In Case You Missed It - Sept 30

Francesco Rocca, President of the IFRC, visited our offices last week
(Photo: @Francescorocca)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 96 adults and 32 children following 42 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• Our Long Island Chapter held its Annual Volunteer Recognition Event last Wednesday night. Congratulations to all the honorees!
• Senator Diane Savino joined our Sound the Alarm Program last week, inviting New Yorkers to set up an appointment with the Red Cross and get free smoke alarms.
• On Wednesday, we welcomed the President of the IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) to our offices.
• Check out this touching testimony of Carlos Blanco, who turned to the Red Cross earlier this month after a fire destroyed his apartment in the Bronx.
• Last Wednesday and Thursday we had orientation sessions in Long Island, NYC and Metro NY North for residents to learn more about our mission and our many volunteer opportunities.
• September was National #SickleCellAwarenessMonth, a condition that affects nearly 100,000 Americans. Learn about the disease and how to donate blood through the Red Cross.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Visual Storyteller, Disability Integration Volunteer, Transportation Volunteer, Recruitment Support Volunteer, Home Fire Campaign Volunteer, Emergency Communication Center Dispatcher. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• October 16, 2019: We will celebrate the 2019 Red Cross Heroes Among Us Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York.

In Case You Missed It - Sept 23

Ethel Gaillard received the Pet Therapy Award at the Metro New York North Chapter
Volunteer Recognition Event (Photo: Matt LaMonica)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 108 adults and 35 children following 45 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• Feeling proud! AM New York featured our NYC Good Samaritan Heroes who will be recognized at the upcoming American Red Cross Heroes Among US Gala, on October 16.
• On Wednesday night, our Metro New York North Chapter held its Annual Volunteer Recognition Event at Crabtree's Kittle House in Chappaqua. Check out some pics of the event.
• Assemblywoman Latoya Joyner encouraged NY residents to take full advantage of the Red Cross free smoke alarm installation to protect lives #EndHomeFires.
• Port Authority NY&NJ spent their volunteer day of service last Tuesday installing free smoke alarms and providing fire safety education with us at Co-Op City.
• It’s been two years since Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico and the American Red Cross continues to help those affected.
• Our Red Cross teams aided several families displaced by a fire on Parkville Ave in Brooklyn on Monday night.
• Earlier in the week our team member Raul Rivera-Nunez deployed to the Bahamas to support international Hurricane Dorian relief efforts. We could not be prouder!
• We recently shared this tribute to our friend (and member of our Red Cross family) Alexis DeFreitas-Liburd, who left us earlier this month. Alexis “represented a powerful force for good in this world and exemplified how a life that touches others goes on forever.” Our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved her.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Visual Storyteller, Disability Integration Volunteer, Transportation Volunteer, Recruitment Support Volunteer, Home Fire Campaign Volunteer, Emergency Communication Center Dispatcher. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Sept 25, 26: Learn about the mission and vision of the American Red Cross and the many volunteer opportunities that are available for you at an upcoming Orientation Session in Long Island, NYC and Metro NY North! Some current opportunities that will be discussed include Disaster Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Home Fire Campaign, Communications, and more. Light refreshments will be provided!
• October 16, 2019: We will celebrate the 2019 Red Cross Heroes Among Us Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York.

In Case You Missed It - Sept 16

Carmela Grande was presented the Clara Barton Award at this years'
GNY Volunteer Recognition Event. (Photo: John Eng)

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 105 adults and 23 children following 39 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).

Last Week in Review

• Very grateful to Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Council Member Joseph Borelli for joining us last week in our efforts to #EndHomeFires. 
• We celebrated our yearly NYC Volunteer Recognition event on Thursday. We were so proud to recognize the contribution and dedication of our volunteers. Congrats to all the honorees!  
• Newsday reported a home fire in Long Beach in Nassau County where Red Cross teams aided 11 people. 
• On Wednesday 9/11 we honored and remembered those we lost. Check out this blog post about the first few hours of our response that day. 
• Our Chief Long Term Recovery Officer in Puerto Rico, Ana Montero, participated in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s Annual Conference in Washington DC on Wednesday. 
• As founding partners of the Measles & Rubella Initiative, last week we hosted a two-day meeting on Long Island highlighting the need to eradicating these terrible diseases.  
• Red Cross Volunteer Louis Lambros attended the Emergency Preparedness meeting last Thursday in Lewisboro to brief Emergency Officials on Red Cross services available in times of need. 
• We had a great Citizens Emergency Preparedness Presentation hosted by one of our partner, JASA, on Monday. Big thanks to Assemblyman Joseph Lentol for stopping by to support!

