As the days get warmer, my thoughts turn to sweet summer treats like ice cream. Today, I tried a new flavor from the Walgreens Delish Brand called “Maple Macadamia Mash Up” and it was delicious. I was in love after the first spoonful because the flavor combinations are amazing. Even though I only had a small cup just to try it, I immediately wanted more. Hours later, the delicious blend of Macadamia Nuts and Maple Syrup stayed with me, and I couldn’t wait to get back to Walgreens and buy out their freezer.

Before today, I didn’t know anything about this ice cream or its creator Trace Adkins. Trace is one of country music’s most versatile and accomplished entertainers and a contestant on Donald Trump’s All Star Celebrity Apprentice. This reality show, currently in its 13^th season, has brought back 14 popular, business-savvy, celebrity contestants for a chance to raise money and awareness for the charity of their choice. The celebrity winner will have the honor of delivering a $250,000 bonus check to their designated charity. Trace Adkins is playing for the American Red Cross. Last year, while Adkins was away from home, his house caught fire and burned. The American Red Cross looked after wellbeing of his family during this crisis. Adkins feels deeply grateful to the Red Cross volunteers who were there for his family and he is proud to represent such a “noble” organization.

On the Sunday May 12^th episode of the show, Trace Adkins and his opponent Penn Jillette who are finalists, we asked to create a unique ice cream flavor for the Walgreen’s Delish Brand. In addition to creating an ice cream flavor, the contestants and their teams had to design the carton, create a 60 second promotional video, and sell tickets to a VIP event for their ice cream. Please support Trace Adkins and the American Red Cross by buying Maple Macadamia Mash-Up Ice Cream. You can also tune in on Sunday May 19^th and watch the live Season Finale of All Star Celebrity Apprentice to see who wins. Based on his ice cream, I’d say Trace Adkins has this one in the bag.

– Submitted by SEPA Red Cross Communications Volunteer Jennifer Ingram

One can’t help but be moved by the quiet and unassuming miracle that is Red Cross House – the one-of-a-kind short term disaster recovery center that graces University City, on the corner of 40^th Street and Powelton Avenue. Although I’ve been volunteering in the Public Affairs Department for more than a year, Tuesday was my first visit to the House. Our group of employees and volunteers was there to help serve lunch to the residents.

After a tour, my co-workers and I quickly got into the spirit of things and, with the help of the kitchen staff, washed hands, donned aprons and positioned hairnets. (Hairnets are a purely utilitarian device – meant to keep one’s pesky hairs from floating down into food. Sadly, they are not for the fashion forward.) However, once “hairnetted” in solidarity, we began welcoming current Red Cross House residents to a satisfying luncheon of lasagna, salad, macaroni and cheese and Salisbury steak. Our chef, Darryl Cook, serves three meals a day to an average of 30 clients. He’s had a very busy late winter as the House had over 100 residents for several weeks at a time. Our luncheon service was quiet by comparison; we served a handful of adults and three beautiful children.  After a short time, we were able to sit down and sample Chef Cook’s food for ourselves. FYI – he makes a mean lasagna.

I’ve heard a lot about Red Cross House in the year I’ve been volunteering, and I’ve written countless blogs and articles that mention its 26 private hotel-style suites, its casework offices, training rooms and counseling services, its outdoor playground and laundry facilities, and its heartbreakingly empty storage lockers. I already knew it was a special place, but I was amazed at the feeling of warmth evident during our visit. The foyer is surrounded by a colorful mural of happy and hopeful Philadelphians and there is cheerful artwork throughout the facility. The rooms are immaculate and private, with separate bathrooms. There is a children’s room, a den with a large television, a comfortable library and an up to date computer center.

These amenities make Red Cross House a model facility, not just because it is bright and orderly, but because it communicates tremendous respect for its clientele. The message to people in our area who have suffered a house fire or other disaster is – you matter. You are worthy of our care and concern. You deserve the assistance of your community to get back on your feet and recover. Red Cross House’s recognition of its clients’  humanity and agency, despite their state of desperate need, is why it is successful. I, for one, feel enormously proud that it was built here, in Philadelphia.

Submitted by Communications Volunteer Sarah Peterson

May 8^th, is World Red Cross Red Crescent Day. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is celebrating 150 years of humanitarian action.

