The daily happenings at the Capital Area Chapter...

Here Comes 2012 Severe Weather Awareness Week!

tallyredcross — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:36 +0000

This week, from January 30 to February 3, is Florida Severe Weather Awareness Week. A different weather type which affects Florida will be brought up for Floridians to learn and prepare. Make sure you don’t miss any of our following postings about tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, and extreme weather! You’ll never know how beneficial this information will be in the future. Save for a Rainy Day!

For more information, please visit our blog: http://cacarc.wordpress.com/

The Chapter Area of the American Red Cross is Recruiting Volunteers!

tallyredcross — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:04:33 +0000

How beautiful a day can be when you lighten the burden of others? The power of touch, a kind word, or a smile can be so powerful that you could not imagine. Established and chartered in May of 1917, the Chapter Area of the American Red Cross has dedicated itself to providing material, mental, and educational support to people. Services available here include community classes for CPR and First Aid; disaster classes such as DAT (Disaster Action Team), which responds to house fires and assists clients on the road of recovery within our 8 surrounding counties: Leon, Gadsden, Liberty, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Franklin, and Taylor.

We are glad to report that over 156 disasters were responded by our volunteers last year and 19 volunteers were deployed for Hurricane Irene. Out of every dollar in our received donations, 92 cents goes to help fire clients. Although there are only 7 Employees, we have over 300 volunteers to in our chapter. We even have a volunteer who has served for 60 years.

Thank You Volunteers! The support of people from our communities like you in times of need is really important. Without your hard work, we could not have achieved our mission to change lives in Big Bend communities and across Florida. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to be a billionaire to serve. All we are looking for from you is a passion for compassion. If you are enthusiastic and want to work with passionate people in ways that make a real difference, the Red Cross is your best choice.

We are excited to have you here with us! Welcome to the Red Cross Family!

Red Cross Youth Volunteers Learn Humanitarian Law at War Games

beredcrossready — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:07:02 +0000

Youth volunteers recently participated in a series of exercises designed to teach young people about war, international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions as part of the American Red Cross Utah Region’s war games. The games were held inside a Camp Williams warehouse and held as the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day youth activity. The games included three combat-related stations, a strategic decision-making exercise and numerous group discussions. As Red Cross volunteer Ephraim Dickson explained, the goal of the exercise was to help future leaders understand international laws and the Geneva Conventions. “Whether or not the youth spend any time in future war zones, Dickson said, it is important for them to understand humanitarian law.”

To access the article, click here.

For a description of the game in English: http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine2006_2/26-27.html.

For more information on International Humanitarian Law please contact us at international@tallyredcross.org

A video presenting the game:

New MLK Memorial Brings To Light Humanitarian Legacy

beredcrossready — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:29:40 +0000

New MLK memorial

Although most of us tend to think of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. simply as a Southern civil rights pioneer and American hero, the recently opened Martin Luther King Jr., National Memorial in Washington D.C. illuminates his lesser known struggle for international human rights. This is evident from Dr. King’s powerful quotes on the Inscription Wall at the MLK Memorial where he addresses the global realities of racism, poverty and war, such as, “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.”

This Martin Luther King Day – Monday, January 18 – is a time to celebrate Dr. King’s leadership and provides a great opportunity for class discussions of humanitarian principles. Another quote featured on the inscription wall of the memorial that could serve to inspire dialogue is: “Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

For more information on International Humanitarian Law and it’s educational uses in the classroom (Exploring Humanitarian Law) please contact us at international@redcrosstally.org, also follow @RulesOfWar on Twitter and remember to re-tweet to promote awareness of International Humanitarian Law.

@RulesOfWar: a Twitter account providing up-to-date messages about international humanitarian law. Followers can learn about events, exhibits, and articles that feature information related to the humanitarian perspective and International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Holiday Heart Attacks: Not a Myth

tallyredcross — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 17:23:41 +0000

Posted by Kristiana Almeida

The holidays are a time for celebrating and spending time with family and friends. It’s the most festive time of year – we decorate trees, light menorahs, share meals and smiles, and sing songs together.

