Youth Dance!

I’m only 27 years old, but I’m not even going to try to sound “hip” in this post.  All I know about new popular music is that there’s someone named Lady GaGa… and apparently she’s very popular.

Back in my day, The Presidents of the United States of America sang a little song about Peaches, and we liked it that way!

Anyway – YOUTH DANCE!

Resurrection Hall

7600 Soquel Drive. Aptos, CA 95003

Wednesday, July 22

8:30 pm- 11:30 pm

Doors close at nine.

Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door

Space is limited so buy in advance!

Ticekts may be purchased at the Red Cross:

2960 Soquel Ave

M-F 8:30-4:30

Explosions!

Back in my day (and place), every town had sponsored firework displays on the 4th of July.  Not so in Santa Cruz County.  Scotts Valley has a show which is a big hit for families – and it was canceled last year, so you can bet it will be packed with onlookers this year.  But, lets be frank… there are those that aren’t down with the SV crowd.  You know who you are… you’re going down to the beach, aren’t ya?  Don’t lie.  You picked up some fireworks on a trip to Montana or some such place, and you’re going to set those suckers off.

I know.  I can hear your thoughts.

I suppose I don’t have to remind you that setting off fireworks is illegal here in Santa Cruz County… or that we’re in wildfire prone area… or that setting off fireworks can be really dangerous to your person.  What I can do is give you some tips from my neck of the woods that can help keep you a bit safer.  Of course, we recommend that you find an alternative to this dangerous and illegal activity, which takes a huge amount of resources away from our law enforcement and fire officials every year to contain.  Check out this PDF from the Denver Red Cross chapter for more facts about the amazing amount of injuries that fireworks cause every year [PDF]  (There are nearly 9,000 emergency room-treated injuries associated with fireworks a year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission).

You could have a bonfire… you can’t roast marshmallows on a firework!

Never:

• Make your own fireworks.
• Re-light an ineffective firework. Wait 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water.
• Have any part of your body over fireworks.
• Carry fireworks in your pocket.
• Shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.
• Light fireworks indoors.
• Never give fireworks to small children
• Never throw or point a firework toward people, animals, vehicles, structures or flammable materials.

Always:

• Have an adult present
• Wear eye protection
• Use earplugs if you have sensitive ears
• Properly dispose of fireworks by soaking them in water and then depositing them in a trashcan.
• always follow the instructions on the packaging.
• Keep a supply of water close-by as a precaution.
• Make sure the person lighting fireworks always wears eye protection and is an adult.
• Light only one firework at a time and never attempt to relight “a dud.”
• Store fireworks in a cool, dry place away from children and pets.
• Leave any area immediately where untrained amateurs are using fireworks.
• Stay at least 500 feet away from professional fireworks displays.

Just in case you didn’t get my drift the first time, here’s an article reinforcing firework laws in the County care of the Mid-County Post: http://www.mcpost.com/article.php?id=1998

RE: Rumours gives us a cut

Due to an unforeseen event, the Red Cross days at Rumours Salon will be changed.  We don’t have a date yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do!

What (else) we do.

When people think about the Red Cross, they generally think of only one thing at a time.  Like Blood donations, or disaster relief.  But we do SO MUCH MORE than that.

Here are our top 4 least known, but not least important programs:

Some of our Youth get ready for SafeRides

1. Non Emergency Medical Transportation for elderly and low income patients.

We take people who would otherwise have great difficulties getting to their medical appointments over the hill to hospitals such as the VA, Stanford and UCSF.  This service is the only lifeline for many of our clients.  The service is free and the program is funded entirely by donations.

2. Service to the Armed Forces and their families

One of our oldest service lines is our service to the armed forces.  We help deliver emergency messages to military members abroad and offer the families services such as counseling, financial aid, and more.  In the event of a family emergency, we help bring military members home to be with their families.

Visiting Troops in the Hospital

3. Youth Services

Thanks to our Youth Services Manager, Katie Radvanyi, we have a flourishing Youth Services Department.  The department helps high school and college students create and implement youth run programs including events for the Measles Initiative and Safe Rides for Teens, a program offering rides home to youth who find themselves in a dangerous situation.  In the past, Youth Services has done programs such as Operation: Care and Comfort, which sent donated items to military oversees.  Youth Services even has its own core of disaster services volunteers who are learning how to work in a Red Cross shelter.

4. Holocaust Tracing

The Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center is a national clearinghouse for persons seeking the fates of loved ones

The Bay Area Red Cross Chapter helped Rosa (Pictured) find out what happened to her parents and baby brother during WWII

missing since the Holocaust and its aftermath.  It assists U.S. residents searching for proof of internment, forced/slave labor, or evacuation from former Soviet territories on themselves or family members.

• All tracing services are free of charge.
• They use the worldwide network of more than 180 Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and the Magen David Adom in Israel.
• They also consult museums, archives, and international organizations to further facilitate tracing requests.
• Cases remain open, and if new information becomes available, it is immediately shared with the inquirer.

As a chapter, we facilitate communications between this important branch of the Red Cross and people who may need the service in our area.

See anything you’re interested in?  There are volunteer opportunities!  Shoot us an email at volunteer@sccredcross.org

Rumours Salon gives us a cut

Need an excellent haircut?  Want to help the Santa Cruz County Chapter?  Well then, have we got the event for you.

