American Red Cross

Dr. Alaina Foster is a United States Air Force veteran who taps into her military experience to help others. Alaina began her military career after high school and earned a doctorate in education from Kansas State University following her service. Today, she leads our Service to the Armed Forces and International Services work with the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. One initiative she's passionate about is running a virtual resiliency workshop for anyone with a military veteran affiliation. This program teaches important coping skills to participants with the hopes of building resilience within the military community. #RedCrossCareers #MilitarySupport

The climate crisis is causing more extreme weather events, resulting in twice as many Red Cross disaster relief operations than a decade ago. But, how do we encourage people to take action and make emergency preparedness an everyday priority?    Find out at the Economist Impact's 4th Annual Sustainability Week on June 12 at 5:20 p.m. ET, where I’ll be speaking on a panel about climate communication and storytelling.   You can join the discussion virtually (and for free) by registering here: https://lnkd.in/gp6VAsnS   #ClimateCrisis #ClimateAction 

Thanks to their knowledge as Red Cross CPR instructors, this father and son duo saved a man's life mid-flight. Tony and Drew Ashley sprung into action when a passenger next to Tony went into respiratory arrest and lost consciousness. No one else on the plane knew what to do. "It was like muscle memory," Drew said. "I’ve been teaching CPR every day for years. Instinct took over and we followed our training. It’s one of those situations that you never forget.” The pair took turns providing CPR for nearly an hour until the plane made an emergency landing in Orlando, Florida. Tony and Drew's incredible efforts saved the man's life. During his recovery, he called his heroes on the phone to say thank you. The American Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region also shared their gratitude by honoring them both with Red Cross Lifesaving Awards. Drew and Tony encourage everyone to learn lifesaving skills, because you never know when you might need to use them. "You don’t want something to happen to a loved one and you don’t have the knowledge to help save their life," Drew said. We are so incredibly proud of the Ashleys for their bravery and taking action when moments mattered. ❤️

Let’s give it up for compassionate nurses! Yvonne Epps-Giddings was a nurse for 53 years before she retired and became a Red Cross volunteer last year. “I wanted to be able to still use my nursing skills,” Yvonne said. “I wanted to be able to travel — and more importantly — I wanted to feel like I was doing something that was humanitarian.” Since becoming a volunteer, Yvonne has deployed virtually and in person to several national disaster relief operations across the country. She’s traveled to Hawaii twice to help people recover from the devastating wildfires, supported disasters that affected people in Florida virtually, and recently helped residents displaced by floods and extreme weather in eastern Texas. What keeps her motivated is the memory of her aunt, who dedicated 75 years to serving others through the Red Cross. Now, Yvonne uses her nursing skills to provide healthcare access to people in need during disasters. “I want to keep busy, and I want to be able to use all the skills that I have,” Yvonne said. “Everyone has to decide what they want to do to make the world a better place, and so the Red Cross is just one of those places where that can happen.” ❤️

Mark your calendars for a live conversation with Dr. Charles R. Drew's grandson, Ernie Drew Jarvis, on Monday, June 3 at 6 p.m. ET in celebration of Dr. Drew’s 120th birthday. Hosted by our own Tiffany T., this intimate discussion will explore Dr. Drew's visionary excellence, innovative work and advocacy in medicine. This live event will not only highlight Dr. Drew's accomplishments, but will also give viewers a look into his 45 years of life and a legacy that continues to transcend it. If you have questions for Ernie, drop them in the comments below — they may be answered live during this conversation!

Hurricane season has officially started, and the predictions are not great! 😣 According to NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, there’s an 85% chance of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, which means we could see 17 to 25 named storms with 8 to 13 of them becoming hurricanes. If you haven’t checked your emergency stash lately or have never built a survival kit before, use this as your guide to help you get started with assembling one.

Today marks the 120th birthday of blood banking pioneer Dr. Charles R. Drew! Members of his beloved fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will be hosting Red Cross blood drives in his honor throughout the country this month. And, tonight I'm sitting down with Dr. Drew's grandson, Ernie Drew Jarvis, for a special conversation about his life, his innovative work and advocacy in medicine and a legacy which has continued to transcend his 45 years of life. We'll be taking your questions from the LinkedIn Live chat and look forward to you joining us here: https://lnkd.in/eg-nNssp

More than 350,000 people experience cardiac arrest outside of the hospital every year. Only 9% of those people survive, and the number is even lower within diverse communities. This CPR and AED Awareness Week, join American Red Cross Training Services for a LinkedIn Live conversation to learn how ethnicity, gender, and even geography, can affect the delivery of lifesaving care, and how you can help fight these disparities.

Ready for an emergency — no matter where, no matter when. Thanks to these two Red Cross Water Safety Instructors, a woman's life was saved. While Askia Bashir and Kamau Hogan were working at a recreation center in Atlanta, Georgia, someone ran into the pool area yelling for help. A woman was choking in the upstairs auditorium. Kamau was on duty as a lifeguard that day and knew he couldn't leave his post, so he immediately sent Askia to respond. Askia went upstairs to find the 93-year-old woman slumped over in her wheelchair. She was playing bingo when she choked on an unknown object and passed out. Everyone around Askia was panicked, but his training kept him calm and able to provide care. He cleared the woman's airway and she began breathing again and regained consciousness. Thanks to their quick thinking and actions, Askia and Kamau received a Lifesaving Award for Professional Responders from the American Red Cross of Georgia. 👏🏾 Askia's family is no stranger to this kind of recognition. His brother is an instructor and swim coach who received the same award last year for saving a life. He and his siblings all followed in the lifesaving footsteps of their father, who was the former director of aquatics for the city recreation department. Do you know an instructor or lifeguard hero like Askia and Kamau? Tell us about them in the comments!

It takes a village to do what we do! For almost two months, more than 1,650 Red Cross disaster responders and our partners have worked diligently to serve communities across several states plagued with severe weather. This work would not be possible without our donors, partners — and most importantly — our Red Cross disaster teams. Here are a few of the incredible humanitarians who deployed across the country to support these efforts: Randy from American Red Cross - Arizona and New Mexico is keeping children entertained in Red Cross shelters by introducing them to his Dalmatian puppet and letting them play with him. Elvia from the American Red Cross Central California Region is checking displaced families into shelters and ensuring they have all the resources that they need during this difficult time. Kim Falk from the American Red Cross Cascades Region is comforting people affected by widespread flooding at shelters in Texas. Garry Potts from the American Red Cross Central Florida Region is conducting damage assessments in impacted communities. John Brown from the American Red Cross of Mississippi is spending two weeks in Texas, working with partners and elected officials to meet the needs of the community affected by ongoing storms and flooding. Dennis Ballas from the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region is distributing emergency supplies to people in affected communities with local search and rescue teams.