Extraordinary things happen every day…

Posted on January 15, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Imagine waking up to a blaring smoke alarm.

Through the bleary haze of your sleep-filled eyes, you begin to realize what is going on.

Your first thoughts are of others who occupy your home – maybe your spouse, the children, a pet. You think about how to get them to safety. You trace the routes in your head.

But then an extraordinary thing happens. In the fog of fear and smoke, you hear a neighbor calling out to you.

“Are you all right? How can I help?”

In that single act of selflessness, a hero is born.

This March, during national Red Cross Month, the Red Cross of Northeast Ohio will honor the heroes – those ordinary members of our community who acted in extraordinary ways – in two communities.

The Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter will host the 20^th Annual Acts of Courage on Thursday, March 3 at the Akron/Fairlawn Hilton. All through 2015, people were asked to submit their heroes. We will feature the stories of the honorees on this blog following the event. Tickets are available by going to the website: www.redcross.org/acts16

The Greater Cleveland Heroes event will take place on March 11. For information or to order tickets, please visit www.ClevelandHeroes.com, email laurie.klingensmith@redcross.org, or call 216-912-4091.

The Fight Against Fire Fatalities Ongoing

Posted on January 12, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Icon Disaster

By Tim O’Toole
Regional Disaster Officer, Northeast Ohio

121 people lost their lives in Ohio last year due to accidental fires, according to information provided to the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Prevention Bureau.

Unfortunately, two counties within the Northeast Ohio Region top several lists.

Cuyahoga County in the Greater Cleveland Chapter led the state with 14 accidental fire fatalities. This is twice as high as the counties with the second highest number.
Jefferson County in the Lake to River Chapter led the state in per capita deaths, with 7 fatalities. Although these deaths occurred in just 3 events, it still is still an alarming number.

Fire deaths continue to impact the very young and the senior community. Nearly half of the fire victims were over 60 years of age.

Smoke alarms were present in only 25% of the fire locations. This number indicates only that they were present, and not whether they functioned correctly.

The takeaway is that the mission of the American Red Cross is an important one. And one that isn’t going away.

4 people lost their lives last night (1/11/16) in Summit County. Every Day, tragedy strikes our communities. But our Disaster Cycle Service processes of Prepare, Respond and Recover align perfectly with the problem these numbers dictate. Our education and prevention programs can reduce the number of future fires and prepare people to respond appropriately when they do occur. Daily, our response teams and caseworkers continue to provide support for those who do suffer the effects of hostile fires and help them recover from the impact. And finally, Operation Save-A-Life, our Home Fire Preparedness Campaign will continue to help prevent the fatalities that too often occur as a result of those fires.

These numbers indicate not only the importance of our mission, but also the fact that we must increase our efforts to insure we impact them positively in the future.

I thank all Disaster Service volunteers and staff for their dedicated and sincere support of the mission.

I am proud to be part of it.

Tim O’Toole
Regional Disaster Officer
Northeast Ohio Region

Learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, the Red Cross effort to reduce fire fatalities in Northeast Ohio by providing fire safety education and FREE smoke alarm installations, at redcross.org/neoosal.

Read more about volunteer opportunities with the Red Cross here.

Dozens Donate Blood at Drive Held in Honor of Norwalk Boy

Posted on January 7, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Turnout a Success Ahead of National Blood Donor Month

Have you made a resolution to donate blood in the New Year?

January is National Blood Donor Month, the perfect time to resolve to be a regular blood donor! Extreme winter weather and seasonal illnesses often make it difficult for the Red Cross to maintain a sufficient blood supply at this time of year. Healthy, eligible donors are urged to give blood this January!

To that end, nearly 100 people capped off 2015 by donating blood in honor of Evan Minor, who was diagnosed with Acute T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia last March. The amount exceeded the goal set for a special Red Cross blood drive, held on December 16^th at St. Alphonsus Church in Norwalk.

