We Have a Winner!!

Believe it or not, another Red Cross Month is coming to an end.  And with the end of March comes the end of our first ever Red Cross Moments contest!  Back on March 1, we asked you to share your experiences with the Red Cross, with the story deemed the best earning two free general admission tickets to BASH*2011!  Well, it wasn't easy, but we've picked a winner!  For sharing the following story, Jessica will get join over 4,000 of her closest friends at the party of the year on June 3rd--for free!!

"I (with my whole family) volunteered with the American Red Cross chapter in Goshen NY (just north of NYC) for the immediate days following the 9/11 attacks. We all worked tirelessly to move donations ranging from dog food for rescue dogs to first aid supplies and water to the men and women in NYC. I was still a teenager when this happened, 16 to be exact, but I do remember my awe at the amount of help and donations that were coming in. It was amazing. It was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  And to boot, I've been a registered blood donor since my first blood drive in High School at 17, and I carry my donor card proudly! Here I am, 10 years later, still a supporter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross provides excellent services to people in time of crisis, and I'm glad I've been a part of it!!!"

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story, Jessica, and for continuing to be a donor for nearly a decade!  We look forward to seeing you at BASH!!

The contest may be over, but we still want to hear Red Cross Moments!  The stories of your experiences can help us improve our services, and let the community know what we have to offer.  Please click on the "Tell Us Your Red Cross Moments" button on the left hand side of this page to send us your stories!

And if you want to join Jessica at BASH*2011 on Friday, June 3rd, you might have trouble getting in this year!  Tickets are going fast--one $100 raffle ticket gets you two tickets to the general admission tent, two drinks per person, all the food you can eat, PLUS the chance to win $10,000, $5,000, or $2,500!  For more on how you can be a part of what Artvoice calls Buffalo's Best Annual Fundraiser, visit http://www.buffaloredcross.org/Bash.html

Lending a hand across the world

Nothing is greater then going through the mail here at the Chapter and opening up envelopes from the community with all types of donations for those affected by disasters.  The other day, we received an envelope full of hand drawn pictures and notes from a third grade class at the Kadimah School.  Their teacher wrote us a letter describing her students desire to help and cheer up the children in Japan, and their pictures and letters were the best way that they knew how to help.

Unfortunately, in these types of disasters, it is difficult for us to transport clothing, food, pictures, and other tangible items.  Although we would like to give the people of Japan our personalized gifts and items, the best way that we can help them recover from this major disaster is through monetary donations.

What these pictures have been able to do is inspire us here at the Chapter to continue to do our good work, and we hope that they do the same for you.  As of today, March 28 at 2:10pm, we have raised a total of $33,936 for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief effort from donors in our community, and we hope that you will continue to help us raise funds to help Japan make a full recovery. 

If you would like to make a donation to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief fund, you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10.00 donation, call 1-800-REDCROSS or visit us online.  If you would like to speak to someone here at the Chapter about making a donation, please call us at 716-886-7500.