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Visual Storyteller, Disability Integration Volunteer, Transportation Volunteer, Recruitment Support Volunteer, Home Fire Campaign Volunteer, Emergency Communication Center Dispatcher. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Sept 10, 25 26: Learn about the mission and vision of the American Red Cross and the many volunteer opportunities that are available for you at an upcoming Orientation Session in Long Island, NYC and Metro NY North! Some current opportunities that will be discussed include Disaster Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Home Fire Campaign, Communications, and more. Light refreshments will be provided!
• Sept 18: Each year, the Metro New York North Red Cross chapter celebrates the dedication of our volunteers to the Red Cross mission to help prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies through our yearly Volunteer Recognition event.
• Oct 16: We will celebrate the 2019 Red Cross Heroes Among Us Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York.

In Memoriam: Alexis DeFreitas-Liburd

It is with a heavy heart that the Greater New York Region announces the loss of one of our beloved family members: NYC leader and Red Cross change maker, Alexis DeFreitas-Liburd. Alexis truly represented a powerful force for good in this world and exemplified how a life that touches others goes on forever.

Alexis joined us nine years ago through her work with the charity Hope Worldwide, first serving as a Purple Pro-Team member through our Ready When the Time Comes program and then taking on a role leading a Disaster Action Team. She also was deeply involved with our Home Fire Campaign, helping to save lives all over the five boroughs. Through the years, Alexis immersed herself in our mission, taking part in as many disasters operations, trainings and other events as she could. Since joining us she volunteered alongside her sisters in faith from Hope Worldwide, Hazel-Ann Rose and Ana Soler, as well as with her beloved husband Clayton, all of whom we hold deeply in our thoughts.

Her spirit was contagious, evident in the way she inspired and lifted up Red Cross clients and volunteers alike. From helping storm survivors after Sandy to writing letters to service members far from home, no gesture of compassion was too big or too small.

We say farewell to our friend and neighbor but not to her energy that will live on through the countless lives she touched. More than anything, we will remember her smiles: the ones shared with her nearest and dearest, and the ones bestowed on total strangers who needed it most. We are so proud for all she’s done, for her work ethic, for how she represented her family and for all the light she shined on the world. 

In Case You Missed It - Sept 9

Members of FDNY DART deploying to the south for Hurricane Dorian Relief.

Over the last 7 days, the Greater New York Red Cross provided emergency assistance to 100 adults and 32 children following 34 local disasters. Here are some highlights from last week and a preview of upcoming activities (see below).


Last Week in Review

• We continued supporting those in the path of #HurricaneDorian. Our volunteers and staff members from NY and Long Island are on the ground helping to operate shelters, deliver food and provide mental health support. Members of our FDNY DART team also headed down to the Carolinas on Saturday.
• On Friday, we rang the New York Stock Exchange Opening Bell to raise awareness for Hurricane Dorian Relief. View more photos here.
• Red Cross volunteers assisted 10 families displaced by a home fire in Mt Vernon this past Saturday,
• Our team had a great Friday at Union Square Park explaining how the Red Cross assists with pets in disasters at the “Pets and Service Animal Preparedness” event, organized by NYC Emergency Management.
• Senator Diane J. Savino recorded a PSA on Friday to reach her constituents and help them to be prepared and more resilient in their homes. 
• September is #NationalPreparednessMonth. Wednesday we participated in the kick-off event organized by NYC Emergency Management in Brooklyn.
• News12 reported a fire on Grand Concourse, the Bronx, in which Red Cross teams provided housing for three families last Tuesday.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• We are actively recruiting for the following volunteer positions: Visual Storyteller, Disability Integration Volunteer, Transportation Volunteer, Recruitment Support Volunteer, Home Fire Campaign Volunteer, Emergency Communication Center Dispatcher. Apply today at www.redcross.org/volunteer! For more information, please contact recruitmentgny@redcross.org.
• Sept 10, 25 26: Learn about the mission and vision of the American Red Cross and the many volunteer opportunities that are available for you at an upcoming Orientation Session in Long Island, NYC and Metro NY North! Some current opportunities that will be discussed include Disaster Preparedness, Response, Recovery, Home Fire Campaign, Communications, and more. Light refreshments will be provided!
• Sept 12: Each year, the American Red Cross Greater New York Region celebrates the dedication of our volunteers to the Red Cross mission to help prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies through our yearly Volunteer Recognition events starting in NYC.
• Oct 16: We will celebrate the 2019 Red Cross Heroes Among Us Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom, New York.