Special Support for Superstorm Sandy Victims: An Inspiring Donation from Dunaway Elementary School in Waxahachie

Written by Kay Pinkerton, volunteer contributor

Three months after Hurricane Sandy slammed into the Northeastern United States, families remain devastated in its wake.  The American Red Cross has committed to remain in the affected region to help storm victims rebuild their lives.  Among those providing the Red Cross with financial support are Dunaway Elementary School students in Waxahachie, Texas. 

During a Feb. 4 school assembly, American Red Cross Disaster Relief representatives accepted a $600 check from Dunaway’s students, teachers and staff.  The money resulted from a Nov. 26-Dec. 21 fundraiser benefitting victims of Hurricane Sandy.  The fund drive was spearheaded by fourth-graders Isabella (“Bella”) Errisuriz and her best friend, Cera Trevino. 

In a short, prepared speech, Bella acknowledged the other students for sharing in the fundraiser.  “I’d like to thank everyone for giving my dream a chance.”

Cera gave a pep talk as well.

“You got this from coins and dollar bills that were wadded up in your couch,” she said to her classmates. “But today isn’t about us.  It’s about Hurricane Sandy victims.  Imagine what they went through, losing everything they have.”

Red Cross Disaster Relief representatives Sara Littleton and Sylvia Hernandez spoke to the students during the assembly. Both women were deployed to the East Coast after Sandy made landfall.

In recognition of Bella’s and Cera’s outstanding work, Littleton and Hernandez gave each girl an American Red Cross Certificate of Appreciation.  The women also praised those who were sitting in the audience.   

“Bella and Cera have a wonderful thing going,” said Littleton.  “They got the rest of you involved, and look what you did!  The money will be used to help people just as you intended.”

The “Master of Big”

When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in late October, Bella was moved by a broadcast news story highlighting the plight of its victims.  

“The people looked very sad and scared when it happened,” she said.   

Determined to get involved, Bella enlisted the help of her best friend, Cera.  They brainstormed several ideas – even during sleepovers.  Once the girls had a list of ideas, they approached Dunaway school counselor Jennifer Wilson.  Wilson helped them sharpen their focus and select a workable plan.

“I was glad to see them wanting to do something to help others,” said Wilson.  “They started out with a huge project. I helped them narrow it down a bit.”

Bella confirmed her inclination for thinking large.  “I’m the master of big,” she said.  

Wilson introduced the girls to the Red Cross as a credible source for the donated funds.  

“At the time, my family and I were texting donations to the Red Cross,” said Wilson. “So I led the girls in that direction.”

With guidelines in place, the girls took over.

“They are the ones who made the project such a great success,” Wilson said.  

After the Storm

Stories of Sandy’s victims from the Red Cross emphasize the need for continued financial, material and emotional support.  Hernandez, who deployed to the Northeastern United States one month after Sandy’s landfall, recalled a discussion with a New Yorker who was living in her severely damaged house.

“She didn’t want to leave her home.  Even though she had no electricity, no food – nothing,” said Hernandez. “So we gave her two cases of heater meals – those you don’t need to heat up.  And we gave her blankets.  She was really, really cold.”

Public Generosity

Causing tens of billions in property damage, Hurricane Sandy ranks as one of the United States’ costliest hurricanes.

The Red Cross has received more than $254 million in donations and pledges for Sandy. By January 31, the Red Cross had spent or made commitments to spend an estimated $145 million. The remaining donations will be used to help individuals and communities affected by the storm with their long-term needs. This spending, which represents both direct services and support provided to other agencies, is more than half of the money received in the first three months.

 “This is a large amount of money to be spent in such a short period of time, but as has been seen in other disasters, recovery is a marathon, not a sprint,” said American Red Cross President and Chief Executive Officer Gail McGovern.  “However long it takes, the Red Cross is committed that money donated for Sandy will stay in those communities to help the people affected by this disaster.”

More information on the Red Cross’ role in Hurricane Sandy’s emergency relief and recovery can be found at www.redcross.org/sandy-response.    Information on conducting a fundraiser on behalf of the Red Cross is located at http://www.redcross.org/support/donating-fundraising/fundraising-licensing.

