Join Buffalo Tours for a historic visit to our building!

One thing that everyone marvels at when I tell them where I work is… you work in that gorgeous mansion on Delaware?! They of course always follow that up with questions about what I do with the Red Cross inside the amazing building, but they always come back to questions about the origin of the building, and how all of us here at the Chapter got the amazing opportunity to work in a building with such a great history, fantastic architecture, the occasional mysterious smell of roses, and the late night walking of feet from an unknown source!!

Our building was commissioned by the late Stephen M. Clement, then president of the Marine National Bank.  It was built in 1912 at a cost of $300,000 and was designed by prominent Buffalo architect E.B. Green, designer of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Buffalo Saving Bank.  The exterior of the house is constructed of a grey Medina sandstone, while the interior doors, archways, floors and mantels boast imported marble.  There is also a large circular limestone staircase, as well as a copper lined elevator, the first of its kind in a Buffalo residence, and is still in use today!

Unfortunately, Clement never lived in the home that he envisioned and commissioned.  After his death in 1913, the house was occupied by his widow, Carolyn Tripp Clement, the six Clement children, and eventually later generations of the family.

In 1941 Mrs. Clement donated the house to the Greater Buffalo Chapter of the American Red Cross.  In an interview Mrs. Clement said, “I shall be amply rewarded through knowing that my home will be used by the American Red Cross.. There is no other organization to which I would rather give it… it serves day in and day out in times of war as well as in times of peace.”  The building served as a base for thousands of volunteers during World War II and the ensuing decades. 

To learn more about this amazing piece of architecture that sits at 786 Delaware Avenue, right here in Western New York, join us tomorrow (Saturday 6/25/2011) on a tour with Buffalo Tours!

When: June 25, 2011 10am-3pm

Where: 641 Delaware Avenue, the Wilcox Mansion/Teddy Roosevelt House

How to purchase tickets: Call (716) 852-3300, click here, or purchase the day of the event.

Cost: $25 per person ($20 for members) before 4:30pm on 6/24 or $30 the day of event

To learn more, visit Buffalo Tours online or visit Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site online!

We Have a Winner!!

Believe it or not, another Red Cross Month is coming to an end.  And with the end of March comes the end of our first ever Red Cross Moments contest!  Back on March 1, we asked you to share your experiences with the Red Cross, with the story deemed the best earning two free general admission tickets to BASH*2011!  Well, it wasn't easy, but we've picked a winner!  For sharing the following story, Jessica will get join over 4,000 of her closest friends at the party of the year on June 3rd--for free!!

"I (with my whole family) volunteered with the American Red Cross chapter in Goshen NY (just north of NYC) for the immediate days following the 9/11 attacks. We all worked tirelessly to move donations ranging from dog food for rescue dogs to first aid supplies and water to the men and women in NYC. I was still a teenager when this happened, 16 to be exact, but I do remember my awe at the amount of help and donations that were coming in. It was amazing. It was probably one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  And to boot, I've been a registered blood donor since my first blood drive in High School at 17, and I carry my donor card proudly! Here I am, 10 years later, still a supporter of the American Red Cross. The Red Cross provides excellent services to people in time of crisis, and I'm glad I've been a part of it!!!"

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story, Jessica, and for continuing to be a donor for nearly a decade!  We look forward to seeing you at BASH!!

The contest may be over, but we still want to hear Red Cross Moments!  The stories of your experiences can help us improve our services, and let the community know what we have to offer.  Please click on the "Tell Us Your Red Cross Moments" button on the left hand side of this page to send us your stories!

And if you want to join Jessica at BASH*2011 on Friday, June 3rd, you might have trouble getting in this year!  Tickets are going fast--one $100 raffle ticket gets you two tickets to the general admission tent, two drinks per person, all the food you can eat, PLUS the chance to win $10,000, $5,000, or $2,500!  For more on how you can be a part of what Artvoice calls Buffalo's Best Annual Fundraiser, visit http://www.buffaloredcross.org/Bash.html

Storms A'Brewin'!!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that a massive winter storm is headed our way this evening, predicted to dump over a foot of snow on Western New York by 10pm Wednesday.  As we've already seen this winter, it doesn't take nearly that much of the white stuff to cause problems.  Hopefully everyone will stay safe this time around, but thanks to your support, the Red Cross is ready to help if needed.  In fact, we've done this sort of thing before!

 

In early December, a lake effect snow storm left some travelers stranded on New York State Thruway for over 24 hours.  Our Disaster Action Team set up a shelter at the Cheektowaga Senior Center, providing 85 people with a food, water, a way to contact loved ones, and most importantly, heat!  The Red Cross also provided hotel rooms for 13 people who didn't have a way home at the end of the evening.

