Four Stars!!

Those of you old enough to remember the show "Star Search" probably know the goal of every contestant was to hear Ed McMahon tell them they received four stars from the judges after their performance.  Well, the Red Cross hasn't been on any reality shows lately, but we've still received a four-star rating we're pretty excited about!

Charity Navigator is an independent watchdog organization that rates non-profits on their financial health, accountability and transparency, and they recently gave the Red Cross their highest rating, four stars. 

In a letter to our President and CEO, Gail McGovern, the President of Charity Navigator, Ken Berger, said, “Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that your organization adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities, and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. Approximately a quarter of the charities we evaluate have received our highest rating, indicating that the American Red Cross outperforms most other charities in America.”

When you are donating your hard-earned money to charity, you want to know the organization you choose to give it to will be putting it to good use.  With this four-star rating from Charity Navigator, you can rest assured that when you support the American Red Cross, you'll be helping turn Heartbreak into Hope for our neighbors in need.

Volunteer, and still sleep in!

When you think of a Red Cross volunteer, the first image that pops into your head is most likely that of a person in a red vest, helping the victim of a recent fire or serving a meal out of an Emergency Response Vehicle during a disaster.  We could not perform our life-saving mission without the dedication of these Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers, but you can still serve the Red Cross even if late-night phone calls to head to the scene of an emergency aren't your thing!

At our administrative headquarters at 786 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, we are currently looking for help at our front desk.  These volunteers greet and direct our guests, answer phones, sign for deliveries and generally support our daily operations by being the friendly face welcoming people as they come to the Red Cross.  It's a great way to learn more about what we do for the Western New York community while spending a few hours a week inside the beautiful Clement Mansion!

Reception shifts are typically four hours, one day a week, either in the morning or the afternoon, and we are always willing to work with everyone's schedule.  If you're interested in joining our wonderful group of front-desk volunteers, please contact Christine Petre, Volunteer Coordinator at 716-878-2140 or petrec@usa.redcross.org. 

Of course, if you're looking for a little more action than sitting behind the front desk, we're always looking for new volunteers to join our DAT team, help deliver important messages to members of our armed forces, be an advocate for seniors in long-term care facilities and much more.  Click here to learn more about how to Join Us as a Red Cross volunteer, and we look forward to welcoming you to the family!

You didn't want to cook this Saturday anyway!

Do you really want to take the time out of your busy weekend to make dinner?  Since you'll probably be out and about tomorrow anyway, why not let somebody else do the cooking for you?  And here's the best part--you can support the American Red Cross by doing nothing more than enjoying a delicious meal that you didn't have to cook!!

The American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties is teaming up with the Bob Evans Restaurant at 6543 Niagara Falls Boulevard this Saturday for a delicious opportunity.  Between 11am-4pm on Saturday, October 15th, the Red Cross Bloodmobile will be in the parking lot.  So on your way into the restaurant, stop in and roll up your sleeves!  Walk-in appointments are always welcome, and the need for blood is constant.

Of course, after giving blood you may be a little hungry.  Once you're done saving a life, you can still support the Red Cross inside the restaurant tomorrow.  Between 6am-10pm, Bob Evans Niagara Falls location will donate 15% of your food to the American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties.  Just pick up a flyer in the Bloodmobile and hand it to your server. 

If you can't give blood, don't worry.  You can still help the Red Cross be there for our WNY neighbors in need--just print the photo below and hand it to your server tomorrow!

So come on out, get yourself some home-cooking without actually having to do the work, and support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross, Serving Erie & Niagara Counties!

Surprise!! Where Were You, Five Years Ago Today?

If you were living in Western New York at the time, you likely have vivid memories of October 12th, 2006.  At the time, I was not yet fortunate enough to be a member of the Red Cross family.  I left for my job at a local tv station that afternoon, thinking it was a little chilly and cursing those pesky white flakes for falling so early in the year.  As the evening wore on my wife called, very concerned.  She was hearing a constant cracking noise and was afraid a tree was going to fall into our house.  Later, she said we had lost power, branches were coming down everywhere, and she was going to a friends house.  That tree eventually did fall into our house, but instead of crashing through it just leaned against the structure.  Others weren't so lucky.

Back at the tv station, the sports office didn't have any windows, so we were pretty isolated from the outside world.  "How bad can it be?" I thought, and in my stubbornness I drove home at the end of the night.  Five years later, I still don't know how I made it.  Everywhere, trees and debris lay in the streets, and all the street lights were out.  Over the next several hours, the damage caused by the October Surprise storm became quite clear.  400,000 Western New Yorkers were without power (ours was out for a week) and 80% of roads in the area were impassable, according to the New York State Thruway Authority.  The impact can still be seen today, as some once tree-lined streets remain empty.

During times like the October Storm, people turn to the Red Cross to turn Heartbreak into Hope.  Even though they had their own cleanup issues to deal with, our Disaster Action Team worked with the emergency management teams of the City of Buffalo and Erie County to open multiple shelters across the area, giving those with nowhere else to turn a warm place to stay.  As always, our volunteers and staff members gave up their time and talents to help their neighbors in need over the days and weeks that followed.

The events of five years ago are called the "October Surprise" because no one saw that storm coming.    It's difficult to think about today with temperatures in the 60's, but we urge you to take steps now to make sure you're prepared before the next disaster strikes.  We have some winter storm safety tips on our website, and encourage you to schedule a free disaster preparedness program at your school, business, or organization.

Everyone who was in Western New York on October 12th, 2006 has their own storm stories.  Please share your October Surprise memories in the comments section here or over on our Facebook page, and when you're done, take a few minutes to make sure that emergency kit is ready to go.  You know, just in case!!