However, did you know it’s also the time of year when heart attacks are most likely to occur? It’s true. Sadly, between Thanksgiving and New Years, there is a nation-wide increase in cardiac-related deaths.

There are a few reason why researchers propose heart attacks increase during the winter holiday season.

Weather: breathing cold air can constrict the blood vessels and therefore increase the pressure causing clots to form. However, there are still a number of heart attacks in warmer weather climates.
Emotional Stress: the holiday season can be a source of stress with family you do or do not want to interact along with or financial pressures with gifts and travel expenses.
Overindulgence: Poor eating habits, excessive alcohol or abusing drugs can lead to an increased strain on your heart.

Taking a Red Cross CPR class can help you learn how to care for a person having a heart attack and how to perform CPR for a person in cardiac arrest . Often, cardiac emergencies happen at home or the workplace, so the life you may have to save could be that of a friend or loved one.

We know that taking a CPR course during the Holiday Season may seem impossible – but if you have three minutes to spare, we have a “Learn Hands-Only CPR” video that can help…you can always make taking the full CPR course a New Year’s resolution.

Referenced for researching this article:

Reverse Heart Disease – Solution to Holiday Heart Attacks is the Heart Fit Clinic

The Truth Behind More Holiday Heart Attacks

The Perfect Gift

tallyredcross — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:21:44 +0000

The Perfect Gift

Posted by Wendy Harman

You can gift wrap a sweater. You can place a bow on a shiny new bicycle. You can fill a gift bag with holiday cookies. One thing you can’t put in a box and place under the tree is the perfect gift – a lifesaving blood donation.

When you donate blood, you give the perfect gift – another hug, another laugh, another smile, another chance – to someone in need of blood.

Think outside the box this holiday season. The perfect gift is at your nearest American Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center. And, unlike the latest fashion trend, video game or golf club, the perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.

Give the perfect gift and help a family member, friend or someone you’ve never met unwrap a lifetime of memories.

The Red Cross is proud to present “The Perfect Gift,” a video highlighting the importance of blood donation. Hopefully, it inspires you to give blood this holiday season and throughout the year.

Be sure to mention #perfectgift when sharing these videos!

Makaila Haase, a 17-year-old student, and her mother Kelly Haase donated their home video to the Perfect Gift campaign. Here’s a note from Makaila explaining why she donated the video and why she is a blood donor.

Every year, my family pulls out the camera to record opening gifts. Last year’s gift opening was pretty memorable, but it never occurred to me that our video would become part of a Red Cross blood donation campaign.

When the Red Cross asked me to donate this video, I was so excited to help. My mom worked in an emergency room so she’s always talked to us about the importance of giving blood. She says she saw firsthand the need for it every day. I gave blood as soon as I could at a school blood drive.

In our video, I desperately wanted tickets to the Taylor Swift concert. I don’t know how they did it, but my parents managed to get two tickets for me. I was so happy.

Watching the Red Cross video, I almost started crying because it reminded me of how overjoyed I was that day. I give blood because I want another family to have the chance to make that kind of a memory.

I think that’s what the Perfect Gift campaign is all about—each of us digging deep and giving the gift that costs nothing, but means everything—the gift of a blood donation.

I plan on sharing this video with my family and friends. I hope it makes them want to become blood donors too. It really is the perfect gift. So email it to your friends, tweet it, or share it on Facebook – thanks for your support!

Observing World AIDS Day

tallyredcross — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:20:29 +0000

Today is World AIDS Day. Take a moment to remember that someone becomes infected with HIV every 12 seconds, about half of them under age 25. Every 16 seconds someone dies from AIDS-related causes. Thirty-one years into the epidemic, more than 34 million people around the world are living with HIV and many of these people are not aware they are infected.

