I Cross My Heart

Photo courtesy of American Red Cross

by Sydney Holt, volunteer contributor

“I Cross My Heart” – A promise, playground rhyme and a familiar country tune, the saying “I cross my heart” is one that we associate with the truth or a pledge. When it comes to taking the pledge to volunteer, I think many of us become overwhelmed and let our commitments fall by the wayside between school, work, parenting and all the other roles we take on as productive members of society. Well, listen up because do I have news for you… Volunteering can be what YOU make it!

Don’t believe me? 30 minutes, a few hours, part-time – take a look at a few ways you can volunteer with DFW Red Cross in 2014 – I “Cross My Heart” it’ll be quick!

30 – 45 minutes – Donate Blood. Contribute to your community's blood supply and change lives. Do it on your own schedule, volunteer as much as and as often as your schedule permits.

A few hours - Learn CPR or Become a Red Cross Instructor. Be ready to serve your community (and loved ones) at any time by learning the important skill of CPR. Then take it to the next level by attending additional courses to become a certified Red Cross Instructor. The Red Cross also offers other life-saving training classes, including Lifeguarding, Babysitting & Swimming/Water Safety.

More flexible – Admin work, accounting experience, writing experience – we welcome all of your talents! To search for opportunities in the DFW area (and beyond) click here.

No time? Don’t feel bad – be a financial participant by donating $10 – text ‘redcross’ to 90999.

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Make A Difference Day: You Can Make a Difference

by Catherine Carlton, volunteer contributor

Make a Difference Day is a big deal at Red Cross, and it’s not.

It’s a big deal because so many people come together to support helping those in need. It’s not, because the Red Cross makes a difference in people’s lives every day.

My reason for giving is because life has taught me that you never know when it might be “your turn” to turn to the community for help.

For me, giving back is a priority. 

The Red Cross mission is: “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

It’s the kind of mission that you can easily understand and want to be a part of. You want to help make a difference in alleviating suffering. 

Be it a fire, a floor, a tornado or earthquake, the Red Cross is often the first one there to make a difference.

You can make a difference, too.  You just have to choose what you want to do. It’s easy. Start with a day: today.  You’ll see how easy and fullfilling it is, and eventually it won’t be just a day. 

• Learn about giving blood.
• Make a donation.
• Volunteer.
• Take a class. 

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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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Ways to Help as Sandy Prepares for Landfall

Written by Anita Foster, Chief Communications Officer, American Red Cross-North Texas Region 

Over the weekend, the American Red Cross in the Metroplex sent eight relief workers to New Jersey, New York and other areas in advance of Hurricane Sandy. With air travel all but halted, additional deployments will be delayed until after landfall. Even though North Texans are miles from the wind and rain, there are still three important action steps that local residents can take to help those impacted:

1. Give Blood. Residents in the impact zone will not be able to donate blood for the next few weeks as they'll be focused on disaster recovery. North Texans can do our part to help by ensuring we keep the nationwide blood supply stocked. To make a blood donor appointment, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit www.redcross.org.

2. Make a Financial Gift. Mobilizing for a relief operation of this size is costly, but necessary. The Red Cross has already spent millions of dollars getting ready, and we'll spend millions more after landfall. North Texans can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10, click on www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS to make a much-needed financial donation.

3. Download the Hurricane App: This free application from the Red Cross will allow someone to receive alerts and track friends and family in the impact zone. The App is available for the iPhone and Android.

Once Hurricane Sandy makes landfall, the American Red Cross will have a better idea of how many people are directly impacted and what additional resources will be needed for relief efforts.

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New Website for Red Cross Equals New Opportunitites to Prepare

It's new. It's improved. And it's all about you! Red Cross DFW has launched a new website and we hope you'll take a tour, a class and maybe even get involved. Listen to Dan Halyburton, one of our Public Affairs volunteers, as he walks you through the new site. While you can still get to our site by visiting www.redcrossdallas.org, we've  joined with our sister city in the Metroplex-Fort. Worth, and will include information pertaining to the entire metroplex area. We hope to see you there!

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Turning Desperation Into Inspiration

Written by Kristina Brevard, volunteer contributor

As I packed my “Red Cross Go Bag” in preparation to respond to Isaac this week, I realized that it was seven years ago this week that I started my volunteer journey with the American Red Cross.

It’s the same images we are seeing today that I remember seeing seven years ago—flooded streets, the barefoot people fleeing with only a few belongings, boarded up homes half submerged. These images were the images that made me act. I knew I could help, I just didn't know how. That's when I contacted the Red Cross. "Teach me, train me, prepare me so I am not helpless to these people who need us," I said to the person on the other line.

And they did!

Highway 90 by Lake Saint Catherine near Slidell, Louisiana.
Photo by Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

Thinking back to my first couple of weeks working in the shelters brings tears to my eyes as I remember the evacuees walking into the shelter looking so defeated, carrying garbage bags of the only belongings they could carry out of their homes. 

It was devastating. But by me being there, I offered hope and some level of comfort to these strangers who were in desperate need of a place to temporarily call “home.” As the days went on, I’d  observe the crowds with their eyes glued to the television hoping to get a glimpse of hope that their neighborhood was still standing. The daily questions I’d answer were, “Are they letting people back in to the neighborhoods? When is the shelter closing?” There were so many unknowns to all of them and though I couldn’t always provide them with answers, I could provide them with a shoulder to cry on, a joke to laugh at or something as simple as a hot cup of coffee.

