In Case You Missed It - Sep 18

"Visited with Red Cross volunteers in Immokalee who are doing critical work helping people in their community." -@marcorubio

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 65 adults and 17 children following 30 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• On September 11, the Red Cross provided $45 million in financial assistance to more than 100,000 qualified households who needed immediate help after surviving Hurricane Harvey.
• We currently have over 159 local people deployed to the hurricane responses in Texas, US Virgin Islands, Orlando, FL, Georgia, and remotely in NYC. Among those deployed are DART members missing anniversaries and birthdays and someone who just came back from Texas and now going to Florida. 
• For a more personal look into these historic disaster responses, please follow: Daniel Delgado, Gary Chin, Ronnie Rigos, Julian Hernandez, Doug Bainton/DART, Nanci Ann Banninger, Desiree Diaz and Dario Diaz Jr. 
• We also welcomed home many Red Crossers from their hurricane relief assignments like Hortensia Anderson, Raul Rivera Nunez, Matthew Teter, Joe Spaccarelli and Ed Torraca, Jose Dominguez. 
• On Saturday, Long Island volunteers set out to the Family Wellness Fair in Brentwood to educate and have some fun! Continuing our mission to #EndHomeFires and keep neighborhoods safe and well prepared. 
• Many thanks to the Rippowam Cisqua Students for their spectacular bake sale at the John Jay Farmer’s Market supporting Red Cross hurricane relief efforts. The Staten Island Advance featured two adorable tots raising money at their lemonade stand for Hurricane Relief. 
• Senator Marco Rubio visited a Red Cross shelter in Immokalee and spoke with volunteers including our own Ed Merians. 
• Inside Edition got the scoop from our own Long Island spokesperson Craig Cooper on how to stay safe during a blackout.
• Special thanks to our friends at American Airlines who spent “Take your Child to Work Day” packing "Totes for Hope" for our veterans and active duty service members.
• On Monday, NFL and baseball star Tim Tebow spent time doing his part to help at a Red Cross shelter for those with special medical needs. 
• Every September 11th, we honor the brave FDNY DART volunteers who are no longer with us and the actions of all of our volunteers in the hours and days after 9/11 that exemplify the Red Cross spirit.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• Sep 19, 20, 21, 22: Red Cross blood drives will take place from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Greater NY Red Cross building located at 520 West 49th Street, Manhattan. Schedule an appointment to donate today. 
• Oct 11: The American Red Cross Gala will recognize civic leaders and local heroes at the Museum of Natural History. 
• Nov 5: Cheer on Amanda and Team Red Cross as they run the TCS NYC Marathon.