In Case You Missed It - May 16

Red Cross Volunteer Steven Thorne supporting FDNY open-houses to the public.

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 62 adults and 30 children following 36 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• Sunday was Peace Officers Memorial Day and the Red Cross was on hand at a ceremony on Staten Island supporting the NYPD. Our own Disaster Program Manager for Staten Island, Daniel Delgado had the honor of speaking at the event.
• Saturday was a busy day of community outreach for the Red Cross:  
• Installing free smoke alarms in Washington Heights  
• Participating in NBC4’s Health and Wellness Expo at Metlife Stadium in NJ  
• Supporting the annual FDNY open-house in all five boroughs where visitors were welcomed at more than 200 firehouses  
• Tabling in Port Washington to promote our Home Fire Preparedness Campaign 
• On Friday, we posted our latest #MyRedCrossLife Instagram profile on Long Island volunteer Elaine Biller, who was recently given the Community Preparedness Award for her service. 
• On Wednesday, we had a chance to gather and celebrate our amazing volunteers who support the West Point community. Time Warner Cable News was there to cover the festive event. 
• Dedicated volunteer Phil Cogan was featured in a blog post titled the “Reflections of a Seasoned Disaster Responder.” 
• Our own Gary Chin was deployed to the massive Red Cross wildfire relief operation in Alberta, Canada. 
• Last week we also posted a blog story about our partnership with the Tzu Chi Foundation. In late April the Red Cross was honored by the organization for our home fire preparedness efforts. 

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• May 16, 18, 20: Red Cross blood drive: 1 to 7pm: 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today.
• May 19: The Citizen Preparedness Corps (CPC) is looking for more trainers and is holding presenter training sessions in Hawthorne, NY. If you are an interested in volunteering, please email olga.wallace@redcross.org. 
• May 20: City officials are holding a Fire Safety Town Hall at 5:30 pm at the Claremont Neighborhood Centers in the Bronx for residents looking to learn about fire safety.