Central New York Real Heroes Breakfast

by Karin Schneider

'Tis the season for the American Red Cross Real Heroes Breakfast! Each year, American Red Cross chapters across the region honor local community members who went above and beyond in different categories of humanitarian accomplishment. I had the exciting opportunity to attend the 21st Annual Central New York Real Heroes Breakfast on Dec. 4 at the Oncenter in Syracuse, where staff and volunteers from our local chapter managed to turn the large ballroom into a warm and elegant dining environment. 

Karin Schneider, John Walsh
and Brian Johnson of Dannible & McKee LLP 

As a new Disaster Action Team volunteer, I was asked to carry the banner announcing the Workplace Safety honoree, John Walsh.  During John's career as manager of American Airlines at Hancock International Airport, he became the leading force of the airport's Airline Response Plan in case of an accident. I really enjoyed talking to him, and learned interesting insights about airline emergency responses. 

All the honorees were paraded out with the category's corporate sponsor and banner holder before breakfast was served.  After the meal, each honoree was called to the podium where the sponsor spoke a few words about the honoree, and a video vignette was shown providing a visual story of his or her accomplishment.  

Alberto Bianchetti and "RJ" Drager 

One of my favorite sponsor presenters was Alberto Bianchetti from National Grid who presented the Youth Good Samaritan award to 7-year-old Robert James"RJ" Drager, who saved his friend from drowning. Alberto recited facts about RJ that he had learned from previous conversations ranging from the pet dog to favorite activities, and confirmed each fact with RJ, who always responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!" One couldn't help but to smile the entire time.

Overall, the event left me with warm and happy feelings.  It was reassuring to be reminded that good and caring citizens live in our community, not only by the honorees, but by the CNY Chapter of the American Red Cross and corporate sponsors of the event. I'm looking forward to next year!

2019 Central New York Real Heroes and Sponsors 

Karin Schneider is a volunteer with the American Red Cross of Central New York. 

Remembering "Snowvember", Five Years Later

A Lackawanna house buried in snow following
Snowvember 2014

What were you doing five years ago? If you were in Western New York in November 2014, particularly South Buffalo and the Southtowns, you'll never forget it. 

An unprecedented Lake Effect Snowstorm buried parts of WNY under as much as eight feet of snow. Travel bans and road closures left hundreds of motorists stranded, while thousands more were trapped in their homes. Many residents had to be evacuated over concerns their home might collapse under the weight of all that snow.

Thanks to the year-round support of our generous donors, the Red Cross was able to immediately provide hope, help, and comfort to the WNY community. Between November 18 and November 28, a workforce of 175 people - 80% of them volunteers - operated or supported 19 different shelters across the Region, providing a warm place to spend the night for 603 people. Working with community partners such as the Salvation Army, the Red Cross served 6,696 meals and snacks to families and individuals in need, with four Emergency Response Vehicles taking support directly to areas hardest hit by the storm. Specially trained volunteers provided 1,019 health and mental health contacts, and 3,939 relief items, including cleanup and personal comfort kits, were distributed to families affected by the winter storm.

Joy Lawrence was still smiling despite his big rig getting
stranded in the snow. He enjoyed his "little adventure"
staying at a Red Cross shelter in Elma, NY

“I’m really enjoying this. I call it my little adventure!” Truck driver Joy Lawrence, from Brampton, Ontario, Canada, was able to smile despite having been stranded and needing to be brought to the Red Cross shelter at Iroquois Middle School in Elma by two police officers. “Wow, Red Cross, you guys are awesome. Really helpful, really kind, really understanding. They're willing to help you in every way. Food, shelter, nursing. Sometimes it's hard for me to explain. I'm 100% satisfied with your services.”

NATIONAL NETWORK HELPS MAINTAIN A SAFE BLOOD SUPPLY 

The unprecedented snowfall forced 29 blood drives to be cancelled across WNY, resulting in 910 units going uncollected. When severe weather disrupts blood collections throughout the area, the Red Cross is able to provide blood from other blood regions to help local hospitals. Despite the conditions, volunteer drivers were able to deliver this vital resource to area hospitals so they could continue to meet patient needs.

“I was driving a Red Cross vehicle from the Blood Processing Center in West Henrietta to Mercy Hospital when Harlem Road when the National Guard said the road was impassible,” said volunteer driver Dona Bronkie. “After calling the hospital and my supervisor, we arranged to drop off the blood the Catholic Health building downtown and they were able to make sure it got to the hospital and patients in need.”

