American Red Cross

If you’re taking your dog out during your lunch break, be sure to follow these tips. Temperatures are climbing to record levels across the country and can put your furry friend at risk of a heat stroke.

At 102 years old, Ethel Shelton is still volunteering in her community. What’s her secret? She’s still trying to figure that out herself. “If I knew it, I’d sell it,” she said. Ethel's passion for serving others began at age 17 when she registered for nursing school, graduated, and began work as a registered nurse in a small hospital. She still remembers what it was like to work the night shift on a hospital floor by herself. “I would take a flashlight with me and wake [patients] up to verify their names,” Ethel said. She spent many years volunteering with the American Red Cross of Illinois before moving to Rome, Georgia to be closer to family. Ethel would help staff local Red Cross blood drives and create fundraisers to support our mission. Once, she procured yarn donations and worked with a group of women who knitted and crocheted items to sell and raise money for the Red Cross. Ethel now volunteers with a local community kitchen in Georgia, and she recently donated her Red Cross volunteer apron to the American Red Cross of Georgia. When our team asked her what motivates her to give back, she said, “I’ve been doing this all my life, it needed to be done.” ❤️

Thanks to volunteer Sydney Highter, more high school students know what to do during an emergency. Sydney is a nurse who gives her time teaching Hands-Only CPR to Red Cross Clubs across the American Red Cross Central California Region. Then, she empowers students to pass on this skill to peers while waiting to give blood at their high school blood drives. Sydney volunteers because of her dedication to the medical field and desire to help youth pursue their humanitarian interests. "I realized helping people is a feeling that never gets tiring,” Sydney said. Let's give a big hand to Sydney for all she does to make her community a safer place. 👏🏼

Say hello to House on the Hill (HotH), one of our hyperlocal community partners in Kentucky that provides access to fresh food and housing to low-income families. HotH was formed in 2010 in Mississippi but eventually relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where it runs a food box program that has become a significant budget-saver and resource for families in the community. “We currently serve 250 families per month,” said Joel Hawkins, executive director at HotH. “With the help of the Red Cross and other agencies, we opened a free grocery store, too.” Families can now receive food boxes and shop for the produce and goods they want to take home. “Empowering families is one way we have been trying to combat the stigma of poverty,” Joel said. “The work we do focuses on the dignity of the people we serve. The grocery store program is one of those ways we try to instill dignity. It empowers the family to make their own food choices.” As a community partner involved in our climate crisis work, HotH is expanding its mission work through feeding efforts and finding ways to offer affordable housing options to low-income families. This work is critical for communities at high risk of extreme weather and socioeconomic challenges. “This partnership with Red Cross has allowed us to look at innovative solutions to meet those needs,” Joel said. “We know many health issues are created because of the housing situations our families are in, and providing safe, inhabitable, affordable housing for low-income folks is now on our horizon because of the work.” Let’s give it up for incredible partners like HotH who go above and beyond to support people in their communities. 👏🏽👏🏻👏🏿👏🏾

❗ You should use an AED as soon as possible if someone is in cardiac arrest. But do you know what to look out for to make sure they're safe to use? Test your first aid knowledge below and check back tomorrow for the right answer!

“As an organization that every day responds to the devastating humanitarian impacts of climate change, we don’t want to also contribute to the problem. That’s why we’re working to make our own operations more sustainable.” Noel Anderson, our very own Chief Sustainability Officer, spoke at #SustainabilityLive, where he shared how we're implementing sustainable solutions to address the impact of extreme weather on communities due to the climate crisis. If you missed the fireside chat hosted by Sustainability Magazine, watch it here. ⬇️ #Sustainability #ClimateAction #ClimateCrisis

This metal torpedo buoy helped save lives. It was invented in the early 1900s and designed for surf rescues, and it was used in Red Cross water safety classes through the mid-20th century. Believe it or not, this floatation device could support up to six people! Tap through this post to see it in action.

“It has been a relentless disaster season. Swarms of tornadoes and extreme weather have raced all across the Midwest and down to the Southeast. All of this has driven the Red Cross to launch major disaster relief operations in more than 13 states and mobilize more than 2,000 volunteers and staff.” Trevor Riggen, Red Cross President of Humanitarian Services, recently spoke with WBBM | CBS Chicago to share how your support is needed now more than ever as we continue to respond to nonstop severe storms across the country and prepare for a dangerous hurricane season.

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