Tag Archives: giving

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

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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

An extra day to make a difference

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Leap year provides opportunity to help others

By Sue Wilson, American Red Cross volunteer

February 26, 2020- The American Red Cross responds to needs in our community 365 days a year. But this year it’s 366 days. Yes, there’s an extra day to do much-needed work because it’s leap year.

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What is leap year and why is it happening? In a nutshell, the standard calendar year is 365 days, but the Earth takes 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds to go completely around the sun. This is called a solar year. In order to keep the calendar cycle synchronized with the seasons, one extra day is added every four years. Feb. 29 is one of those days, making 2020 a “leap year.”

So what are you going to do with your extra day?

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How about making it a day to do good for an organization that does so much good every day of the year? The Red Cross may not be top of mind as you go through your day-to-day life. Unless there is a natural disaster that makes the news headlines, it’s hard to remember that the work of the Red Cross and its volunteers goes quietly along 365 day a year, ready and waiting to respond to people who face emergencies.

  • 365 days a year, the Red Cross secures food and lodging for the family struck by a home fire.
  • 365 days a year, the Red Cross is there for a deployed soldier who needs to get home for a family emergency.
  • 365 days a year, the Red Cross is providing life-saving blood to someone who needs it.
  • 365 days a year, everyday people become heroes because they learned skills that helped save a life due to CPR/AED training from their local Red Cross.
  • 365 days a year, the Red Cross is there, ready to help.

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Maybe your life was made better and safer because you learned to swim. Or you became a lifeguard or took a babysitting class through the Red Cross. These things may slip our mind as we go through our daily lives. But on this 366th day, it’s a great time to remember the Red Cross through your donation.

There are so many ways to donate. You can donate online, by mail, phone, text or through your Alexa device. And you can make this leap year last 366 days by setting up monthly donations. For the price of a cup of your daily coffee, you can make a huge difference in the lives of someone who needs the help of the Red Cross every day. You can also specify whether your donation stays local. You can even specify whether you want your money to go where it is “most needed” or perhaps to a specific service or need close to your heart.

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This leap year, make your extra day count. Give to the Red Cross.

Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer

Before the year ends, consider giving

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By Doug Bardwell and edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteers

As the year comes to a close, many people spend time between Christmas and the New Year holiday with their yearly review and goal setting for next year. If you haven’t tried it yet, you might want to.

Many people decide that they want to do more for those in need. If that thought is on Red Cross year end check listyour mind, please consider volunteering with the American Red Cross. Even if you can only commit to a few hours a week or a month, there’s a way for you to make a difference. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to get started and see what positions are needed now.

Others realize that their charitable donations aren’t where they should be. But fear not, there’s still time.

Did you know:

  • If you itemize your deductions, your donation can be used to lower your tax obligation in the year you donate.
  • Putting a check in the mail constitutes a donation made in the year it was mailed.
  • Contributions made on a credit card are deductible in the year they appear on your account, even if you pay them off in the following year.
  • Contribution limits for tax purposes are quite high. If you have an adjusted gross income of $100,000, you can donate up to $60,000 to a public charity.
  • If you donate property you’ve owned for at least a year, the donation is considered to be the fair market value of the item donated. If the property has appreciated in value, you’ll get the added benefit of that higher value.
  • Individuals who are 70-1/2 years old or older, can donate up to $100,000 directly from their IRA without having to claim it as taxable income.
  • To read more about these hints, refer to Charity Navigator’s website.

So, you’ve decided to donate before year-end. But, where to donate? Well, if you’re 183401-18-Holiday-Campaign-2018_Social-Media-Plan_Facebook-Post-Graphic_3_FINALreading this, chances are you are already well aware that the American Red Cross is the preeminent organization for helping to prevent and alleviate human suffering in this country.

Only one decision left. Where would you like your donation applied? Our website’s donation page gives you four options:

  • Disaster Relief
  • Where it is needed most
  • Local Red Cross programs and services—this benefits Northeast Ohio chapter activities
  • Home fires

and you can pay via credit card or via PayPal.

Considering a donation other than online?

Here are some helpful links, no matter how you decide to donate:

Do you want to mail a check?  Send it to American Red Cross; 3747 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

If you’d like to donate by phone, call 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-2767).

Donate by text: Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Disaster Relief.

Donating vehicles of any kind (running or not): Call 1-855-92 RC CAR (1-855-927-2227) or by visiting redcross.org/cardonation.

Donating stocks or mutual funds: Go here on our website.

Donating by Electronic Fund Transfer or Wire Transfer:  See below:

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If you are unable to make a financial contribution or to volunteer, you may also give life saving blood. The Red Cross provides roughly 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply. However, of the 38 percent of the population that is eligible to donate, less than ten percent actually donates. With someone in the U.S. needing blood every two seconds, your blood donation is vital. To make an appointment to donate, you may visit RedCrossBlood.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or you may download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App.

Thanks for your donation—either your time, your blood or your money. Have a wonderful New Year!