Tag Archives: Volunteers

Red Cross Volunteer Apps make volunteering easy for current and prospective volunteers

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Nationally, there are over one million volunteers for the Red Cross. While many volunteers tend to local community needs by those who have experienced a disaster like a home fire or flood, there are many other ways to work with the Red Cross including supporting the Red Cross Service to Armed Forces, Blood Drives, work at events, community meetings, and more. All are welcome and encouraged to make a difference in their community.  The Red Cross has created two ways to use your mobile device to help you volunteer, the Team Red Cross App and the Volunteer Connection App.

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When a large scale disaster hits, the Team Red Cross App makes it easy for you to help the response through just-in-time training.  The app has extensive training materials so you know exactly how to provide help with disaster assessment, feeding, bulk distribution, or other important work to assist those when they need it most.  Using the GPS on your mobile device, the app instantly recognizes where you are and tells you what help is needed in your area.  For more information, visit www.redcross.org/apps.

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The Volunteer Connection app is for those who are currently volunteers for the Red Cross. The app will help you easily update your profile, log your volunteer hours, schedule your shifts or read up on the latest news from your groups.  The app works with the existing volunteer connection website, but gives you the power to stay connected through your mobile device.  The apps are downloadable for the iPhone and Android servers.

To get started as a volunteer, or learn about additional opportunities visit www.redcross.org/volunteer.

The Red Cross Wins the Unsung Hero Award

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On October 17, the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation (FBICAF) recognized the amount of good the American Red Cross – and other organizations – of Northeast Ohio does for its 4.5 million residents. In a show of recognition and appreciation, the Disaster Services Team was given the FBICAF Unsung Hero Award; a great honor for hometown heroes.

With an average of 2.5 house fires a night, the Disaster Services Team is always available for each emergency and to help neighbors in need of assistance. The team reports to the scene of a single home fire, flood, chemical spill, tornado damage, or other disasters.  But they do not only address these types of situations.  During the Polar Vortex in early 2014, the severity of the weather caused schools and businesses to be shut down, but not the Red Cross.  The Red Cross opened up warming centers that operated across Northeast Ohio, where people were provided with a place of shelter and warmth.

The FBI Citizens Academy Foundation’s Unsung Hero Award requires nominees to display extraordinary effort in assisting victims. The award is given to any person, community service, or agency that takes victims out of bad situations and gives them hope for their future.  The ceremony offered two other awards as well.  The Citizen Hero Award was given to Youth Opportunities Unlimited, a youth empowering organization.  The Safety Forces Hero Award was awarded to the Shaker Heights Police Department.

A special thanks to the Ganley Auto Group, who donated a table to the Red Cross that allowed more people to attend the ceremony. In attendance were Pat Buckhold, Debra Kellar, Tony Rivera, Tina Buckingham, Ron Baumberger, Linda Taylor, Gene McCray, Amy Gibson, Gail Hanes, Marge DeCastro,  Diane Homza-Dacek, Kevin Jones, Ramona Lucas, Richard Lucas and Josie Rivera-Lough.

Give 10 hours, help your community

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Look for our volunteers on Dawg Pound Drive just outside the stadium at tomorrow’s Browns vs. Ravens game!

The Cleveland Browns are encouraging fans to volunteer 10 hours of service in their own communities during the year.

The First and Ten initiative, which launched in June of 2014, is the first of its kind in the NFL. The Browns are hoping that fans will volunteer over 500,000 hours to communities throughout the area, and really, anywhere that a Browns Fan may live. With over 10,000 pledges already in, they are well on their way to meeting that goal.

This is a perfect partnership for the American Red Cross, which relies on volunteers to continue its mission to prevent and eliminate human suffering in the face of emergencies. Volunteers make up more than 94% of the workforce of the Red Cross.

How can you volunteer to #Give10 hours to the Red Cross in your community?

You can get started as a volunteer by going to www.redcross.org/volunteer and filling out the online form.

Then head over the Brown’s First and Ten website to register, as a Browns’ fan, to give 10 hours in your community.

Share your #Give10 story

If you are social media savvy, you can share your story of giving 10 hours by using the hashtag #Give10 on Twitter. Then tag @BrownsGiveBack and @NEORedCross. Fans can follow the #Give10 movement on Twitter by following @BrownsGiveBack or searching for the hashtag #Give10.

 

Not on twitter? Share your story of volunteerism by visiting the First and Ten site.