PREPARING FOR THE NEXT STORM

Nationally, the Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes. To be ready to respond 24/7, the Red Cross maintains a variety of resources, equipment, and volunteers to provide help after disasters. Just as the Red Cross prepares for disasters, it’s also important for people to prepare by taking three simple steps:

The Red Cross operated or
supported 19 shelters, including
this one at the Depew Senior Center

1. Get a Kit: Emergency kits should include food, water, and other basic supplies to last three days for each family member.
2. Make a Plan: Plan what to in case you are separated from your family during an emergency and have to evacuate
3. Be Informed: Learn which emergency may occur where you live, work, and play, and how to respond as quickly as possible. Find out how local officials will contact you during a disaster and how you will get important information

In partnership with New York State, the Red Cross is pleased to offer free Citizen Preparedness Corps training across the state. The training provides information about common types of natural and man-made disasters, and teaches effective ways to prepare for, respond to and recover from them as an individual, family and community. Click here to request volunteers to provide this training at your school, group, or other organization.

Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to get lifesaving preparedness information, real-time weather alerts, and more, in the palm of your hand. Search “American Red Cross” in the app store or go to www.redcross.org/apps.

DONATE BLOOD

NY-Penn Blood Services currently collects an estimated 750 units daily to support approximately 90 hospitals in New York and ten counties in Pennsylvania. The Red Cross strives to meet local hospital needs first, and then through our national inventory management system, we can move products throughout our area and across the country, where there is a need.

Currently the Red Cross has a critical need for all blood types and platelet donations. Schedule an appointment today by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

The scene outside Iroquois Middle School in Elma
as volunteers opened a shelter for those affected by
Snowvember 2014

DONATE TO DISASTER RELIEF

You can help people affected by disasters like winter storms and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. 

You can also donate your time and talent as a Red Cross volunteer. Visit redcross.org/volunteer to fill out an online application and start your own Red Cross story.

"If it wasn't for the smoke alarms, my son would've never got out."

"The fire was very devastating. We lost pretty much everything," Margaret Phillips said of the fire that ripped through her Whitney Point, NY, mobile home in November 2018. They had just put in new rugs that had to be ripped out after the fire, and many of the walls had to be torn down.

Smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers one month earlier,
and the fire safety information they provided, helped
Margaret Phillips' son, Matthew, safely escape their burning
Whitney Point, NY, home in November, 2018
Photo by: Chuck Haupt, American Red Cross

Fortunately, however, the only injury was a burned hand suffered by her son, Matthew, thanks to smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers a month earlier. The alarms woke Matthew up, but he was unable to escape through the fire. Thankfully, the neighbors heard the smoke alarm and were able to contact Margaret and the local fire department, who were able to rescue Matthew.

"If it wasn't for the smoke detectors, my son probably would never have gotten out of the house," Margaret said. "Nobody would've have known it was burning, because where we live is so secluded. Nobody would've have ever known if it wasn't for the smoke alarms going off."

Margaret said the smoke alarms were still going off when she returned to the home four days later to begin the clean-up and recovery process. She also said the fire safety information provided by Red Cross volunteers during their installation visit helped Matthew stay safe until help arrived.

Since the Home Fire Campaign launched in 2014, volunteers in Western and Central New York have made more than 3,000 homes and families safer, installing more than 10,000 free smoke alarms and providing fire safety information. These efforts have saved over 625 lives across the country, including 25--like Matthew Phillips--right here in Western and Central New York.

Help us Sound the Alarm by volunteering to install alarms, making a donation to help keep this program free, or signing up for an free installation appointment at soundthealrm.org/wcny.

10,000 Homes Made Safer

Jake Pumputis learned you have
as little as two minutes to safely
escape a burning home.

10,000 homes. It's a pretty staggering number by itself. But when you consider that's the number of Western and Central New York homes our volunteers have visited since the Home Fire Campaign began in 2014, it takes on a whole new meaning.

"I learned a lot in the last ten minutes!" With home visits constantly taking place, it's hard to determine actually which home was the 10,000th our volunteers helped make safer. But Jake Pumputis' apartment in Rochester is close. He heard about the campaign from a close friend, and felt the fire safety information he was provided was just as important as the free smoke alarms volunteers installed during their late August, 2019, visit.

"I would recommend it, and everyone should take part, regardless of if you own or rent," Pumputis said.

"I think it's wonderful, I'm proud to live where the Red Cross started!" Cheryl Ingalls lives in

Disaster Program Specialist Meghan Crowley installs a
free smoke alarm in Cheryl Ingalls' Dansville, NY, home.

Dansville, NY, where Clara Barton founded the first American Red Cross Chapter in 1881. Volunteers visited her home a day after helping Pumputis learn more about fire safety.

"I heard from a friend, and it helped since I couldn't get them myself," Ingalls said of the free smoke alarms volunteers installed in her home.

Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. 25 lives in Western and Central New York have been saved thanks to the free smoke alarms installed by Red Cross volunteers over the past five years. We know that with your continued support, we can have the same impact in the next 10,000 homes we visit.

Help us Sound the Alarm for fire safety by volunteering to help install alarms, making a donation to help keep this lifesaving program free, or by registering for a free installation appointment. Visit soundthealarm.org/wcny to learn more.

-Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer
American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Region

Give blood: Help patients in need this summer

During the Fourth of July week, fewer blood drives are held across the country and many blood donors are away enjoying vacations. This creates a difficult situation for the blood supply, and the American Red Cross is facing an emergency need for blood and platelet donors after a significant shortfall in blood donations during the Independence Day holiday week and ongoing challenges finding new blood donors.

Right now, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types available – and less than a two-day supply of type O blood. Blood donations are currently being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in. More donations are needed now to replenish the blood supply.

Eligible individuals are urged to give now to help avoid delays in lifesaving medical care for patients this summer.

Who needs blood

Blood from generous volunteer donors helps families like the Jolliffes. In February 2018, Meghan Jolliffe suffered an amniotic fluid embolism. During childbirth her heart stopped beating for 14 minutes, resulting in the need for an emergency cesarean section. Her organs began to shut down, and her blood would not clot. Meghan received nearly 100 units of blood within a seven-hour period during her procedures. The doctors were able to stop the bleeding and stabilize Meghan’s condition. Over the next several days, Meghan underwent five surgeries, dialysis and more to repair the damage to her body.

Meanwhile, after her son Sullivan was delivered, he went without oxygen for seven minutes. Doctors performed a process called therapeutic hypothermia, or whole-body cooling, to preserve his neurological function, and he also received several units of blood. In all, Meghan and Sullivan received 109 units of blood.

“My family and I are forever grateful for the generosity of Red Cross volunteer blood donors,” said Meghan. “Donating blood is so important. You or a loved one may never need these lifesaving products, but I can assure you that someone, somewhere will.”

Don’t wait – help now:

1.   Make an appointment to give blood or platelets by downloading the free Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).  

2.   Let your friends and family know there is a #BloodEmergency and ask them to give now.

3.   Bring someone to donate with you.

Blood transfusion is the fourth most common inpatient hospital procedure in the U.S., and these blood products can only come from volunteer donors. Yet, only 3 out of 100 people in the U.S. give blood. It’s crucial that the Red Cross has a sufficient blood supply on hand to meet the needs of patients every day and to be prepared for emergencies that require significant volumes of donated blood products.

Please make an appointment to give now. 

MVPs Sound the Alarm to Save a Life

At about 6:30 p.m. on May 16, 2019, Merlene Jackson's daughter picked her up. 20 minutes later, she received a call from her son. Merlene's Ravenwood Avenue, Rochester, home was on fire. "The kitchen was destroyed, part of the dining room," Jackson says. "Smoke is through the whole house, we can't stay there with the smoke." Her son, Tyrese Bryant, and 13-year-old granddaughter, Liberty, were home sleeping when the fire started. Thankfully, just one week earlier, a team of volunteers from MVP Health Care--Tim Reidy, Paul Bottazzo, and Mark Shipley--joined Red Cross intern Sara Ward from SUNY Brockport and visited Merlene's home as part of the Red Cross Sound the Alarm campaign. The team from MVP Health Care and Red Cross interns and volunteers who helped Sound the alarm on May 9 "They removed my old smoke alarms, and gave me three new ones," Jackson said. "My son was asleep, that's what woke him up. Two of them were going off, one in the dining room, one upstairs in the hallway. That's what got my son up." "It could've been a lot worse, I'm not even sure the other ones worked." Jackson also says the education and escape planning the volunteers provided helped Tyrese and Liberty know what to do when the alarms went off. Red Cross volunteers visited Merlene again after the fire, providing her family with funding for temporary housing, food, and clothing. However, it was that visit by the Red Cross volunteers from MVP Health Care that helped her son and granddaughter to still be here today. "Sunday, I shared my story with our entire congregation at church," Merlene says. "I said, 'If you don't have a smoke alarm in your house, call the Red Cross, it's very important.'" "If it wasn't for the smoke alarms...they were sound asleep!" Since launching in 2014, the Home Fire Campaign has saved over 580 lives nationally, including 23 in Western and Central New York. Learn more about our campaign to #EndHomeFires at soundthealarm.org/wcny. -Jay Bonafede, American Red Cross

In Memoriam - John Allard, Blood Services Volunteer Extraordinaire

John Allard

For almost five decades, anyone visiting the Red Cross blood collection center in Western New York would likely see the smiling face of John Allard.

