It's Red Cross Night at the Galleria!!

If you're like me, you're looking out the windows of your office longing to get out in the sun and relative warmth of our first real spring-like day of the year. So why sit inside when the work day is finally over?? Head on out to the mall and support a great cause while enjoying a great meal!

As the title suggests, tonight is "Red Cross Night" at the Walden Galleria, but what exactly IS "Red Cross Night", you ask? Starting at 5pm, three Walden Galleria restaurants-Bravo, Gordon Biersch, and The Melting Pot-are donating 10% of customer's bills this evening to the American Red Cross. No flyers or coupons are necessary, so all you have to do to support our mission is sit and eat!

You didn't want to cook on a beautiful evening like this anyway, so get out and celebrate Red Cross Month with the Walden Galleria! Our thanks to the Walden Galleria, Bravo, Gordon Biersch and The Melting Pot for their support...we'll see you there tonight!!

"City of Good Neighbors" coming through again

March is Red Cross Month, a time when we celebrate all of our supporters for helping us make a difference in the communities we live in, while encouraging more people to Join Us as a donor or volunteer. While we here in Western New York are also celebrating a sunny day and a warm forecast, Mother Nature has not been so kind nationwide.



Red Cross workers in Henryville, IN.
Photo courtesy: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross

 The Red Cross has sheltered hundreds of people displaced by tornadoes in 11 states since last Wednesday, and as we have come to expect, Western New Yorkers are once again stepping up to help our neighbors in need. Disaster Mental Health volunteer Marieanna Elliott of Hamburg will be flying to Louisville, KY on Tuesday to provide emotional support as area residents try to cope with the devastation the storms left behind. Marieanna recently provided similar services during a deployment to Alabama in January, and dozens of local volunteers and staffers provided assistance to those affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in the fall. As the disaster assessment following the recent series of storms continues, additional volunteers from this area stand ready to join Marieanna if called upon.

As we celebrate Red Cross Month, we want to take a moment to celebrate all of our volunteers who, like Marieanna this week, sacrifice so much to help us turn heartbreak into hope in times of disaster here at home and across the country. And we also celebrate our donors, whose support makes our mission possible.

You can see more about what the Red Cross is doing in Kentucky and North Carolina, and visit www.redcross.org for first-hand stories from those who lived through these storms, and how you can help us celebrate Red Cross Month by supporting our disaster relief efforts.

It's a sure sign of summer

This winter has been much more mild than we're used to here in Western New York. But the relative warmth and lack of snow hasn't stopped us from looking for signs that summer is coming soon. Well, here's one of our favorites: tickets for BASH*2012 are on sale now!!

That's right, the party of the year is exactly three months from today. On June 1st, over 4,000 people will march on our headquarters at 786 Delaware Avenue wearing their best military gear to enjoy food and drink from some of the area's finest restaurants while dancing to music from the DJ's of Signature Entertainment and, of course, a live show from the one and only Lance Diamond!



www.redcrossbash.org

Still not convinced that the BASH is Buffalo's Best Annual Fundraiser (according to Artvoice, which has given us that award five years in a row)? You'll also get the chance to bid on one-of-a-kind auction items including vacations, jewelry, original works of art and much, much more. And if you purchase raffle tickets, you may have the chance to walk away with as much as $10,000.
If you've missed this event the past 13 years, ask a friend who's been to this unique military-themed fundraising party and they'll tell you: the BASH truly is the best way to kick off summer in Western New York! Tickets are limited, so visit www.redcrossbash.org to get yours now, and then hang on to them with a kung-fu grip!!

Disasters come in all sizes

Photo Courtesy ottawacitizen.com

Our thoughts are currently with our friends north of the border, as the Canadian Red Cross is responding to yesterday's derailment of a Via Rail passenger train headed from Niagara Falls to Toronto. Unfortunately, we here in Western New York have some experience with transit disasters, having opened reception centers and provided counsellors following the February 2009 crash of Flight 3407. Three years later, we continue to support the families who lost loved ones that day.

Much like that tragic event in Clarence Center, yesterday's fatal rail accident is receiving a lot of coverage in both the Canadian and local media. On our Facebook page yesterday, however, a fan commented that a fire our volunteers responded to in Buffalo this weekend never made the news. That's often the case with a single family house fire, especially when everyone is fortunate enough to get out safely. However, just because you don't see it in the media doesn't mean that they're any less traumatic for those who suddenly lost everything and may have no place to stay.

The Red Cross is proud to be the organization people turn to in times of need, whether the media is there to tell the story or not. However, as Nettie pointed out in her Facebook comments, we need our volunteers and other supporters in order to perform our mission. Red Cross Month starts on Thursday, so this is a great time to consider joining us so you can be the one helping turn heartbreak into hope the next time a disaster, "large" or "small", hits Western New York.