Dad – Dan Minor, Evan, Mom – Kristi and brother Ian

Evan has received more than 20 units of various blood products, according to his mother, Kristi Minor. Kristi says more than 90% of Evan’s bone marrow was cancerous at the time of his diagnosis. He has received support from many people in the community and on Facebook.

The need for blood donations is ongoing. You can make an appointment to donate blood by logging onto redcrossblood.org. And you can speed up the process by visiting the Red Cross Rapid Pass website. Donors can answer questions online on the day of their appointment, before heading to the donation center. Visit redcrossblood.org/rapidpass to learn more.

Blood donors with the most recent version of the Red Cross Blood Donor App can now view their health history information, including blood pressure, hemoglobin levels and pulse rate, on their digital donor ID card within the app. The donor card in the app can also be used as a donor’s official form of identification when donating. Download the app by texting “BLOODAPP” to 90999 or searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL: Northeast Ohio Weather Turns Frightful

Posted on January 5, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Since Northeast Ohio has been experience a nice (for some) respite from the polar vortex winters of the past few years, it is quite possible that we’ve all forgotten how to react to cold, normal-Ohio weather.

With frigid temperatures sticking around for the next 10 or so days, it’s time to review!

Freezing Pipes

Keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night. By temporarily suspending the use of lower nighttime temperatures, you may incur a higher heating bill, but you can prevent a much more costly repair job if pipes freeze and burst.
Keep garage doors closed if there are water supply lines in the garage.
For more freezing pipe tips and tricks, visit our page on redcross.org!

Fire Safety

Keep items that can catch on fire at least three feet away from anything that gets hot, such as space heaters.
Never smoke in bed.
Talk to your children regularly about the dangers of fire, matches and lighters and keep them out of reach.
Turn portable heaters off when you leave the room or go to sleep.
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.
- No smoke alarms in your home? Learn more about Operation Save-A-Life, a program that provides free smoke alarm installation and education throughout Northeast Ohio.
Teach your children what smoke alarms sound like and what to do when they hear one.
Test smoke alarms once a month, if they’re not working, change the batteries.
For more information about fire safety, visit the Home Fire tab on redcross.org/prepare.

Personal Safety

Avoid unnecessary exposure to the cold. Be aware of both the temperature and the wind chill when planning outdoor activities.
Most of your body heat is lost through your head so wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.
Dressing in layers helps you retain heat. You can remove layers as needed if you become too warm.
Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves.
Wear waterproof, insulated boots to help avoid hypothermia or frostbite by keeping your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
Get out of wet clothes immediately and warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider or soup. Avoid drinking caffeine or alcohol if you expect you or someone you are trying to help has hypothermia or frostbite.
Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia that can be a serious medical condition: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
Download the Red Cross First Aid app for more information about how to respond during a personal safety emergency.

Our Story: 2015 in Review

Posted on December 31, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

A word of thanks to everyone who visited us here in 2015, to read about the good work being done by volunteers and staff of the American Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region.

Operation Save-A-Life, Lorain, Ohio, October 2015

The concert hall at Severance holds 1,844 people. This blog was viewed about 9,900 times in 2015. If it were a Cleveland Orchestra concert at Severance Hall, it would take more than 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it!

Click here to see the complete report.

Volunteer With the Red Cross-The Perfect New Year’s Resolution!

Posted on December 28, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

by Pat Buckhold, Regional Volunteer Services Officer, Northeast Ohio

As 2015 winds down and 2016 looms on the horizon, I can’t help but think of over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers in northeast Ohio who continue to make a difference every day in the lives of those who live in our community. The Red Cross has many faces- Disaster Services Team Member, Blood Donor Ambassador, CPR/First Aid Instructor, Services to the Armed Forces Community Outreach Worker, Operation Save-A-Life Smoke Alarm Installer and yet all have one thing in common- the desire to save lives and alleviate human suffering in the face of disaster. I am humbled by the genuine caring and compassion of our volunteers and their selfless giving to others. While many of us will be enjoying holiday gatherings and New Year’s celebrations over the next week, somewhere in northeast Ohio disaster volunteers will be giving up their time to respond to a fire or other disaster and help someone in need.