How did it all begin?

In 1859, a man named Jean Henri Dunant, also known as Henry Dunant was appalled at the fate of wounded soldiers on both sides of the battle between French and Austrian forces at Solferino. His attempts to help inspired two ideas about a humanitarian response to assist the victims of armed conflicts. He believed that armies should be obliged to care for all wounded soldiers and that a national society should be formed to support military medical services. With the help of the Public Welfare Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, Dunant was able to enact his vision of a national society and by October 1863, an international conference was convened to spread his humanitarian vision to countries all over the world.

The conference adopted the emblem of a red cross on a white background so that medical personnel could be easily identified on the battlefield. The Ottoman Empire adopted the red crescent in the 1870’s, as it was more in keeping with their Islamic faith. In December 2005, an additional emblem – the red crystal – was created alongside the red cross and the red crescent.

Now, the ICRC plays a vital role in helping victims of war, conflict and disaster all over the world. It has a permanent mandate to help prisoners, care for the wounded and sick, and assist civilians affected by conflict. According to the ICRC website, every day Red Cross workers ease the pain and disruption of war by:

• Providing medical assistance for war wounded, displaced people and others affected by armed conflicts
• Educating others about international humanitarian laws
• Exchanging messages between members of families separated by armed conflict
• Helping discover the fate of missing family members
• Providing emergency relief such as water, sanitation, food, shelter

The ICRC is at work in 92 countries and has a staff of almost 13,000 people. The mission is enormously challenging. There has been a proliferation of new weaponry and military technology sometimes outpaces humanitarian law. Disintegrating nations spawn multiple military factions that are new to the task of warfare and unaware of the international humanitarian laws that govern their actions.

Despite these challenges, the ICRC is committed to remaining a neutral actor in these conflicts in order to assist innocent civilians, children, the wounded and sick and detainees deprived to basic human rights.

The idea of an organized humanitarian response to war and disaster was an important step forward for those who believe that the relief of unnecessary suffering is part of a civilized world.

In fact, here is the story of an idea…
This film, combining colourful animation with recent images, brings to life the history of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement from Henry Dunant and the Battle of Solferino through to today. The film explains the meaning of the Geneva Conventions, the universal humanitarian principles underlying the Movement’s efforts and the general activities carried out by the different components, the ICRC, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the National Societies, as they work together to help those in need.

Check out more about the International Federation of the Red Cross and World Red Cross Red Crescent Day.

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American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania public affairs volunteer Emery Graham, on deployment, working on an article and his photos at the Illinois flooding Disaster Operations Center

The American Red Cross helps families during the first days after a disaster and continues helping families and communities develop long term recovery plans. In the first few days after the flood waters receded from the Millpoint trailer park, in Sprayland, IL,  debris was everywhere and the Red Cross provided rakes, shovels, and clean up kits to help the families begin to bring order to their surroundings.

Suzanne Neal and Ricardo Colon, Red Cross volunteers, have brought shovels and rakes to Jenny Sarver’s home. Jenny offered her home as  the central pick up point for other families in the area. Jenny’s son Shaun, and his dog Angel, watched as Ricardo brought equipment onto the front porch. Shaun thought the flooded river was fun because he caught lots of fish and his first leopard frog. Jenny showed her appreciation with a big hug for Suzanne.

To date, in the Illinois flood areas, Red Cross volunteers have provided more than 39,000 bulk items  and over 64,000 meals and snacks to affected families and individuals. Your support is vital in this effort and words of appreciation and gratitude are constantly voiced by the many individuals and families helped by your donations.

Valarie Trigg: ” Thank God for good neighbors. It has been a great help to have a warm meal. It really means a lot that the Red Cross is here.”
Millpoint, Spring Bay, IL

Here’s link to more Illinois flooding photos, including several by Emery.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/americanredcross/sets/72157633312248700/with/8696349574/

Danelle Stoppel, here with Dave Warren, a Red Cross disaster mental health volunteer from Rochester, NY, review the cases they’ve handled while working in Boston after the Boston Marathon bombings

The evening of day 2, DHM (Disaster Mental Health) workers were asked to attend the vigil for Sean Collier, the MIT police officer killed on MIT’s campus last week.  His hometown put this event together in eight hours to honor him.  As a Red Cross worker I am becoming very familiar with vigils and memorials for fallen police and firefighters. on national disaster responses (DRs) and in Philadelphia.  I feel comfortable attending these events since while, we are not first responders, we work in cooperation with them everyday.

