Red Cross Volunteers Provide Support
Red Cross volunteers were on the scene of a fatal fire on Graffius Avenue Extension area of McCalmont Township, Jefferson County. Volunteers provided canteen to firefighters and other emergency responders on the scene.
Experience Works Opportunities Available with Chapter.
Do you know someone who is 55 years of age or older, unemployed with little or no income, in urgent need of a job? if so they might qualify for the Experience Works Senior Community Service Employment Program. For more information visit www.experienceworks.org or call 866-976-5939.
Volunteers needed: Here is a list of upcoming events and activities in which we will need volunteers. Please call the chapter and let us know where you can help. As always, we can schedule your volunteer experience to fit your schedule and interests.
Health Fair – Knight of Columbus
Saturday, November 5, 8:00 am – Noon
Clearfield
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Disaster Services:
Volunteers from across the four counties continue to provide disaster services to those in need.
Monthly disaster team meetings allow for volunteers to gather to discuss recent disaster responses, learn new disaster operation techniques or practice on current ones, find out about other Red Cross volunteer opportunities and network with other volunteers. If you are interested in becoming a Red Cross disaster volunteer, you are invited to attend a Disaster team meeting in your area or contact the chapter office for more information. All meetings start at 6:00 PM.
Tuesday, November 1 808 S Michael Road St. Marys
Tuesday, November 8 Brookville Presbyterian Church Brookville
Tuesday, November 15 Glad Tidings Church Clearfield
Tuesday, November 22 Chapter office DuBois
Schedule is subject to change.
Children Especially Vulnerable In Home Fires
Young children are more at risk than anyone else when fire strikes a home. Kids under the age of five are twice as likely to be fatally injured in a home fire than other members of their household. During Fire Prevention Month, the American Red Cross wants families to be aware of the dangers children face, and offers steps people can take to keep their youngsters safe in a home fire.
Children playing with matches or lighters are the cause of about two-thirds of fires involving youngsters. More than half of these fires start in a bedroom, and bedding is most often the first thing in the room to catch fire. Kids also can start fires by playing with candles, fireworks, cigarettes, and stoves.
Only a small percentage of families – 26 percent – have actually practiced a home fire escape plan. The Red Cross urges families to develop an escape plan and practice it with their children several times a year. Parents should also practice stop, drop and roll and low crawling with their youngsters.
Other steps parents can take to ensure their children’s safety include:
- Keep matches, lighters and other ignitable substances in a secured location out of the reach of children, and only use lighters with child-resistant features.
- Familiarize kids with the sound of your smoke alarm and what to do when they hear it.
- Teach your children not to be afraid of firefighters. Take them to your local fire department to meet them and learn about fire safety.
- Kids should be taught to tell you or a responsible adult when they find matches or lighters at home or school.
- Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year. Having a working smoke alarm reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by nearly half.
The Red Cross responded to more than 62,960 home fires during the 2011 fiscal year. House fires are the worst disaster threat to families in the United States. To learn how to prevent a fire in your home and how to keep members of your household safe, you can download The Red Cross Fire Prevention and Safety Checklist. Downloadable fact sheets are also available at www.redcross.org on how to be fire safe over the holidays, how to avoid home heating fires, candle safety, proper use of smoke alarms and tips on how to avoid cooking fires.
World News
American Red Cross Supports Worldwide Red Cross and Red Crescent Responses to Floods, Storms and Earthquakes
The deadly earthquake in Turkey and devastating floods and landslides in Central America have affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and Red Cross and Red Crescent workers are responding with emergency relief assistance. The American Red Cross is providing support to the relief efforts in both disasters.
In Turkey, thousands are in need of assistance following the massive earthquake which hit the country last weekend. The American Red Cross has committed $100,000 to the Turkish Red Crescent response operation in partnership with the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network. The Turkish Red Crescent aims to assist at least 50,000 people in coming weeks.
More than 500 people have died and 2,000 have been injured in the quake that toppled thousands of homes. Many are still missing and thousands are homeless. The bitterly cold nights in the mountainous area are a concern with thousands of people still sleeping out in the open in below freezing temperatures. The area is still experiencing aftershocks and most residents are afraid to stay indoors even if their homes are still standing.
The Turkish Red Crescent has activated all of its branches, providing shelter, food, and relief supplies for those affected. They have established four tent camps sheltering and feeding 1,300 people. Thousands of homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged and a priority for the Turkish Red Crescent is to provide immediate temporary shelter assistance through the winter months with tents, and warm blankets, clothing and sleeping bags.
Survivors of eastern Turkey’s earthquake pleaded for more tents on Thursday, fearing death from cold after a tremor that killed at least 523 and left thousands sleeping in the open.
The Turkish Red Crescent has already distributed thousands of tents and blankets, along with food aid, water and kitchen sets. They have also provided emotional support for people grieving or suffering from post-trauma stress to those affected, as well as blood and blood products for the area’s medical facilities.