So when the last of the bowl games is over and the last of the holiday treats are gone, don’t let those New Year’s resolutions end too! The New Year offers opportunities to make new choices and take new chances in life. Things that were on your back burner, such as volunteering, can take on new meaning so why not consider joining the Red Cross as a volunteer. And if you didn’t know, volunteerism has countless benefits. Volunteering has been linked with increased levels of happiness and decreased depression. People who volunteer report physical, mental, and emotional health benefits. Volunteers help create and support healthy communities. I can’t think of any better reasons to volunteer (and spoken like a true volunteer services officer)!

For more information on volunteering, please contact NEOvolunteer@redcross.org , call 216-431-3328 or begin your on-line volunteer application here.

Holiday Message from Mike Parks

Posted on December 25, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

American Red Cross CEO Mike Parks, Northeast Ohio Region

Northeast Ohio American Red Cross Family: Between Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, Boxing Day and New Year’s (among others)—we’re well into this year’s “Holiday Season.” Please accept my sincere thanks and grateful appreciation for all each of you do every day to help serve those in need in Northeast Ohio. Thank you!

As we close out calendar year 2015 (as well as the first half of FY 2016) and reflect back on your accomplishments, it’s been an incredibly busy year. Here’s just a partial list of some of those successes:

Opened more disaster cases and provided more direct client assistance than the same time last year.

Prescious Givens and her family received housing assistance after their home caught fire

Installed more than 6500 smoke alarms (our target was 6500 but we upped our annual goal to 10,000).

Lincoln Electric CEO and Red Cross Board Member Chris Mapes installing smoke alarms in Euclid

Reached more than 2800 students with the Pillowcase Project (our target was 3000 but we got materials for 500 additional).

Students created pillowcases at Wilcox Elementary School in North Ridgeville

Migrated almost 2200 volunteers (including Biomedical Services) to Volunteer Connection.

Volunteer George Figel of Akron

Recruited more than 300 new volunteers to the American Red Cross.

Created an integrated American Red Cross Board combining Chapter & Biomedical Boards.

Inaugural meeting of combined board

Achieved 100% participation in our annual Board Campaign while exceeding our financial goal by almost 10%.

Partnered with both the Veteran’s Administration and the USO to better serve our members of the Armed Forces.

American Red Cross CEO Mike Parks, with Ohio Army National Guardsmen

Updated all Northeast Ohio American Red Cross websites and revitalized an informative Blog.

Upgraded our building facilities and streamlined our automotive fleet.

Remained well-within our annual expense budget through careful stewardship.

Hired and onboarded more than a dozen new enthusiastic Red Cross employees.

Regional Disaster Officer Tim O’Toole

And as you know—that’s just scratching the surface of all you’ve accomplished throughout the Northeast Ohio Region. As many of us take time to celebrate with families and friends, I want to say a special “Thank You” to those staff and volunteers who have, and will be providing critical assistance during this holiday period. We wouldn’t be the American Red Cross without you! As I’ve said many times since joining this fine organization, the American Red Cross is all about “caring”…”caring for those we serve” and “caring for those who serve.” It seems fitting that in this special season of giving, we remember those who give so much to help those in need. Thank you to all of the Northeast Ohio American Red Cross family. I wish you and yours Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year. I’m already excited about what 2016 will bring—I hope you are too. Best wishes…Mike

Free Toys For Children Following Home Fires

Posted on December 24, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Travel Centers of America Workers Hold Toy Drive for Home Fire Survivors

Dozens of children recently chased from their homes by fire now have new board games, baby dolls and teddy bears, thanks to about 300 employees at TravelCenters of America.

