10 disaster relief volunteers from Santa Cruz County currently deployed to the Midwest

We currently have the following volunteers deployed to the flood relief effort in the Midwest:

Clyta Amadeo (Santa Cruz) Caseworker
Janet Packer (Aptos) Caseworker
Ralph Reyes (Scotts Valley) Caseworker
Steve Mouw (Aptos) Damage Assessment
Rick Daniel (Santa Cruz) Caseworker
Bonnie Faraola (Santa Cruz) Caseworker
David Allison (Freedom) Caseworker
Stacey Stein (Aptos) Caseworker
Beth Bloom (Aptos) Caseworker
Jon Butah (Watsonville) Shelter Worker

For a few of these volunteers, this is their first disaster relief operation with us.  We wish them luck and hope that all is going well.

 

If you would like to join our dedicated disaster relief team, please contact Patsy Hernandez, Emergency Services Officer.  She will guide you though the training necessary to help people in a time of great loss, such as the flooding in the Midwest.  You can reach her at 831-462-2881  x16   or email her at phernandez@sccredcross.org.

Flooding in the Midwest

Our Santa Cruz County Chapter has just sent 3 of our volunteers to help with relief efforts.  Clyta Amadeo, Janet Packer and Ralph Reyes will be stationed in Rochester, MN.  Stay tuned to this blog for more information, reports, and quite possibly pictures from this relief operation.
For information from the American National Red Cross on the flooding in the Midwest, please visit their Online Disaster blog at: http://redcrossmidwest.wordpress.com 

Youth Volunteers: Help design national’s next pin!

This came across our desks this afternoon.  If you are a youth volunteer ages 14 – 24, you are eligible to help the American National Red Cross design their next pin.

 

 

Pin Design Contest

Call for action! Gather your friends, make use of your talent and create artwork that will be used for the 90th Anniversary Junior Red Cross Pin. This is your chance to be part of history!

Act now and send us your Design!

The winning entry will receive a scholarship for The American Red Cross National Convention 2008!

A couple of requirements:

• You must be a Red Cross volunteer ages 12-24.
• When creating the artwork designs should be simple, using only a few colors.
• The artwork you submit can be a drawing. Electronic files in AI, PDF or EPS are highly recommended. If you opt to generate a JPEG file, the artwork should be fairly simple.
• All pin design submissions must include a description. Pin artwork descriptions must be at least 150 words but no longer than 300 words. Descriptions of the pin will help us better understand the concepts used in the pin artwork.
• All artworks have to be submitted by November 30, 2007. Applications sent after this date will not be considered.
• All submissions become the property of the American Red Cross Office of The National Chair of Volunteers and will not be returned.

Note that any display of the American Red Cross name or emblem must comply with American Red Cross graphic standards. Graphic standard guidelines are available on redcross.org. When incorporating the American Red Cross Logo in your artwork please download the logo from http://www.redcross.org/logos/sig.html.

When designing the 90th Anniversary Junior Red Cross Pin think on how we should cherish the legacy of 90 years of youth volunteers in a fun, easy to understand and popular way.

All applications will be reviewed by a team of National Youth Council members together with NHQ staff from Youth and Young Adults Programs and Services and Creative Services Department. The winning project will be announced by late December and the winning team will be awarded with a scholarship for National Convention 2008.

Please send a copy of your artwork on a CD, a description of your artwork together with this form no later than Friday, November 30, 2007 to:

American Red Cross
Office of the National Chair of Volunteers
430 17th Street, GL 62C
Washington DC 20006

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Amelia Marian at MarianA@usa.redcross.org

Earthquake Preparedness

This morning, a group of us were having a discussion about Earthquake preparedness. Wednesday’s devastating earthquake in Peru has many Santa Cruzians remembering the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake… and discussing what might happen the next time “the big one” hits.

No matter how long it has been since our last earthquake, it is important for everyone to remain prepared. It’s easy to keep your family prepared! Here is what you need to be Red Cross Ready:

Get A Kit!

Store at least three days of food, water and supplies in your family’s preparedness kit. Make sure that the kit is easy to carry. Keep extra supplies on hand at home in case you cannot leave the affected area.

You and your family may be without water for days in the aftermath of a disaster. The Red Cross recommends that each person store one gallon of water per day for at least three days. This supply will provide water for drinking as well as limited cleaning and cooking.

Don’t forget personal sanitary supplies, money and supplies for your pet!

Keep your kit where it is easily accessible.

Remember to CHECK YOUR KIT every six months and replace expired or outdated items!

Make a Plan!

When making a disaster plan, always:

Talk with your Family.

Learn how and when to turn off utilities and use lifesaving tools such as fire extinguishers.

Tell everyone where emergency information and supplies are stored. Provide copies of the family’s preparedness plan to each member of the family. Always ensure that information is up to date and practice evacuations, following the routes outlined in your plan.

Don’t forget to identify alternative routes.

Include pets in your evacuation plans.

Make sure that the family has an outside contact person to go to in an emergency, if nessesary.

Be Informed!

There are three key parts to being informed:

Get Info – Learn the ways you would get information during a disaster or in an emergency, such as a battery powered radio.

Know your Region – Learn about what may happen in our area during specific emergencies, such as earthquakes.

Action Steps – Learn First Aid and CPR from your local Red Cross Chapter! This will help you care for your family in case medical help is delayed.

We would be thrilled to help you put together your family emergency plan! If you have any questions, give us a call at 831-462-2881.

I34 Bridge Collapse

If you have loved ones who you believe could have been affected by this tragedy or if you live in the area and would like to let people know that you are safe, please visit our Safe and Well site at https://disastersafe.redcross.org/

Drain your Vein!