My heart breaks because I know those same questions are being asked today in the more than 80 shelters that are currently open in seven states.

Shelter residents who left the Gulf Coast ahead of Isaac
and are staying in Texas until it's safe to return home.
Photo by Kim Purintun/American Red Cross.

The good news is, you don't have to feel hopeless as you watch the coverage. There is a way to help! Empower yourself, take action and make a difference in someone else's life. Here are all the ways that you can get involved.

Volunteer: 

Volunteers give the personal connection that is needed desperately during times of disasters. Currently, we are training volunteers to respond those who need us during hurricane season through Saturday. Click for schedule.

Donate:

Every dollar matters. Go to redcross.org, call 1-800-redcross, or you can text 90999 to REDCROSS to give a $10 donation. 

Be an Advocate:

Donate your digital messages to us! Every message you retweet, share and comment on makes a difference. Your comments may lead to a gift or inspire someone else to give. Please like and recommend our page on Facebook at Red Cross DFW and follow us on Twitter @RedCrossDFW to see how we are helping with the hurricane relief here at home.  

Through seven years and numerous disaster responses, I have one one thing to be true—human connection is needed to heal. Volunteering isn’t a only a one-sided, unselfish act, it's a gift to those who need healing and I have the warm memories of making an impact on the lives of families who can only plan for today.

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Weather and Wildfires Keeping Red Cross Busy Across Texas

On Friday, fire officials fighting fires near Possum Kingdom Lake in Texas sought help from the American Red Cross by asking our teams to provide bottled water and Gatorade around the clock to their teams protecting life and property. Within hours, Red Cross volunteer had trucks loaded and hit the road. As those crews continue their work near the lake, new crews are loading other trucks and getting ready to assess storm damage across Tarrant and Johnson Counties. The work never ends, and we can't do it without you. To become a volunteer or make a financial donation to help the Red Cross always be ready to roll, go to www.redcross.org.

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Partnerships Run Deep in Texas

Written by Rusty Surrette

Southwest Airlines donated thousands of snacks today that were immediately loaded on trucks to be handed out at shelters and in communities impacted by the tornadoes in Texas.

"We're a proud supporter of the Red Cross and the work that they do, and we're happy to help out," said Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Marylee McInnis. "We think that this is very important that we give back to our community."

Following a disaster, Red Cross volunteers work around the clock to open shelters and provide food to affected families. In the middle of chaos and disaster, something as simple as a cup of coffee or a bag of pretzels can provide a sense of comfort and normalcy to those who have lost everything. 


We work with our partners and supporters - before, during and after a disaster - to keep snacks, beverages, blankets, cleaning supplies, tarps and other essential items stocked, positioned in warehouses around the nation, ready to go at a moments notice.

When you make a donation to the Red Cross, you're not only supporting our mission of helping families, but you're also giving us the opportunity to prepare for the next tornado, fire or flood.

If you would like to become a supporter of the Red Cross, please call 1-800-REDCROSS or visit www.redcrossdallas.org today.

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Get Up and Give!

Mark your calendars for the 3rd annual Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day, which will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2011.

On "Get Up and Give!" North Texas Giving Day 2011, every donation of $25 or more will be matched if you donate to us through www.donorbridgetx.org, North Texas' online resource that connects donors with nonprofit organizations like us.

Please visit the site anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., search for the American Red Cross and click "Donate Now." Your donation will go a long way in helping us rise to the challenge of transforming lives in crisis into lives of hope when emergencies strike. Plus, every dollar given at any time during the day will receive a portion of $1 million in matching funds – making your dollars go further.

It doesn't matter when you give, just remember to get up and give – whether out of bed, from your desk, or off your couch, just give!

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Extreme Heat Drains Red Cross Water Wells

The Red Cross is known world-wide for helping families with food, clothing and shelter after disasters. But the agency also provides an unknown and lifesaving service in communities across the Metroplex every day; and that's making sure that area firefighters working on disaster scenes have plenty of bottled water and Gatorade to keep them hydrated.



With this year's extreme temperatures, the Red Cross has plowed through an entire summer's worth of bottled water and Gatorade in just a few short weeks. Seeing an increase of 132% in the amount of hydration supplies distributed over this time last year, and a 46% increase in disaster responses, the organization is now facing a critical shortage and reaching out to North Texans for financial help to restock the shelves.



"Our warehouse is bare. We're down to about one pallet of bottled water and not much more Gatorade," said Leslie Palmer, interim regional chief executive officer, American Red Cross. "That's not going to last long so we're in great need of financial donations to make sure the many firefighters working out in this heat stay hydrated."



Palmer says that the way to help is with a financial gift. "That financial gift will allow us to purchase specific sizes of product to fit on our relief trucks and be easily palletized. We can also purchase in bulk which will help your gift go even further. No gift is too small or too large."



North Texans who would like to help the Red Cross restock the water and Gatorade shelves can make a donation at www.redcrossdallas.org or call 214-678-4800 to make a gift over the phone.

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