immediate family member, the birth of a service member’s child or grandchild or when a family faces other emergencies.
• Secure Emergency Financial Assistance: The American Red Cross works under partnership agreements with the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society to provide quality, reliable financial assistance to eligible applicants 24/7/365.
• Obtain Counseling, Information, Referrals and Other Social Needs: The American Red Cross offers confidential services to all military personnel—active duty, National Guard and Reserves—and their families. Counseling, guidance, information, referrals and other social services are available through our worldwide network of chapters and offices on military installations.

When you decide to Run for the Red this year at the Fifth Third River Bank Run, the funds and awareness you raise help make stories like Traci’s and so many others possible. For more information on how to be a Red Cross pledge runner, form a corporate team and more, visit www.redcrossggr.org/53riverbankrun.

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Hello, River Bank Runners! Today, I want to share this story with you. Cassidhe Hart, one of our AmeriCorps volunteers here at our office, posted this on our chapter’s blog awhile back and I thought it was such a beautiful story that I wanted to share it with you all.

“We’d just finished the casework and my co-worker and I were getting ready to close up the back of the Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV). It was painfully cold outside; we’d just given our client a hat and some gloves to help keep her warm while we filled out the paperwork. Her two children waited in their grandmother’s car—a boy of 8 and a girl who turned 4 on that day. No one had been home when the fire started so luckily no one had come to physical harm. Sadly though, hardly any of their possessions would be salvageable. The 8-year-old had come home to the scene looking rather bewildered but it was his mother who was almost inconsolable. The property manager and the leasing office workers came out to see her, promising assistance and getting clothing sizes so that neighbors could donate appropriate items. Despite the difficult circumstance, it seemed the client would have a supportive community.

Before I could close the back doors to the ERV, a neighbor approached us about volunteering with the American Red Cross and we stood for a while in the cold, conversing. She told us that when she and her son had seen what was going on next door, they wanted to help in some way. They had to run some errands and while they were at the store, the son picked out some Matchbox cars for his neighbor friend. That’s why they were there: to give the gift to this little boy, gazing at his destroyed home.

“Why are you giving me these?” the boy had asked them, still trying to take everything in.

“Because you’re our friend,” his neighbors replied, “And we love you.”

They told me that the boy then began to cry. And I remember that when I walked with the client out to the car where her children sat, he had proudly displayed the cars to his mother; his proof that he hadn’t lost everything.” — Cassidhe Hart, Red Cross AmeriCorps volunteer

This story is just another example of the ways the Red Cross touches the community every day, in large ways and in small. 91 cents of each dollar that is donated to the Red Cross helps stories like this happen. When you run for Red Cross, each pledged dollar goes to change lives in crisis into lives of hope in our community every day. For more information on how you can get involved with the Red Cross, click here.

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