In cooperating with the Santa Cruz Film Festival, we will be presenting our First Annual Halloween Blood Pledge Drive.

On October 30, Halloween Eve, The Santa Cruz Film festival will be presenting the first classic vampire movie, “Nosferatu” at the Del Mar Theatre in Downtown Santa Cruz. The showing of the 1922 classic silent film will be accompanied by an original score by Phil Collins. Tickets for the movie and live musical performance will be $18.00; however, those that make an appointment to give blood with us at the event will receive a $2.00 discount on admission.

We hope to see you there!

Red Cross Youth

Due in part to a generous donation from Dominican Hospital, beginning and maintaining our Youth Initiative has become a priority for us this year.

So far, two Red Cross Clubs have been started in the county, one at UCSC and one at Pacific Collegiate High School.

Here’s some more information for you from our fantastic new intern, Carolyn.

Jump Starting the Youth Initiative

The Santa Cruz County Chapter will soon join the 660 Red Cross chapters across the nation that have a vibrant youth program in their communities. Through Red Cross clubs, school supported service organizations established in local schools or community centers, students work directly with the local chapter and become active volunteer staff, supporting the activities of the American Red Cross. This fall, the Santa Cruz chapter will begin efforts to instate high school and college level Red Cross Clubs.

Many districts require their students to complete hours of community and/or service projects before graduation. Youth clubs offer easy and fun opportunities for high school and college students to become active with the Red Cross. Student clubs assist in several service delivery activities:

-Organizing and hosting blood drives
-Educating others in disaster preparedness or disaster response
-Teaching and marketing First Aid and CPR classes for younger children
-International Red Cross/Red Crescent(ICRC)activities such as promoting international awareness of measles, malaria, and other diseases

Clubs have the potential to initiate fundraising efforts and become involved in chapter governance. Whatever the interest of the student, the Red Cross can offer practice in building skills for future career paths. Youth are given challenging projects in which they can grow and develop a sense of belonging and personal social responsibility to their community. Red Cross Clubs give students hands-on experience in leadership and team work while strengthening the available volunteer base. A youth volunteer is twice as likely to continue their support and donate their time and efforts when they are adults. These are the future leaders, donors, and active members who will remain loyal to the values and the mission of the American Red Cross.

Local involvement of youth promotes a wider diversity of volunteers. This allows for potential outreach to local ethnic communities that would otherwise be lost. Youth can more effectively identify community specific requirements for young people and produce programs which meet these needs. This allows the Red Cross to expand its reach and get the necessary help to more segments of the public. With fresh enthusiasm for current projects and a unique insight into new fundraising and service initiatives, youth have the capabilities to impact their community in a significant way.

For more information or questions, please visit http://www.myspace.com/redcrossscc or contact Donna Rodoni at 831-462-2881 x 23.

 

Posted by American Red Cross of Santa Cruz County at 9:19 AM 0 comments

Monday, July 9, 2007

Golf, anyone?

This Friday, July 13 we will be holding our Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the American Red Cross.

The tournament will take place at the De Laveaga Golf Course, 1:00 p.m. shotgun, 11:30 a.m. registration.

Each registration includes a cart, lunch, golf game, BBQ dinner and awards ceremony. There will also be a silent auction held at the event. Registration fee is $175.00 per person.

Spots are still available; please call Kendra Cleary at 662-4565 for more information.

Anything on your mind?

In order to “get the ball rolling” on our blog, your feedback is invaluable.

Please, let us know what is on your mind by leaving us a comment!

Questions will be answered to the best of our ability. If we cannot answer a question that you have immediately, we will find an answer for you.

Keep checking back! Eventually, we will be including blogs from our Disaster Services Volunteers and pictures from relief efforts. We want you to know how we are helping the community!

Did you survive the June 13 Zombie Attacks?

The following is a post from the American National Red Cross blog.

During the week of June 15, 2007, bloggers from around the country staged a fictitious Zombie Attack, and the American Red Cross found themselves “hip deep” in it. Please enjoy our national headquarter’s take on this fake (but impending??) disaster.

-Lindsay

————————–

June 15

Zombie invasion – A bloggy lesson in Preparedness

There was a mysterious zombie invasion all over the internet this week. More than 150 bloggers (probably way more, we lost count!) fictitiously and creatively posted about the aftermath of a zombie invasion on June 13.

Since we scour the blogosphere for talk about the Red Cross everyday, we found several mentions of these disastrous zombie events and were fooled for a number of minutes that a real disaster was unfolding!

This massive meme is a lot of fun and it has a good message.

Read, Shred and Then Burn couldn’t have said it better when she posted today:
Interactive fiction can be fun; but that was not the whole of it. Thinking about any disaster and how prepared we are for it is difficult, but put it in the frame of a zombie uprising, and the drill is fun! Zombies make everything better!

That’s right! We have an online tutorial that can get you Red Cross Ready right here!

3 participating bloggers even mentioned the Red Cross in their posts:

Roseseule said: Kind of glad I bought one of those Red Cross radios, but I don’t want to fire it up yet. Most of the local radio is out as is the satellite radio. Glad I got out of the city.

Seborn said: Hey, I have a job for you. Yeah, you. Previous volunteer experience NOT needed. So we’re (Red Cross) opening shelters now for evacuees from heavily zombied areas. According to MEMA there aren’t really any unaffected areas, but people are leaving their homes and we’ve been told to activate our shelter plans, so bear with me. Yes, they are waiving “no weapons in the shelter.”

and Seraphim777 was fooled just like we were: “is it funnier that I work at the red cross and would be hip deep in this [...], or that I had no idea what you clowns were on about?’”