Rumours Salon and Spa will be having 2 Red Cross days at the end of the month, June 29 & 30.  Stylists have donated their time for those days so that 100% of the profits will go directly to our chapter.  Now that is some stylish giving.

Rumours Salon and Spa

4210 Capitola Road

Capitola, CA

Call for an appointment: 476-4444

Loma Preita, 20 years later

I wasn’t here in 1989.  In fact, I was 2200 miles away from here.  I was also far too preoccupied with My Little Ponies to watch the national news or the World Series (I was 8).  Hence, I didn’t even know that it had happened.  But in October of 1989, this town that I’ve come to call home was shaken to its very core.

We’re working with our fellow area chapters including the Monterey-San Benito Chapter, Carmel Chapter, Silicon Valley Chapter, Sonoma & Mendocino Chapter, and the Bay Area Chapter (SF) to plan some preparedness activities for our region… but I personally feel behind the curve.  While most people here remember the Loma Prieta Earthquake well, I have no recollection of it.  So, as so many of us do nowadays, I’ve turned to the inter-tubes to help me.

If you happened to be playing with your G.I. Joes or My Little Ponies (respectively) and missed the Loma Prieta earthquake, and now you live on the Central Coast, maybe this video will convince you to prepare. I encourage you to check out other Loma Prieta videos on YouTube. Remember, the Loma Prieta Earthquake’s epicenter was in Santa Cruz County, despite the fact that the earthquake is sometimes referred to as the San Francisco Earthquake. The destructive force was felt far away… this particular news clip comes from a channel in Sacramento.

Remember that preparing personally for the next earthquake as well as encouraging your workplace and community centers to prepare can help keep you safe. If you need help putting a plan together, let us know (it’s free)!

“Resolved, I will no longer be a sink-easy”

I’m sure that the day will come when people look back on our primitive blogging and say, “I can’t believe people used to talk that way!”  Of course, they’ll say it in a crazy futuristic language.

Anyway, I was looking for some information on water safety for summer, when the PDX chapter (Portland, OR) beat me to the punch again with their seemingly endless energy for Google searching.   Here’s their latest find, a Learn to Swim article circa 1921 – I can’t believe people used to talk that way.

click for large version

Happy Birthday Red Cross (And Lorraine!)

Today, the American Red Cross is 128 years old.  That’s a lot of years of helping people!

In an amazing turn of fate, one of our Disaster Services Volunteers celebrates a birthday today as well.  Lorraine Jacobs, one of our most motivated volunteers, is 52 today. Happy Birthday, Lorraine!

Lorraine Loves Roosters!

Santa Barbara Fire Response: A volunteer’s perspective

One of our volunteers, Mr. Bill Fitler, just got back from working the wildfire relief down in Santa Barbara.  Bill is a great volunteer and board member.  He goes to almost every disaster and works in leadership roles at the shelters.  AND, Bill does all of this with a relative calm.  As you can imagine, this is a helpful trait to have during a disaster response.

During his time in Santa Barbara, Bill wrote this entry on his Facebook page.  It’s an awesome look into the life of a Red Cross volunteer.  Thanks for sharing, Bill!

I’m volunteering for the Red Cross doing disaster relief for the Jesusita Fire. This past Friday, 4 of us were called down from our Santa Cruz chapter. I came down to help Govt Liaisons in the Emergency Operations Center (which was a new role for me). Santa Barbara has a very strong disaster cadre, and with the events of last year (Gap and Tea fires) they have recent experience. So I was a tad surprised that they called for mutual support.

The reason that the mutual aid call went out is because of how scary it was on Thursday night. The “sundowner” winds that night kicked in about 10pm and more than doubled the fire size in the next few hours. They evacuated 9000(?) homes at 2am and flooded the shelters with people who had little time to ask friends and family for a place to stay. We got down on Friday, and watched the spectacular flames viewable that were visible on the hills from most of the city.

On Saturday morning the fog had rolled in. Along with 590 fire engines and 4500 firefighters. It went from 10% containment to 55% containment this Sunday morning (which, thankfully, is still a bit foggy). Another “weather event” could arrive as soon as tomorrow, which could put the kabosh on our winding down – but unless that happens, its starting to feel like a drill (and that’s a good thing).

Working disaster for the Red Cross is no picnic. Friday night I slept (sort of) in a staff shelter on a cot (Saturday afternoon I slept through a staff meeting…) The hours can be really long: even when things are winding down, 12 hour shifts aren’t uncommon. There are times of frustration and hectic business interspersed with hours of waiting just being at a post.

And I meet a lot of great people. I’ve got a powerful respect for fire crews battling the fires in these rugged conditions (and did I mention that fire season *starts* tomorrow?) My fellow volunteers turn out to have fascinating stories (and sometimes we’ll have hours to share them with each other). And my heart goes out to the clients we meet who have been turned out of their homes either temporarily or much longer. Been there, done that – and I know how great it can be to get the t-shirt from someone who cares.

This is honest to goodness trouble.

When Shirley Temple wasn’t begging for a Zoo Animal for Christmas, or singing about candy or gum drops or some other such thing, she was supporting the American Red Cross!

Did you know that it still only takes a dollar to join the Santa Cruz County Chapter?  Anyone who volunteers or donates is considered a member of our chapter.