Flooding Devastates Central America
Following a month of heavy rains, Red Cross societies throughout Central America are providing food, shelter, first aid and evacuation assistance to aid the more than 630,000 people who have been hit by floods and landslides and isolated by destroyed roads and bridges. Hardest hit are El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua. The American Red Cross has committed a total of $260,000 in relief supplies and other support for the Red Cross response in Central America and stands ready to provide further assistance if needed. Three American Red Cross disaster specialists from its regional office in Panama are on the scene to assist the Red Cross operations in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
In El Salvador, at least 200,000 people are affected, 20,000 homes have been damaged and 51,000 people have been evacuated. The Salvadoran Red Cross has mobilized more than 900 volunteers to support evacuation and search and rescue activities, conduct damage assessments, operate emergency shelters and distribute relief supplies to those in need.
A man walks on a road that was flooded by the overflow of a river in the Ciudad Arce department of La Libertad, about 40 km (25 miles) west of San Salvador October 16, 2011. Torrential rain in Central America forced thousands to abandon their homes and trapped many In El Salvador, where twenty-seven people were killed.
In Guatemala, more than 470,000 people are affected, 11,000 homes have been damaged and 23,000 people have been evacuated. The Guatemalan Red Cross has deployed more than 1,400 volunteers to conduct search and rescue activities, provide medical assistance, emergency shelters, water and sanitation, and assist families in re-establishing contact with their relatives.
In Honduras, more than 17,000 people are affected by the floods, 900 homes have been damaged and 190 people have been evacuated. The Honduran Red Cross is supporting evacuations, performing damage and needs assessments, monitoring situations in at-risk river communities, providing early warnings as needed, and distributing aid supplies to those in affected communities.
In Nicaragua, 150,000 people are affected, more than 4,100 homes have been damaged and 10,000 people have been evacuated. The Nicaraguan Red Cross has mobilized more than 250 volunteers to provide first aid, conduct search and rescue, assist in evacuations and provide damage assessments.
Tropical Storm Rina
As Tropical Storm Rina bears down on the Yucatan Peninsula, the Mexican Red Cross is standing by, ready to respond with volunteers and vehicles ready to provide support. Its Regional Disaster Operations Center in the city of Cancun is monitoring the situation and coordinating operations in branch offices.
The American Red Cross is monitoring the storm from our offices in Panama and Washington, DC and is in close communication with the Mexican Red Cross as the storm passes over the country.
The American Red Cross will continue to monitor all three disaster situations and communicate with Red Cross and Red Crescent partners in the region to determine if additional assistance is needed.
Blood Services
Clearfield County Bloodmobile Schedule
11/2 Penn State DuBois Campus 10 am – 4 pm
11/3 Grampian Community Building 12:30 pm – 6 pm
11/4 440 Front St. Clear field Fixed Site Noon – 6 pm
11/7 Clearfield Trinity Methodist Church Noon – 6 pm
11/10 Treasure Lake Church 1 pm – 7 pm
11/11 DuBois First United Methodist Church 1 pm – 7 pm
11/18 440 Front St. Clear field Fixed Site Noon – 6 pm
11/25 440 Front St. Clear field Fixed Site Noon – 6 pm
Jefferson County Bloodmobile Schedule
11/4 Big Run Volunteer Fire Company 12:30 pm – 6 pm
11/18 Sykesville Grace UMC Noon – 6 pm
11/22 Brockway St. Tobias Church Noon – 6 pm
11/25 Brookville Calvary Church of the Nazarene Noon – 6 pm
11/28 Punxsutawney First UMC 11 am – 5 pm
11/29 Reynoldsville Eagles 1 pm – 7 pm
Elk and Cameron Counties Bloodmobile Schedule
11/8 Fox Township (Kersey) Senior Center 2 pm – 6:30 pm
11/9 St. Mary’s Moose Club 10 am – 4 pm
11/10 Weedville American Legion 1 pm – 6 pm
11/11 Ridgway Central Hose Company 11:30 am – 4:30 pm
Schedule is subject to change.
Call 1-800-733-2767 to schedule appointments or visit the
E-donor site at www.redcrossblood.org. Call 1-866-236-3276 to ask questions about donating blood.
Health & Safety Class Schedule:
Evening classes run 6:00 pm till 9:30pm and daytime classes run 9:00 am till 3:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Baby Sitters Training Saturday, Nov 5 (Day) Chapter Classroom
Adult CPR/Infant Child CPR/AED/First Aid Saturday, Nov 12 (Day) Chapter Classroom
Adult CPR/Infant Child CPR/AED/First Aid Saturday, Dec 10 (Day) Chapter Classroom
Schedule is subject to change.
Visit www.redcross.org to see a complete schedule of classes, pricing and to register for classes or call 1-800-REDCROSS. Pre-registration for community classes is required. Minimum registration requirements for classes will be followed. Options for on-line “Blended” classes are available.
The PA Heartland Chapter is part of the Northwestern PA Region of the American Red Cross. With the Greater Erie County Chapter as the lead, the Corry, Warren County, Allegheny Region, ARC of McKean and Potter and the PA Heartland work together to ensure that Red Cross services are available in the most efficient and caring way possible.
Red Cross is a United Way and United Fund Participating Agency and RSVP Station.
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation’s blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization — not a government agency — and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.
Support the American Red Cross! Checks may be sent to PA Heartland Chapter, 109 N Brady Street, Suite 2, DuBois, PA 15801.
Contact the Chapter office at info@arcpaheartland.org or by calling 371-2750 or 1-800-REDCROSS (733-2767) opt 6.
Follow us on Twitter @ARC_PAHeartland and Facebook at “ARC of the PA Heartland” Facebook Page.