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Bringing Aid with Lemonade: A Hurricane Sandy Story

Written by Amy Yen, volunteer contributor

As you know, the American Red Cross has had a busy couple of weeks. So far in our massive relief response to Superstorm Sandy, we’ve served more than 4.8 million meals and snacks, provided more than 70,100 overnight stays at shelters, made more than 43,800 health services and emotional support contacts and handed out more than 477,700 relief items in ten states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

We’ve been able to do all of this because of the incredible outpouring of support from Americans all over the country. This includes two boys in Fort Worth who set out to make a difference with the most iconic of American youth traditions: the lemonade stand.

Thomas Danzi and Jack Fulton, both five years old, earned nearly $1,000 with their lemonade stand, which they donated to the American Red Cross’s disaster relief efforts.

Thomas and Jack at their lemonade stand benefitting the American Red Cross.



 When Thomas wanted to set up a stand, his mother, Katie Danzi, suggested they donate the funds to help others. Although, Thomas might have a little different idea of what the money is being used for.

“I asked him, ‘Do you think the people from the hurricane would need the money?’” said Katie, “And he said, ‘Yeah Mama, we’ll send it to all of them so they can buy dump trucks!’”

Katie said they did their research on where their money would make the biggest difference: “I’ve been keeping up with updates about the hurricane and there’s been a lot of debate about who the best organization was to give your money to to help. The consensus was the Red Cross was on the ground and was the most visible presence there, so that’s why we decided to go with them.”

So, armed with cookies, lemonade and homemade receipts made with Lego stickers, the boys set up shop in their neighborhood. The response was astounding.

“It was really amazing how generous everyone was. A lot of people weren’t really stopping to get the lemonade. They were just pulling up and giving us $20 bills and someone gave us a $100 bill,” said Katie. “We had signs that had Red Cross on them and I don’t really think people really needed to know any more than that. They were comfortable with where the money was going. People were very, very generous.”

All in all, the lemonade stand was a great success. Not only did it earn $947 toward the Red Cross’s Sandy relief efforts, Thomas and Jack learned the money went toward a little more than dump trucks.

Thomas and Jack make their first donation to the Red Cross after a tour of the Chisholm Trail Chapter from American Red Cross North Texas Region CEO, T.D. Smyers. They did see trucks!



 “We had a box where we were putting the money and sometimes people would ask Thomas and Jack, ‘Hey guys, where’s the money going?’ and they would say, ‘In the box.’ But I think they got it in the end. It was a great life lesson,” said Katie. “That’s why, when we went to the Red Cross office to drop off the money, we wanted to make sure to bring them so they could grasp where the money was going and why, and that they saw all the pictures of the devastation and what the Red Cross was doing to help.”

It made an impression: “Thomas asked when we could do another lemonade stand and I said, I don’t know, and he said, ‘Maybe when there’s a tornado?’ He was already thinking of how to help at the next disaster.”

It turns out, Thomas and Jack’s lemonade stand made an even bigger difference than just the money they raised. Katie shared a picture of the stand on a Facebook page for Jersey Shore Hurricane News, where it quickly liked more than 1,350 times and shared more than 1,300 times. It gave hope to people in the area and even inspired several other lemonade stands around the country.

Relief efforts for Superstorm Sandy are ongoing. More than 4,500 people remain in shelters and Emergency Response Vehicles continue to serve hot meals and give out supplies on the ground. If you’d like to donate, you can visit RedCross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 for a fast $10 donation. Thank you again to everyone who’s already generously donated!

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Red Cross Supporter Jackie Stevens’ Mother’s Day Gift: A Daughter Giving Back

Written by Catherine Carlton, volunteer contributor

Claire Stevens sings with her heart and giving spirit at her coffee house fundraiser earlier this month.



Jackie Stevens has made the importance of giving back an ongoing lesson for her third-grade daughter, Claire.

It started with a specific piggy bank for charity efforts, which sat alongside two other banks: one for savings and one for spending. She has great pride in her daughter’s recent endeavor in giving back to her community – and so do we.

After seeing coverage of the DFW tornados last month, Claire suggested she do something to help the Red Cross help the families impacted by the storms. “We could make money for the Red Cross when we do a coffee house,” Claire told her mom.

