2023 trends: Red Cross responds to growing disaster-driven humanitarian needs

Posted on November 28, 2023 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Donate on GivingTuesday or give blood during the holidays to help for future crises

Randy Liang and Monica Bunner, volunteers from Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley responded to wildfires in Hawaii

In 2023, extreme disasters took a devastating toll on people in the U.S. who turned to the American Red Cross for help coping with a record number of billion-dollar disasters.

So far this year, an all-time high of 25 separate billion-dollar disasters ravaged communities across the country, and more than 170 disaster workers from the Northern Ohio Region responded. They deployed to help people affected by extreme weather disasters such as:
 January tornadoes in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi
 Flooding caused by an atmospheric river in California in March
 April flooding in Florida
 Tornadoes in Missouri and Arkansas in April
 Typhoon Mawar in Guam in May
 Catastrophic flooding in Vermont in July
 Southern California flooding in the wake of Tropical Storm Hillary in August
 Wildfires fueled by prolonged drought conditions in Hawaii in August
 Hurricane Idalia in Florida in August
 Hurricane Lee in New England in September

Red Cross volunteer Jeff Mann of Heartland, Stark and Muskingum Lakes deployed to Guam in response to Typhoon Mawar in May

Volunteers from Northern Ohio also responded to disasters in our own communities, including:
 The train derailment and chemical burn in East Palestine in February
 The largest shelter operation in Northern Ohio since 2004 following an apartment fire in East Cleveland
 August flooding in several north central Ohio counties
 Multi-family fires in Akron, Uhrichsville, and Maumee

Robert Gee, a resident of East Palestine, stayed in a Red Cross shelter after a train derailment there in February

In addition, families sweltered in the nation’s hottest summer on record. And back-to-back disasters led to a series of blood drive cancellations, which further strained the national Red Cross blood supply that was already dwindling from summer travel and back-to-school activities.

“Increasing extreme disasters are causing more humanitarian needs for families in Northern Ohio and across the country,” Mike Parks, Regional CEO of the Red Cross of Northern Ohio, said. “This holiday season, please remember those who need support in the face of emergencies — and join us to provide care and comfort by making a financial donation or by giving blood or platelets.”

Help on GivingTuesday and during the holidays by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation or an appointment to give blood or platelets. Individuals can also register for volunteer opportunities.

Volunteers from Northeast Ohio helped feed and shelter more than 130 residents for six nights after fire forced them to flee their apartment building in East Cleveland

RESPONDING TO ADDITIONAL EMERGING NEEDS Beyond extreme disasters, people stepped up through the Red Cross to address other emerging needs for communities, including:
 BLOOD DONATIONS: As the nation’s largest blood supplier, the Red Cross is grateful for the millions of donors who rolled up a sleeve throughout the year for patients in need. To further improve people’s health outcomes, the Red Cross has been working with community partners to introduce blood donation to a new and more diverse generation of blood donors — which is critical to ensuring that a reliable blood supply is available to the 1 in 7 hospital patients who need a lifesaving blood transfusion.
 LIFESAVING TRAINING: This year, the Red Cross expanded its training to empower people to act during current-day crises — which is vital considering that nearly half of U.S. adults report being unprepared to respond to a medical emergency. This included launching the new “Until Help Arrives” online training course last spring for opioid overdoses, severe bleeding, cardiac arrest and choking emergencies, and partnering with professional sports leagues through the Smart Heart Sports Coalition to help prevent tragedies among student athletes by offering CPR training and increasing access to AEDs.
 MILITARY FAMILIES: Red Cross workers helped service members on U.S. military installations and deployment sites worldwide — including in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. As part of our support this year, Red Cross volunteers delivered emergency communications messages connecting more than 87,000 service members with their loved ones during times of family need, while also engaging members in morale and wellness activities during deployments.
 INTERNATIONAL: As part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross supported international response efforts to disasters such as this year’s massive earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, the drought and hunger crisis in Africa, and flooding in Pakistan and Bangladesh. This has included providing millions in cash assistance, food, shelter, basic supplies, medical care and mental health services. As devastating conflicts persist in other areas of the world, the global Red Cross Movement continues to provide aid for people suffering, including those in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza, as part of its neutral, humanitarian mission.

Visit https://www.redcross.org/local/ohio/northern-ohio/ways-to-donate/local-giving.html for more information about how the Red Cross helped people throughout the Northern Ohio Region in 2023.

About Our Regional Holiday Supporters:
The Red Cross is grateful for corporate partners who contribute to our Holiday Campaign. They include Westfield. Thanks to their generosity and that of other supporters, the Red Cross is able to bring help and hope to people in need.

Posted by Ryan Lang, Red Cross board member and volunteer

National Volunteer Week spotlight: Carol Schemmer is dedicated to helping others

Posted on April 22, 2021 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

By: Sam Pudelski, American Red Cross volunteer

Carol Schemmer of Ottawa County is no stranger to the amazing work that the Red Cross does here at home and abroad.

“When I was in the military, I saw the work of the Red Cross firsthand — when military members needed support to get back home in an emergency or to communicate with loved ones,” said Carol.

Carol has spent her life helping others. She has held many distinguished roles in her life, including spending 22 years serving as a nurse in the United States Navy, leading an emergency room in Connecticut and teaching at Lorain County Community College, just to name a few.