The short life of this police officer was remarkable.  Sean’s mentor spoke of his desire to be a city police officer. Several days before his death, Sean was offered a local position and he was to start on June 3rd.  The American Red Cross was here as a presence to witness his life.

Over the past two days, I have been working directly with families of the victims.  Coordinated services to them are being delivered in an undisclosed location to ensure their privacy. This closely guarded environment affords these families the opportunity to register for a variety services being offered to them locally and nationally.  The American Red Cross is one of those services.

While I can never know what our services accomplishes I do know what I gain from this experience.  I have been able to directly connect with several families over the past three days as they attempt to recover.  I have quickly become “Deedee,” my nickname, and that put them in my family/friends circle.  That happens so quickly on a disaster response like this one.  It reduces all of us to a pure human being without the barriers of class, race, language and religion. While it is very difficult to hear details of their loved ones injuries and prognosis, I am honored that I can be of service to them.  Our work with the American Red Cross is essential, needed and appreciated

- Danelle Stoppel, April 24, 2013

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Last Friday (April 19) I was deployed to Boston as a disaster mental health worker.  We entered Boston shortly after the city wide lockdown was lifted.  A city wide lockdown is a very new experience to disaster relief.  No one including Red Cross disaster workers could leave their homes, hotels, etc…On day two, the city returned to new normal with the presence of military personnel in military transport vehicles on every corner of the downtown area.

Police personnel from many states as well as FBI, Homeland Security, and National Guard were everywhere.  It was a very different feeling than my typical disaster responses.  Whole areas of Boston were shut down because they were FBI crime scenes.  Whole blocks were evacuated and residents could not return home.

A Memorial developed on blocks close to the marathon site and on MIT’s campus.  The local volunteers from the Boston chapter of the American Red Cross was very Involved in the mental health response as well.  It was wonderful to be paired with a local person as we worked on outreach activities.  On this response, everyone has been impacted.  This is so different from our usual experience in the Red Cross.  No one in this area is untouched.

On day two I was assigned to work with Boston marathon volunteers who are gathering to work through their experience. While the event was scheduled for three hours we stayed for six.  Their overwhelming feelings filled the room and it was difficult to remain dry eyed.  These people volunteered for this event for years and have always had a feeling of great joy working this event.  Medical volunteers who came to help runners with injuries, dehydration and exhaustion found themselves in trauma/triage mode.  While their training pulled them through to accomplish the task, their emotions were atypical and the joy of their yearly event turned into overwhelming sadness.

- Danelle Stoppel, April 23, 2013

Danelle, pictured here in July 2012 while on deployment in Colorado, providing mental health services to a man who’s home was destroyed by a wildfire.

We invite you to check out all of the ways you can volunteer with the Red Cross on our website.

We invite you to check out all of the ways you can volunteer with the Red Cross on our website.

Marathon organizers estimate that 500,000 people line the course annually to cheer on an average of 20,000 runners. When the bombs went off yesterday afternoon and news reports began to disseminate all over the world, thousands and thousands of people picked up a phone to assure themselves that their friends and acquaintances in Boston had not been hurt or injured. Cell phone networks serving eastern Massachusetts were promptly jammed and no one could reach anyone for several hours.

This is not an unusual occurrence after a serious disaster. Communication between the outside world and the people experiencing the disaster becomes difficult. Overwhelmed cell phone networks, power outages and requests for people to “shelter in place” make it difficult to get the word out that everything’s okay, and perhaps a grandmother on the West Coast should not be worried.

The American Red Cross runs an essential service to help people get in touch during a disaster. On the Red Cross website, visitors who are in an area affected by a disaster can register themselves as “Safe and Well” by entering place of residence information and choosing a brief message that explains their status. That information can be accessed by anxious friends and relatives who can’t reach their loved ones through traditional channels.
Perpetrators of terrorism mean to hurt and maim, but they also mean to make us afraid. A service like “Safe and Well” works to establish peace of mind. It begins to heal the injury to our psyches.

To get the the website pictured above, go to redcross.org/safeandwell. Also, check out this helpful video.