Want to join "Team Red Cross"? There's an app for that!

We all know that the good people of Western New York always want to help out their neighbors in need. After a disaster, people step up not only with financial support but with a desire to volunteer, especially if that disaster occurs in our own back yard. The problem is, they may not know how to help. Well now, there's an app for that!

The American Red Cross launched the Team Red Cross App this week, which allows people to sign up to help, get an overview on basic tasks and receive notifications about Red Cross disaster volunteer opportunities in their community.

Once you download the app, you need to create an account. Then you'll learn about different jobs, such as working in a warehouse, handing out supplies or assisting with feeding. When the Red Cross has a need for volunteers, the Team Red Cross App will notify you based on their location, and you can instantly accept or decline the volunteer opportunity.

The best time to download the Team Red Cross App is now, BEFORE a disaster strikes in WNY so you can help immediately.

The app is free and designed for iPhone and A

ndroid smart phones and tablets. Additional features include:

• A quick orientation right on the mobile device.
• Ability to share notifications for volunteers with your social network.
• Earn digital “badges” by completing a job test, accepting a job, sharing the app, recruiting volunteers, etc. The “badges” can then be shared with your social network.
• Allows you to donate money to the Red Cross and sign up to donate blood.
• Offers emergency response information that you can share with their friends at the touch of a button.

The Team Red Cross App is the seventh in a series of highly successful Red Cross apps, which are now on more than 3 million mobile devices across the country. A recent Red Cross survey shows that apps are now tied with social media as the fourth most popular way to get information during emergencies—behind TV, radio and online news sites. Nearly one-fifth of Americans say they’ve received some kind of emergency information from an app they’ve downloaded, making the Red Cross apps an important way for the public to get ready for disasters.

The Team Red Cross App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store by searching for American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps. We look forward to having you join our team!