Graduating to good

For most college students, graduation is a time of celebration and job hunting. But for Elly Fisher, her graduation party from the UB School of Social Work will consist of travelling to volunteer with the American Red Cross for a two-week deployment to Louisiana to aid in relief efforts.

The Buffalo Chapter has gotten to know Elly over the past academic year as she interned with us in our Emergency Services department.  On top of her internship,  she was a member of the Disaster Action Team.  She responded to fires across Western New York and even helped with the sheltering efforts following the closure of the NYS Thruway in December.

Going along with Elly is longtime American Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteer Tara Hughes.  Over her 10 years working with the Red Cross, Tara has helped provide counseling and comfort to countless people following disasters down the street, across the country, and around the world and she is on track to become the first Disaster Mental Health Chief in New York State. 

Elly and Tara will join 12 other staff and volunteers from the Greater Buffalo Chapter who have been deployed to help in the American Red Cross relief efforts since severe weather began hitting the nation on March 31st.  To date, the American Red Cross has opened more than 180 shelters in the 18 states affected by wildfires, flooding, and tornadoes, serving over a million meals and has provided more than 30,000 health and medical consultations.

Individuals wishing to support the American Red Cross relief efforts in the south can:

•             Text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to send a $10 donation.  The charge will appear on your next cell phone bill

•             Call 1-800-REDCROSS

•             Visit www.redcross.org

 For more information on how you can volunteer with our Disaster Action Team, please click here.