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Country Singer Trace Adkins, the American Red Cross and the Maple Macadamia Mash Up

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May 16, 2013
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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 13th 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.

Trace and the ice cream

On the Sunday May 12th 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 19th 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.

Trace eating ice cream

– Submitted by SEPA Red Cross Communications Volunteer Jennifer Ingram

In the Beginning… There was Henry Dunant

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May 8, 2013
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Did you know?

May 8th, 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.

Red Cross helping flooding victims in Illinois via one of our volunteers

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May 6, 2013
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Below is what our volunteer Emery Graham wrote for redcross.org while deployed with public affairs to Illinois for 10 days helping with flooding there. He’ll post some personal observations in the days ahead.

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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.

Illinois flooding couple

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/

Front lines of mental health work in the aftermath of Boston Bombings

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April 23, 2013
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Below is a compilation of text messages from American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania mental health volunteer Danelle Stoppel about her recent experience helping people in Boston cope with the recent bombing there. (It starts with the most RECENT. Scroll down to see earlier ones.)

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

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.

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.

Safe and Well Service Heals

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April 16, 2013
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Pic of Safe and WellEvents like yesterday’s bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon make us feel terribly vulnerable. Our first thought is that we might know people who were running the race, or that friends or relatives in Boston were planning to spend their Patriots Day Holiday watching runners finish the final mile.

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.

Accepting Summer Video Production intern applications

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March 25, 2013
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Here’s your chance to create videos about a great organization and its wonderful people. Be an American Red Cross Southeastern PA video production intern.

You’ll have the opportunity to shoot and edit stories about responses to local disasters like fires, hurricanes, floods, etc. You’ll meet some of the most amazing people and get to document their work.

You’ll create videos seen by hundreds of people, many of them some of Philadelphia’s most influential leaders.

You’ll be helping one of the world’s most recognized brands get the message out about its work.

And you’ll have fun.

Go to Youtube.com/redcrossphilly to check out the kind of videos you’d be shooting and editing.  You may also have the chance to work on a feature length documentary about our one of a kind Red Cross House – The Center for Disaster Recovery.

Below is a description of the position and the skills we are seeking. College credit is not required, but highly preferred.

American Red Cross, Southeastern PA Internship Opportunity:

Video Production Intern

Purpose: The video production intern will work to produce and edit videos for the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania that will be seen by many high level and influential leaders in the corporate, non-profit, and governmental worlds.

Key Responsibilities:

  1. Enthusiastic about supporting the American Red Cross mission
  2. Digitizing video clips and organizing them on internal servers. Ability to convert and save clips from Mac to PC and vice versa crucial.
  3. Helping to manage our YouTube Channel
  4. Filming/editing/selecting video and sound bites and/or creating graphics to make a video anywhere from 45 seconds to 8 minutes long which will be used for a variety of internal and external events and promotion
  5. Assistance with special events, depending on the time of year, including media and client outreach ahead of events, setting up signage, social media during events, escorting of media and VIPs, filming interviews for Chapter, social media videos, etc.
  6. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

  1. Editing and videography skills a must, experience with Adobe Creative Suite highly preferred.
  2. Must have access to editing and videography equipment capable of handling DVDs, photos, and other digital media.
  3. Must be reliable and professional
  4. Working knowledge of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and/or Vimeo.
  5. Must be able to handle multiple tasks at once.
  6. Ability and flexibility to work odd hours when necessary for special events with advanced notice or disaster response with possibly little to no notice.
  7. Must go through interview process, complete American Red Cross volunteer application and pass background check.
  8. Commitment to the Red Cross mission of helping others prevents, prepare for, and respond to disasters.
  9. Creative vision with the ability to turn vision into results.
  10. Work under tight deadlines.
  11. Ability to work collaboratively, yet sometimes be able to work with little supervision.
  12. Excellent project management skills.
  13. Writing experience a plus
  14. Calm demeanor.

Reports to: Communications Specialist and Director of Communications

Time Commitment: Ideal candidate can commit to 12-20 or more hours a week on a set schedule with flexibility for early and later special events. Schedule and hours are negotiable as related to requirements for intern credits.  Internship lengths are negotiable with candidate and requirements for intern credits. Ideal length would be Spring, Summer and Fall terms (12-15 weeks)

This is an unpaid internship but may qualify for college credit.

To apply, send resume and letter to Sarah Pabst at Sarah.Pabst@redcross.org

Top 20 Accomplishments is finally here: A Look Behind the Scenes

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February 21, 2013
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Each year, the public affairs department of the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) makes a list of our “Top 20 Accomplishments” in order to take stock of our activities in the prior year and to let our friends know we have fulfilled our mission to the best of our ability. Funny thing about this list – it rarely appears in early January when one might expect to see it. Why? Because we’re often a little busy.

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Our most important work, helping those who face disasters, always comes first. The #1 accomplishment on the list mentions Superstorm Sandy, the enormous hurricane that hit the East Coast in early November.  During and in the wake of such a serious event, our small public affairs department went into overdrive to share important information with the public about preparedness, explain what SEPA is doing to support our community’s response to the storm and jumpstart our fundraising efforts.  Just when we’d got a handle on all that, it was the depth of winter, a time when the Philadelphia region is plagued by fire disasters that keep us on our toes.

So here we are, on February 21, 2013, ready to share and celebrate our 2012 accomplishments with a marvelous multi-media presentation!  As we do every year, we printed a booklet with photographs and in-depth explanations of our activities throughout the year. (here’s the Top20_2012_Final) In addition, as part of our digital and social media efforts, we will devote a part of our website to displaying a digital version of our booklet  and, for the first time ever, a video display of the many ways we achieved the goals of our mission. Dear Reader, please click on this link to experience our moment of reflection in a wholly new and exciting way. I watched it this morning and I was amazed, captivated and utterly floored by its power to convey our message.