Allard began his Red Cross volunteer career in 1970, and over the next 48 years dedicated over 50,000 hours to supporting this lifesaving mission. For over a hundred hours a month, John would tuck himself into a corner workroom of the Union Road Blood Donation Center in Cheektowaga, making the many road signs used to promote blood drives across the NY-Penn region. He took great pride in his work, always cleaning and repairing the signs before adding the updated information.

John Allard and District
Director Vicki Smith

John’s positive attitude could not be confined to a corner office, however. He was also one of the first people to sign up and volunteer as a donor ambassador. John greeted blood donors at five to ten drives each month, making sure those giving that lifesaving gift were treated with kindness and respect. After he was hospitalized following a serious accident in December 2018, donors often asked other staff and volunteers, “Where’s John?” John was also a donor himself, starting in 1963 at the age of 17 and donating over 40 gallons of blood during his lifetime.

Regional Disaster Officer Ken Turner (l)
and Volunteer Driver Program
Coordinator Rachel Elzufon-Couch
present John Allard with the WNY
Chapter 2018 Clara Barton Award

For his efforts, the Western New York Chapter twice recognized John Allard with its highest local volunteer honor, the Clara Barton Award, most recently in August 2018. While in the hospital and rehab facilities following his accident last December, John would light up when members of his Red Cross family would visit to show our love and support.

John Allard, a United States Air Force veteran and avid fisherman, passed away on April 13, 2019, at the age of 72. The son of the late Clayton and Marian Allard, and brother to Kathy, Tom, Bill, Rich, Susan, Dave, the late Clayton Jr., and the late Michael Allard, he is also survived by many loving nieces and nephews. Memorial services are scheduled to take place this week. The Western New York Chapter and the NY-Penn Blood region send our thoughts and prayers to John’s family and friends, as we are working to honor his amazing Red Cross legacy for years to come.

-Jay Bonafede, Regional Communications Officer
American Red Cross, Western and Central New York Region

Delivering Hope and Healing in ERVs

Since 1970, the number of large-scale disasters across the globe has more than quadrupled to nearly 400 per year. According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the United States is among the top three nations to experience these disasters. This statistic hits home for communities in the Southern Tier, as they have experienced three major floods over the last decade.  

Mary O’Malley-Trumble and her son can attest to how damaging these disasters can be. After rising waters from the Susquehanna River caused major flooding from Binghamton to Vestal in September 2011,  Mary’s son lost his home, all of his personal possessions, and his two cats. This is just one of many haunting stories of loss for individuals in the Binghamton area, which is prone to flood risks because of the Susquehanna Basin. .   

Stories such as Mary’s are the reason that the Red Cross actively works to be able to provide aid. The Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles, or ERVS, are a big part of providing help to these communities. This is because ERVs are equipped to get through tough terrain and weather to provide help to people after disasters.  

The 17-year-old ERV, based in Binghamton

Mary recalls taking a break from helping her son clean up his property to walk outside and see a Red Cross ERV delivering hot meals to the community. She reflects on this, saying, “A hot meal may seem trivial, but when you are dealing with such loss, it is so much more.” She cites the ERV as a symbol of “hope and healing” that day.  

Additionally, ERVs provided transport to the shelter at Binghamton University, which housed over 1,700 survivors. The ERVs brought victims meals, provided blankets, cots, and other necessities during the flood of 2011. In the aftermath, ERVs maneuvered through the impacted areas to deliver food and clean up kits to those that could not leave their homes. 

Today, this ERV that once served as a symbol of hope and help, is not in the proper condition to safely aid others. The latch on the back door does not stay on while the ERV is moving, and replacement parts are no longer made for the aging ERV. It is clear that this 17 year old ERV—though loved by volunteers—will soon need to be retired and replaced.

We are thrilled that the community came together to provide the Southern Tier Chapter the ability to replace its ERV. Thanks to the generous donations of the Decker Foundation, Hoyt Foundation, Mee Foundation, Triad Foundation, and Greater Norwich Foundation the Southern Tier will soon see a Next Generation ERV,

Next Generation ERV (Stock photo)

The Next Generation ERV is equipped with features that will assist volunteers in better helping others. This includes interior seating that is welcoming for disaster survivors to come in and sit, get warm, or provide a place for them to eat a warm meal. Instead of one feeding window, there will be two large windows, meaning four times more space for volunteers to be able to hand out food to those in need, as well as a greater ability to connect with the community. Additionally, there will be greater external lighting so that disaster victims can better see the approaching ERV, making the vehicle more visible and inviting. 

Now, as flooding in the Susquehanna Basin continues to be as prevalent as ever, the new ERV will be able to provide consistent aid to disaster survivors and to those impacted by any disasters to come.  

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-Story by: Megan Rooney, Development intern