Making a difference at any age

Younger generations have been showing the world time and time again that regardless of their age, they too can make a difference.  Lockport High School is a great example of this.  The school’s musical, "Once On This Island,” showed Friday April 1^st and Saturday April 2^nd and they set aside a portion of the $10.00 ticket price to donate to the relief efforts in Japan.  They donated over $1,000. 

Sarah Pevey, Marissa Parker, Zac Parker, Heather Filipowicz, William Tschaepe,
Erin Deeks, Katrina Rorick, Emmaline Lux

We are so thankful to have our younger generations working hand and hand with us at the American Red Cross.  They’re helping us further our mission and good work in the community, across the country and around the world. 

If you would like to get involved with us at the American Red Cross, you can call us at 716-886-7500 to learn more about volunteer, fundraising and donation opportunities, or you can visit us online to learn more about all the services that your donations of time and money allow us to offer. 

Train Our Everyday Heroes

Melissa Lambert used her CPR training to save her fiancé’s life when he collapsed on an exercise treadmill.

When Kevin Laubengayer’s two-year-old son fell into a pond, Laubengayer applied CPR and had the toddler breathing again by the time the ambulance arrived.

Abdominal thrusts from Judy Farrell dislodged a piece of a sandwich from her husband’s throat, saving his life when, according to the emergency crew, that life was down to seconds.

Scenes such as these—ordinary people performing extraordinary acts—repeat day in and day out across America because someone has been trained in CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation).

Heroes Behind the Scenes

For every life saved, there are really two heroes—the person administering the CPR and the volunteer instructor who taught that person how to do it. More than 18,000 American Red Cross volunteer instructors freely give both time and talent to teach CPR.

Sandy An is a volunteer instructor with the Preparedness and Health and Safety Department at American Red Cross national headquarters. She is also an emergency responder, firefighter and college student majoring in emergency health services. Like Mekonnen, An has witnessed first-hand the lifesaving qualities of CPR.

“The saddest experience you could have,” she says, “is to have a family member or loved one need CPR and you not being able to give it.”

An says volunteering with the Red Cross “just felt right.” She has always been interested in humanitarian work, and finds that the Red Cross mission and Fundamental Principles are similar to the values she follows in her everyday life.

This is why at the American Red Cross College Club Conference, we offered a free Citizen CPR training, as seen above,  to all attendees.  Although it's recommended that everyone gets fully certified in CPR/AED, giving all attendees the courage and know how to make a difference in a life threatening situation was an empowering moment to see. 

Join the Next Generation of Red Cross Training

American Red Cross volunteers teach hundreds of thousands of people to be lifesavers: to give a combination of chest compressions and breaths to maintain some blood flow to the heart and brain until advanced medical care can arrive on the scene; to administer abdominal thrusts if someone is choking; to use an AED (automatic external defibrillator); and more.

Get trained so you can be ready to “buy extra time” for someone whose life depends on how quickly help arrives.

CPR classes are taking place at your local Red Cross. To sign up for a class today, visit us online or call us here at the Chapter 716.886.7500.

Article courtesy of www.redcross.org

Are you volunteering?

Photo courtesy of the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area



How better to celebrate National Volunteer Week then to become a volunteer?! Here at the American Red Cross, we have some amazing opportunities for our community members that want to get involved in the good work we do here in Erie County. 



Do you wish that you could be the one out helping families that have lost their homes after a fire? Become a member of the Disaster Action Team!

American Red Cross Emergency Services provides relief to people who have experienced natural and or man-made disasters. This unit is prepared at all times to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care to disaster victims. All assistance is free and universal; disaster victims are not expected to pay the Red Cross for any services provided to them. Assistance to disaster victims includes:

·         Vouchers for food, clothing, and household goods

·         Temporary housing

·         Health services and referrals

·         Referrals to housing and other social service agencies

Most local disaster assistance is provided to victims of single family house fires. Our volunteer Disaster Action Team (DAT) is on-call 24/7 to provide disaster relief at a moment's notice. Other types of local disaster situations include:

·         Snowstorms, ice storms and power failures

·         Minor creek flooding and flooding of low lying areas around Lake Erie

·         Major explosions and chemical leaks

·         Train derailments

In addition to our traditional disaster services, the Red Cross offers several special programs. These include:

·         Energy Assistance Programs - Provides financial aid to those who are unable to cope with energy bills, including elderly over the age of 60, handicapped or disabled, and those experiencing medical emergencies. Funds for NYSEG’s “Project Share” and Niagara Mohawk’s “Care & Share” come through each utility’s customers, vendors and boards.

·         Information and Referral Programs - Provides general information regarding other local social services agencies. Information is provided by phone 24/7 or in person during normal business hours to those in need.

Disaster Preparedness: Training is now being offered. View our Disaster Training Calendar for more information.

Would you like to help keep Service Members and their families in touch during times of emergency? Become a Services to the Armed Forces volunteer!

Our Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) program facilitates communication between military personnel and their families during peace and war times. Using a worldwide emergency network, SAF assists in relaying important messages - the news of births and deaths, family illnesses and crisis situations - to loved ones all across the globe. 

When an emergency arises that requires the presence of the service member or his or her family, the Red Cross may provide access to an interest free loan or a grant for travel expenses. These funds are made available by the military aid society. 

For more information about SAF, please contact us at: 716.886.7500

Do you want to help keep seniors comfortable, safe, and well when they're in retirement homes, rehabilitation centers or assisted living centers? Become a Services to Seniors volunteer!

We have several programs within our Services to Seniors department which include, Ombudsman, Family Caregiving, Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), I'm OK, Free Healthy Living Community Workshops, and Transportation that offer a continuum of services that improve the quality of life for seniors and those who care for them.

However you'd like to volunteer, we'll find a spot for you on our team.  Visit us online to learn more about all of the services that we offer to the community, call us here at the Chapter today to learn more, 716-886-7500, or visit our volunteer section on the right hand side of this page to see our current opportunities.