Like our mission itself, the video is a testimony to working together to achieve a goal. The SEPA public affairs team consists of our fearless leader, Dave Schrader and his tireless communications specialist, Sara Smith. The rest of us are volunteers who wander in and out throughout each week, contributing as best we can. I think all viewers will agree that our intrepid video interns, Michelle Davies and Kareem Bazali, did a fantastic job of putting the video together. The fades to black and white were Sara’s brainchild, informed by her background in TV, and she curated the beautiful photos. I did some shaping of the language in both the booklet and the video. Dave was the mastermind behind the list itself and a wise producer and director of all our efforts.

We are extremely pleased with our final Top 20 compilation and gratified by our role in sharing the SEPA story with donors, volunteers and friends.  But we are proudest of the work itself — SEPA’s ongoing efforts to alleviate suffering and create a more humane, caring and just world.

-          Submitted by Sarah Peterson, public affairs volunteer

Volunteers on Ice

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January 24, 2013
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DSC_0168_7138In the early morning hours of January 23nd, there was a serious house fire in East Norriton, Montgomery County. Since my volunteer role at the SEPA Red Cross began, I’ve been in the habit of checking the local news each morning. That’s how I saw the interview with the Montgomery County fire chief where he explained that the recent cold snap created some special challenges for the responders. It took a while to find a working hydrant. Water froze on contact with everything it touched: the grass, the pavement, the house. The hoses froze to the pavement and could not be moved once the fire was extinguished. Two fire fighters were hurt slipping on the ice. Two residents were hurt jumping out of a second floor window. It is safe to say that 10 degree temperatures made a terrible situation even worse, but the fire fighters were there to do their job and they deserve our admiration and respect.

The American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania was also there. Volunteers rose in the middle of the night to be at the scene and care for residents forced out into the cold. They were there with financial assistance for food, clothing, shoes and winter coats to four people affected by the fire. Frozen hoses are not the only challenging consequence of a cold snap. Cold and fire are old friends. When heating bills become high and un-payable, people take risks to create heat. Stove burners are turned to high, a space heater overloads a socket, and an oven is turned to 500 degrees and left open.

In the last few frozen days, our volunteers responded to 10 fires in all five Southeastern, PA counties. We helped 48 people who were forced out of their homes. In every case, Red Cross volunteers were there side by side with fire fighters to do the other half of the work: care for the people involved.

These volunteers are extremely special people. Most of us are good at caring for our family and friends; very few of us are good at caring for strangers in 10 degree temperatures at 2:00 in the morning. But still Red Cross volunteers are there. We were there this week. Our volunteers are dedicated middle of the night risers, unstoppable on ice and determined to provide relief. We will see our region through the winter months, no matter how cold it gets

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Below is a video of a separate fire response, this one Friday evening 1/25/13 in N. Wales, Montgomery County. It further underscores the point made above.

Resolve to be Red Cross Ready in 2013

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January 15, 2013
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prepared banner copy

Already feeling shaky about the New Year’s resolutions you made in the wee hours of January 1st to friends and family who will never hold you to them? Not keeping those dates with the treadmill? The Red Cross has a list of easy resolutions to keep. We promise that following through on the list below will make you a healthier, happier, safer and more effective member of your community.

We challenge you to resolve to be Red Cross Ready. There are several ways to be Red Cross Ready, and these are some of the top ten. Even though the year has already started it’s never too late.

  1.    Make an Emergency Kit

This is important and can make an enormous difference for your household. Get other family members involved and use the list on the Red Cross website to guide the process.

2.      Download Red Cross Apps

The Red Cross’s new Hurricane App is incredibly useful and comforting. I loved having all that important information on my phone when Sandy hit Philadelphia in November. The download takes 30 seconds and we have several apps with a wealth of information. Check us out!

3.      Become a Red Cross Volunteer

There is nothing more rewarding that helping others in need. Enough said.

4.      Learn CPR

It usually takes a single day to get your certification. Not really much time when you think about what you are learning to do. Imagine having the ability to save a life in a medical emergency. Is that a worthwhile skill? You bet.

5.      Make sure there are working smoke detectors in the house

Our area has lost four people since January 1st to home fires where no working smoke detectors were found. Interviews with neighbors in the wake of these fires revealed that those who died were valued elderly members of their communities who had been living in their houses for decades. The solution is to care more for one another. Check your own smoke detectors. Help your neighbors check theirs.

6.      Talk with family and make an emergency plan

Talk about escaping your home during a fire. Designate a meeting place on the outside. Talk about what to do if you are asked to evacuate during a hurricane or flood. Having a plan relieves anxiety and will serve you well when confronted with a real disaster scenario.

7.      Know your region and what types of natural disaster may occur

This is a simple as knowing what to prepare for. For instance, if you know you are in a flood zone, you can prepare for evacuation.

8.      Inform others of being Red Cross Ready

Again, care for your neighbors. Encourage your neighbors to visit the Red Cross website. The more people prepared for a potential disaster, the stronger the community as a whole.

9.      Attend a Red Cross training class

We can help you learn to be a fantastic lifeguard, an excellent babysitter, an outstanding caregiver, a skilled nurse’s aid and a strong swimmer among other useful skills. Check it out!

10.  Give Blood

This involves lying down in a relaxed state for around 45 minutes. Anyone feeling capable of that?

– Posted by Jennifer Ingram and Sarah Peterson

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