Here in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just released a new report showing that “only one in four Americans with AIDS has the virus under control.”

The American Red Cross has been a key player in the fight against HIV globally for almost a decade and we continue to support comprehensive HIV prevention programs that reach people with the highest risk of contracting the disease in Kenya, Tanzania, Vietnam, China, Guyana, Bahamas, Jamaica, Haiti, Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. A large part of our work focuses on building the capacity of our sister Red Cross societies. We help them better target the services, as they help communities cope with the shock and stresses of the disaster that is the ongoing HIV epidemic. For more information, visit www.redcross.org/international

Please also check out this fact sheet on specific ways we’re involved in the fight: http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/International%20Services/Fact_Sheet_HIVAIDS.pdf

Graphic courtesy of globalministries.org

End of the Hurricane Season!

tallyredcross — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:42:12 +0000

Hooray! Today is the last day of hurricane season in the Atlantic. Check out this awesome animation of the whole season from NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center – you can see Hurricane Irene at 2:06.

Today at CABO’s recieve 10% off your bi

tallyredcross — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:10:13 +0000

Today at CABO’s recieve 10% off your bill and 10% will be donated to Red Cross!Please tell your waiter that you are Dining Out for Disaster! http://ow.ly/i/mfTa

New Ways to Help: Grab a Glue Stick. Support the Troops.

tallyredcross — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:24:30 +0000

Posted by Mark Ferguson

People across the country are ordering holiday cards, printing holiday cards and mailing holiday cards. Cards to friends, cards to colleagues, cards to far-flung family members. So many cards, in fact, that they can feel like a chore rather than an inspiring part of the season. What about including someone special who you may not know on that list this year? There’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than to extend a word of thanks to someone who has honorably served our country.

In this series of posts, we’ll be sharing new ideas to celebrate the holidays with help from some of our closest partners. First up is an easy way to support the troops, veterans and their families. All that’s needed is paper, something to write with, and an appreciative heart.

Our own Anne Marie Borrego recently interviewed Les Morris, spokesperson from Simon Property Group:

Anne Marie Borrego:
Thanks, Les. The Red Cross has collected and distributed greeting cards for members of the military, veterans and their families for the last five years through its Holiday Mail for Heroes program. These cards—from individuals across the country—thank these honorable men and women for their commitment and sacrifices. This year, Simon Malls is joining us in the effort. How are you making it fun and easy to get involved?

Les Morris:
There are two ways to get involved. First, we have holiday cards available to sign at the guest services counter in our mall locations. Also, we’ve got a club called the Simon Kidgets Club. Its a program offered to children ages 3-8 and their parents. At this time of the year, there are several different types of family and holiday activities. One of the activities being offered is creating holiday cards for the troops using markers, glue and construction paper. The children love this heart warming activity and it is in support of the American Red Cross’s Holiday Mail for Heroes program.

Anne Marie Borrego:
It’s got to mean so much to our troops and their families when they get those handmade cards. What do people do if they can’t get to the mall for a card-making event?

Les Morris:
You can drop off a card up until Dec 11 at a guest services booth in any Simon Mall.

Anne Marie Borrego:
Great. And I believe that you also have a great gift idea that helps out the Red Cross.

Les Morris:
Simon Property Group is pleased to offer customers the chance to donate to the American Red Cross by purchasing a Simon Amex Candy Cane gift card. $1 of $3 will go to American Red Cross. You can also buy the cards online .

Anne Marie Borrego:
That discount is only being offered to Red Cross supporters on the Red Cross Website and blog, right?

Les Morris:
Absolutely!

Anne Marie Borrego:
That’s excellent. Thanks, Les, for all you do for the Red Cross and for our troops this holiday season.

Red Cross volunteers will be at many of the Simon Malls card-making events. If you see them, say hello, and if you make a card, be sure to share photos of your handiwork on our Facebook wall.