National Preparedness Month, Day 2!

Nancy Blaschak excepting  the proclamation from
Mayor Byron Brown declaring September Preparedness Month

Its preparedness month! And we’re celebrating with 30 days full of tips on our favorite topic… preparedness!! If you’ve missed out on any of them, click here to take a trip through the month of September and catch up!!

Erie County Executive Chris Collins, Mayor Byron Brown,
Niagara Legislative Chairman, the Boy Scouts of America,
and Volunteer Bonnie Klein and her dog.

As a kickoff for the event, we hosted a Preparedness Month Press Conference here at the Buffalo Chapter and invited some of the people that help make the work we do in the community possible.  At the event, we got to hear from Nancy Blaschak, Regional Executive Director of the American Red Cross Serving Erie & Niagara, Chris Collins, Erie County Executive, Mayor Byron Brown, Mayor of the City of Buffalo, William Ross, Legislative Chairman of Niagara County, the Boy Scouts of America, Bonnie Klein, American Red Cross volunteer, and her dog Sophie.  
Our presenters discussed the importance of being prepared and the American Red Cross was also given a proclamation by the Mayor declaring September Preparedness Month.  To see some of the coverage from the event, be sure to tune into channel 2, channel 7, and YNN and check back here for more tips throughout the month!

Photo courtesy of do2learn.com

Preparedness Tip #2
Pick a place to meet after a disaster.  Designate two meeting places.  Choose one right outside your home, in case of a sudden household emergency, such as a fire. The second place you choose needs to be outside your neighborhood, in the event that it is not safe to stay near or return to your home.

To learn more about picking places for you and your household to meet, click here!

Day 1, Happy Preparedness Month!

It’s national preparedness month, which is a fantastic excuse for us here at the Chapter to celebrate and share our fantastic preparedness tips!  Since we have so many, we've decided to share one, or maybe two, or three… tips a day to keep you on your toes, and think about getting prepared!

Preparedness Tip #1

Take a moment to imagine that there is an emergency, like a fire in your home, and you need to leave quickly.  What are the best escape routes from your home?  Find at least two ways out of each room.  Now, write it down — you’ve got the beginning of a plan.

To learn more about what you should be thinking about when making a plan, who you should involve in this process, and the number of times you should practice your plan, click here or check it out below!

Refer to page 2 for more information about drawing out your plan.

Help us “Share the Love”

Photo courtesy of altoonamirror.com

Over the last three years, nearly $15 million has been donated to deserving organizations through Subaru's “Share the Love” event, and they expect to donate another $5 million this year… we’re hoping it’s to the American Red Cross!

To decide who receives this financial donation, Subaru selects several deserving organizations and allows the community to vote for whomever they feel should receive the donation.

Each time you “Share the Love,” a donation of $.10 is made to the organization of your choice (up to $20,000), and the organization with the most votes at the end will receive $250 of each Subaru that's leased or sold!

So, please help "Share the Love" and spread the word to your friends and family through September 15th, so that we can continue to do good work across the country!

To place your vote now, click here!

To learn more about the good work this money could help us continue to do around the country, visit us online.

Wild Wing Wednesdays!

It’s Wednesday!! You know what that means… only 2 more days until the weekend! And we’ve got a great way for you to celebrate.

Every Wednesday in August from 4:00pm-11:00pm the Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurant at 3035 Niagara Falls Boulevard in Amherst will donate 10% of your bill to the American Red Cross Serving Erie and Niagara Counties!

In order to participate, all you need to do is visit the Buffalo Wild Wings on a Wednesday in August from 4:00pm-11:00pm and present the flyer below to the server (you can print the one below or additional flyers will be available at the restaurant).   Proceeds will help support the vital emergency response and disaster preparedness programs of the American Red Cross. 

Representatives from the American Red Cross will also be on hand to help interested customers learn more about Red Cross services!

Have kids? Customers can also take advantage of Family Night at Buffalo Wild Wings and all children under the age of 12 that order off the kid’s menu eat for just $1.99!

We hope to see you there tonight and every Wednesday in August!

Doing our part

Hurricane and Tropical Storm Irene left her mark along the East Coast of the United States, and the Red Cross has now launched a relief effort to help the millions of people without power as well as those affected by the major damage to roads and other infrastructure from flooding.  It could take days, and even weeks to restore power and assess the possible billions of dollars of damage this storm has caused, and your help is needed. If you would like to get involved and help communities across the country you can:

Photo courtesy of photographer:
Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT/Getty Images

Volunteer: Become a volunteer with the Red Cross and get trained so that during the next disaster you’ll be prepared and ready to help out.  Click here to learn more about volunteering, or call Christine Petre, at 716-878-2140, to learn more about volunteering in Erie and Niagara counties. 

Donate funds: Since we are not currently taking donations of food or clothing, money is the most immediate and direct way you can help.  Click here to make a donation to the Red Cross’ disaster relief fund or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10.00 to relief efforts.

Donate blood: Because of the inclement weather and lasting effects of the hurricane and tropical storm, blood drives have been cancelled up and down the East Coast.  By donating you can ensure the stability of our blood supply.  Click here to make an appointment. 

To learn more about how we’re helping aid communities after this disaster, click here to visit the Red Cross online. 

To learn more about how you can help, you can call us at 716-886-7500 or visit us online.