During that same storm, a family was forced out of the house they were renting after the weight of multiple feet of snow caused the roof to collapse on the home. The Red Cross provided the family with money for food, new clothes, and a place to stay. Our staff also worked with the family to create a plan to help them put their lives back together, offering to pay the security deposit and first months rent on a new apartment.

Of course, when high winds combine with snow and ice, a widespread disaster including massive power outages is always possible.  Think back to October of 2006--the surprise storm left hundreds without power for days, with trees and power lines covering roads and damaging houses.  The Red Cross opened shelters across Erie County, even setting up cots for people to stay with us right here at Chapter heaquarters!

We count on you to be there for us, year after year, with your meaningful gift to the American Red Cross.  Donating is simple--just go to our website and help us continue to be What Happens Next when disaster strikes.  While you're there, check out some of our winter preparedness tips and make sure our winter wonderland doesn't turn into a nightmare.

Have you thought about becoming a SAF volunteer as part of your New Year’s resolution?

Some people don’t realize that the American Red Cross is still closely connected to its roots in terms of working alongside the military.  Through our Services to the Armed Forces (SAF) program, we help connect families here in the States with their family member in the service, stateside or across the world.  This is a great opportunity to get involved and give back to Service Members and their families, and great way to incorporate benevolence into your New Year’s resolution! 

SAF volunteers work directly with family members during major events, such as a birth or the death or illness of a close relative,  to verify their emergency, and then follow the correct avenues in order to get their message delivered to their family member in the service.  Depending on the type of emergency, where the service member is located, and if it is during a time of war or peace, the Service Member may be granted leave to come home or an opportunity to call home.

If you would like to become involved in this great service, you will need to complete the Services to Armed Forces- Emergency Communication Message Training through the Chapter.  This course is a basic introductory class that gives an overview of how to receive and process a case in the Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services program, and also has an online course component that provides more hands on training. 

To schedule training, please call us at 716.878.2387 or visit us online.

Have you thought about becoming a DAT volunteer for your New Year’s resolution?

All of us here at the Chapter take our New Year’s resolutions pretty seriously, and we only have 5 more days to choose what we’re going to dedicate ourselves to in 2011! Whether it has to do with losing weight, not drinking coffee, working out 3 times a week, reading a book a month, having more family meals together, or volunteering more often, we all try to take advantage of the New Year to better ourselves, and we challenge you to do the same!

The Chapter offers many opportunities for individuals to get involved and better themselves, and their community.  For example, you could become a DAT volunteer.

To become a DAT volunteer, you must be 18 years or older, have  a good understanding of spoken/written English, a working personal phone, a valid driver’s license, and be able to pass a background check.  If none of these things are a concern for you, then becoming a DAT volunteer may be the perfect resolution for you!

DAT volunteers are required to take a 3 hour entry level orientation that covers the Chapter, organization and DAT.  After taking the course you will understand the roles and responsibilities of a DAT volunteer, when and how to respond to local emergencies, policies and procedures, as well as how to sign-up for on-call DAT hours. 

DAT volunteers are generally called to respond to local house fires, and are responsible for a preliminary assessment of damage as well as an assessment of the needs of each individuals that was directly affected by the fire.  After this assessment, the volunteer will determine how much assistance, if any, each individual needs in order to ensure that they are in a safe, healthy environment, where they will be provided with additional assistance to find their way back on their feet. 

If you’re interested in becoming a DAT volunteer as part of your New Year’s resolution, or just because you want to give back and better your community, please call us to schedule your training at 716.878.2387 or visit us online.

What we're up to!

It’s Christmas week here at the Chapter! Since we spend all year doing good work for our community, we take advantage of the Christmas season to have a little fun.  Our past week has been full of Secret Santa, homemade goodies and theme days, including today which is… Ugly Sweater day!

Although it’s not a competition, there have been a few individuals that have gone above and beyond this week, whether in extravagant Secret Santa scavenger hunts, bringing in homemade goodies or making their own ugly Christmas sweaters!  Even throughout our Christmas week, we have helped several families, which we are happy to do. We know that the Christmas season is all about giving, and we know that you as a community do as well.

Without your generous donations, we would not be able to do our good work throughout Buffalo 24/7, rain or shine, holiday or not, so we thank you for giving us the power to give help, because that is what we do best!

To make a donation to the American Red Cross this holiday season and help us continue to do our good work in the community, please visit us online, donate through our Holiday Giving Catalog or text GIFT to 90999 to make a $25 donation.