The workers have been collecting toys at the company’s National Headquarters building in Westlake since Thanksgiving, anxious to help families facing hard times during the holiday season.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross packed the toys into an idle Emergency Response Vehicle on December 22, and transported them to Red Cross Regional Headquarters, where they were distributed the next day.

Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

The children chose whatever they wanted from tables mounded with soft, cuddly stuffed toys, remote control cars and superhero action figures. They also enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate while their parents breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that at least part of Christmas was taken care of.

Employees with TravelCenters of America hold the toy drive for children affected by disasters every year. The American Red Cross is grateful to them and to all who make a contribution to disaster relief, especially at this time of year.

American Red Cross NEO Staffers Celebrate Holidays

Posted on December 23, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Abundant food, a festive game and welcome camaraderie were shared by employees of the American Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region on Friday, December 18th.

We are spread out all across Northeast Ohio, from Ashtabula to Tuscarawas Counties, so it’s always nice to gather at the same time and in the same place…especially when it’s for pleasure, not business!

The holiday gathering was held at the centrally-located Summit, Portage and Medina Counties chapter in Akron.

We started with a game involving…games. Christmasgame

The Northeast Ohio staff is spread out not only geographically, but also demographically; we represent a wide age range. The games you recognize as having played as a child say a lot about when you were born.

Thanks to Mary Williams, Communications Officer extraordinaire for coming up with the ice-breaker. As you can see in some of the pictures below, it brought us all together.

You can also see the spread of food we enjoyed. It was a team effort, especially on the part of Business Operations Manager Margie Green, who not only made the trip to pick up chicken and pasta, she helped serve it, too!

Photo credit: Jim McIntyre/American Red Cross

Senior Disaster Program Manager Renee Palagyi led the staff in song, and one lucky Red Crosser won 4 tickets to an upcoming Cavaliers game, donated by Shawn Riley, Chairman of the Greater Cleveland Chapter Board of Directors.

Finally, instead of a gift exchange, Red Cross employees donated toys, to be distributed to the children in Northeast Ohio who have recently been affected by disaster.

We hope it helps make their holidays a little brighter.

Donations made to the American Red Cross help families recover from disasters, by providing lodging, food, clothing, and yes…toys, if parents determine that to be an immediate need. To help these families recover, you can donate here, or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS. You can also text the words “Red Cross” to 90999, to make a $10 donation.

Thank you. And Happy Holidays, from the staff at the American Red Cross, Northeast Ohio Region!

7th Annual Sheraton Suites Akron Holiday Blood Drive

Posted on December 22, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Patients don’t get a holiday from needing blood and platelets. The need is constant.

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. As the new year approaches, the Red Cross encourages individuals to make a
meaningful resolution. Resolve to give blood or platelets now and throughout the year.

By doing something that doesn’t cost a thing, you can give help to someone in need – you can offer hope to a patient.

The 7th Annual Sheraton Suites Akron Holiday Blood Drive is being held today, Dec. 22, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls, 1989 Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls.

Photo Credit: Mary Williams/American Red Cross

All presenting donors will receive a pixie poinsettia, reusable shopping bag, a gift certificate from Gavin Scott Salon and Spa as well as a Red Cross long sleeve T-shirt, while supplies last. Presenting donors will also be entered to win a grand prize media package from Summa Health System including a Sony blu-ray player, Xbox bundle and 55” Samsung smart HDTV. All who come to donate will also be entered to win one of two gift baskets provided by Papa John’s and Western Reserve Hospital.

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in Ohio), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Eligible donors can schedule an appointment to give blood using the Blood Donor App, by visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Here are some facts about blood donations:

o It’s the blood products on the shelves today that help save lives in an emergency.
o Blood and platelets are needed for many different reasons. Accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease may all need blood.
o Donated blood products are perishable. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days and platelets just five days, so they must constantly be replenished – there is no substitute.

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region