Claire has been taking piano lessons for about 18 months and recently connected that she could use her music to help others. When a family friend who goes to the same music school as Claire asked her to play at a coffee house with him, she suggested that they use the show to raise money for the Red Cross. Claire’s fellow performer was immediately on board and thought the idea was awesome.

“She was so excited to help,” Jackie said, noting Claire knew that the storms meant some kids lost their homes, their stuffed animals, their toys and even their puppies. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to come home from school and not have your house and your room.

Jackie added, “We were so proud that we offered to match their donations.”
In total, Claire and her fellow performer donated $204.28. The end feeling became infectious in Claire, who is already thinking about her next charitable endeavor. “We can do it again and get more people to come and we can raise more money,” Claire explained to her mom.

“As a mom you talk to your kids about a lot of things, big and small, and how they should respond,” Jackie said. “And you hope when situations arise they will make good decisions and follow through. You hope that they are understanding why philanthropy is so important, and that you’re doing a good job of being a positive role model. When you realize they get it, it’s such a great feeling. I’m really proud.”

The American Red Cross, commonly referred to as “The World’s Greatest Mother,” wishes everyone a Happy Mothers Day. We know that the spirit of giving often begins at home, and we appreciate you and what you do to teach the idea of giving back and helping organizations like the Red Cross.

How did you learn to give back to your community?

Jackie shared, “I learned about giving back from watching my parents who never made a big deal about the things they did to help and they were always there for me and my sisters. My husband is also a big believer in charity so when Claire was about 3, we started the piggy banks and modeling an attitude of giving back. We have a ‘Thanksgiving Clean Out’ the weekend after Thanksgiving and we donate clothes and toys to Goodwill every year. We donate clothes to Catholic Charities throughout the year and started a tradition of donating to the North Texas Food Bank in the names of Claire's teachers/administrative team at Christmas.”

To follow 9-year-old Claire’s example and make a donation to the Red Cross, visit us online at redcross.org, text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

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Celebrating our Youth in Action: Meet Red Cross Blood Services Volunteer Angel Diaz

Written by Linh Le, staff contributor

American Red Cross donor recruitment representative Shiela Winans  with Red Cross volunteer Angel Diaz at the Middle College High School blood drive.

Angel Diaz, age 18, knew that if he wanted college and career opportunities he would have to take matters into his own hands. In the coming weeks, Angel will be the first member of his family to graduate high school. Not only will he receive his high school diploma and be class valedictorian, Angel will also receive recognition for obtaining an Associates of Science and Associates of Arts.

In addition to his educational achievements, Angel is an American Red Cross blood drive coordinator volunteer.

“At Middle College High School, we are more focused on academics. I thought a blood drive was a great way to bring solidarity and help out the community at the same time.”

Angel and his friends coordinated the blood drive in every way, from securing rooms to recruiting fellow students to donate blood.

“You could see that the blood drive helped increase morale. We did a great job and exceeded our goal! It was a great way to bring everyone together.”

When he isn’t coordinating blood drives, studying or working, Angel also volunteers at Methodist Hospital in Dallas, where he has logged more than 300 volunteer hours. He said volunteering in the emergency room of the hospital made him realize how important it is to donate blood.

“Patients shouldn’t suffer because there isn’t compatible blood. Initially, I was scared to donate – who isn’t – but after spending time in the emergency room, I know how important is it to donate blood so it’s there for patients when they need it.”

Initially Angel started volunteering to meet people and build his resume for college, but now volunteering is something that he loves.

“Whether I am helping the Red Cross or at the hospital, it makes me feel good to know that I am making a difference.”

This fall, Angel will be attending the University of Denver where he received a full scholarship.

To learn how you can coordinate a blood drive, please visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/hosting-blood-drive.

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Kids will be kids, but we have the best youth

Last week, our offices felt a little like a flashback to high school. We had 14 young adults from our various American Red Cross clubs come to our headquarters for the Youth Leadership Summit.

Saying that we kept them busy was an understatement. For three action-packed days (which included leadership day, service day and celebration day), our young adults:

• Got their CPR & Automated External Defibrillator (AED) certification
• Learned about the youth leadership council forum
• Prepared for disaster response
• Earned their "Be Red Cross Ready" training and certification
• and finally... celebrated.

To learn more about our youth, or (if you are a youth) how to get involved, click here.

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