The weather's gorgeous...get out and eat!!

It's hard to believe when you look outside, but it's still only March. With record setting temperatures this week, it feels like summer. So why heat up the house by cooking dinner when you get head out to eat and support your local Red Cross at the same time?

We've joined forces with three Western New York Ruby Tuesday's locations as part of the restaurants "Community GiveBack Program." Today and tomorrow, Ruby Tuesday's is donating 20% of customer's bills to the American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties. All you have to do is print the flyer to the right and give it to your server. Well, that and enjoy a great meal!

Feeling stuck inside your office, staring at the blue skies? Get the team out to lunch (we're going tomorrow!!). Don't feel like cooking dinner? Load up the car and head out to either Cheektowaga, Blasdell or Lakewood! Need a night out with friends? Take this flyer with you to Ruby Tuesday's, and celebrate Red Cross Month by supporting our lifesaving mission. It'll make that delicious meal taste even better! And after you're done, make sure to send in your Red Cross Story for a chance to win tickets to the party of the summer!!

Want to win free BASH Tickets?!?

With the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and the work we do in the community each day, there's an incredible number of simply amazing personal stories out there to be told. Whether it's a volunteer helping our service members in Afghanistan, a CPR instructor alive today because someone else had taken the time to be trained, or a family who had a warm place to spend the night after losing everything in a fire thanks to your support of this organization, it's amazing the number of lives the Red Cross has touched over the years.

Send your story to joseph.bonafede@redcross.org

So how has the Red Cross touched YOUR life? Why do you volunteer, or what is it that makes you send in that donation to support our work? We want to hear your stories, and we're offering quite a reward to get them!

Click the link to the left and send us your Red Cross Story between now and 11:59pm on Thursday, March 29th, and you may win two free General Admission tickets to BASH*2012!! The winner, as selected by our Development team, will be announced on Friday, March 30th, and that person and a friend will get to join us for the party of the summer on June 1st! Unfortunately, Red Cross employees and their families are not eligible to win, but we'd still love to hear your stories!

By telling us your Red Cross Story, you can help us improve the ways we provide our services and help others to learn about the variety of services we provide to the community, so we may use your story in future Chapter publications.  Don't worry, you can remain anonymous--but please make sure we know how to contact you if you win!

Your "Red Cross Story" doesn't have to be long--sometimes a simple one-liner can be as meaningful as a full-length novel!  To get you started, I've posted my own story below.  So take a few seconds to tell us story. We can't wait to read them!! And good luck, hope to see you at BASH*2012!

Jay Bonafede's Red Cross Story:

I've had the pleasure of working for the Red Cross for a year and a half now, and I'm still moved by the power of this organization. Just by walking up to scene of a fire wearing that Red Cross vest, you can feel the sense of relief from that family with nowhere else to turn, knowing that now someone is there to help. I'm honored to be a very small part of an organization that helps make Western New York a better place every day.