Currently, she spends her time as a volunteer with the State of Ohio Medical Reserve Core (MRC) administering COVID-19 vaccines and as a leader for Club Red, a local organization that supports the Northern Ohio Region of the Red Cross through fundraising and advocacy efforts.

“Carol is an idea person and an action person. She’s always willing to step up and offer advice or help coordinate boots on the ground. She is highly organized, extremely reliable and caring,” said Rachel Hepner-Zawodny, executive director of the Red Cross of Northwest Ohio.

As part of Club Red, Carol has led the group to fundraise for the Red Cross but also expanded its effort to teach CPR to communities. She believes that CPR is so easy to learn, yet can be so vital to saving a person’s life during an emergency.

Carol admires the Red Cross volunteers who coordinate and deploy to disasters to offer relief to those affected. When disaster strikes, volunteers are there to provide basic necessities to communities impacted by a flood, storm or other natural disaster—supplying food, water, medical care and more. These efforts are possible thanks to donations and the support of volunteers—who make up over 90% of the Red Cross workforce.

We cannot do the work that we do abroad and at home without the support of people like Carol. Her dedication to supporting others in need throughout her life as a nurse and as a volunteer has helped countless people. We are truly honored to call her a supporter.

If you aren’t a volunteer but are interested in how you could support the Northern Ohio Red Cross, there are many opportunities available for a variety of skill sets. You can visit our website or click here to learn more.

Edited by: Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Thankful for YOU, NEO

Posted on November 24, 2016 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

Thank you for all the support you give to the Red Cross in Northeast Ohio!

Without you, none of this would be possible. So, today, we are thankful for you.

To learn more about our services in NEO, visit http://www.redcross.org/neo.

Dining for a Cause

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

What pairs well with an amazing chef and a beautiful restaurant? Raising money to benefit the mission of the American Red Cross in Ashland, Erie, Holmes, Huron, Lorain, Richland, and Wayne Counties – of course!

On March 11, 86 people attended the Red Tie Affair at Chez Francois in Vermillion. The chef prepared an exclusive five course meal of seasonal favorites, paired with the finest of wines.

The event raised $15,500 for Red Cross services at the Lake Erie/Heartland Chapter.

We would like to say a special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Columbia Gas, as well as our mission sponsor, Nordson Corporation. Other sponsors of the evening include Wickens, PolyOne, Buckeye CableSystem, Pepperidge Farm/ Payne Nickles (shared sponsorship), Bettcher Foundation, and Mercy Health.

For more photos from the event be sure to visit our Facebook page (and like us while you are there!)

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.

5 Years Later, Remembering the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti

Posted on January 12, 2015 by American Red Cross of Northern Ohio

by Wedley Charles, Intern at the American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio

January 12, 2010 I was being lured to sleep by the monotone voice of my physical education professor at Saint Cloud High School in Florida. He was rambling about the dangers that exist in the world and I decided to doodle. I was lost in my own world until he said “Disasters happen Wedley, you’ll never know when it’ll be your last day.”

I felt like a prisoner in my own mind when I arrived home. I couldn’t escape the words my professor told me. As I was walking towards my father I overheard breaking news from CNN saying there was an earthquake the magnitude of 7.0. The earthquake hit the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, and neighboring cities.

My father, his bestfriend from Cap-Haitien, and I

My father, his best-friend, and I

My father went into an immediate panic. You could hear him mashing the buttons into the body of his phone. He was trying to contact all of his family members in Haiti, but he couldn’t reach them all. I remember him telling me stories of him growing up in a village in Cap-Haitien. The people of the village raised the children together teaching them local traditions and customs. He told me it would be his dream to have me go to his village and see his family. Now that the earthquake hit, I could no longer see those dreams.

Days later we discovered that my father lost two cousins and his wife at the time lost three family members. The deaths occurred northeast of the capital; La Gonave, Gonaives, Cap-Haitien.

The American Red Cross has supported more than 4.5 million Haitians since the 2010 earthquake. They have also contributed $98 million to improve the vital health care in Haiti. This allows families to have better access to quality medical care and clean water. $48 million dollars have been spent on job training, cash grants, and livelihood programs for the devastated communities. The Red Cross has also started programs to help entrepreneurs improve their business and marketing skills and they’ve trained nearly 10,000 people in construction techniques for emergency-ready homes. They provided safer sheltering conditions for 132,000 Haitians and upgraded or repaired more than 15,000 homes enabling them to remain safe far into the future.

Haiti 5 year Infographic

The fundraising efforts of the Red Cross contributed $488 million for work in Haiti. The American Red Cross worked in partnership with the Haitian Red Cross and local Haitian organizations to support and sustain a permanent culture of preparedness.

Gail McGovern, CEO of the American Red Cross said “I have seen firsthand the destruction and shock in the days right after the earthquake, where people were just trying to get through the day with minimal food, water and health care. I have seen the steady progress and the return of a spirit of resiliency as Haitians have rebuilt their lives and communities. The pace of progress on the road to recovery is never as fast as we would like, but everywhere you look, there is a marked difference in Haiti, and I’m very proud of all that we have accomplished.”

NOHredcross

American Red Cross of Northern Ohio Region

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